Chapter 138
[ 485 words ]
Chapter 138:
Jarrod plugged the dryer into the wall. He stepped behind her. He turned the machine on, the low hum filling the quiet room.
Caroline flinched as she felt his large, calloused hand gently gather the heavy, damp mass of her hair. The warm air hit the back of her neck, sending a sudden, involuntary shiver down her spine.
He didn’t speak. He just stood behind her, his fingers moving slowly and methodically through her hair. The contrast between the terrifying, violent commander who had nearly destroyed his sister hours ago, and the man currently performing this incredibly gentle, domestic task, made Caroline’s chest ache.
His fingertips occasionally brushed against her scalp. The touch was light, almost reverent. It was a silent, physical apology for his earlier explosion, and a demand for her trust.
𝖣o𝘸n𝗹оа𝖽 рD𝗙s 𝘧𝗿𝖾𝘦 о𝗇 𝗴𝗮𝗅n𝘰𝘷еl𝗌.c𝗈𝗆
The heat from the dryer and the rhythmic, soothing motion of his hands began to melt the ice in Caroline’s veins. Her rigid posture slowly relaxed. Her shoulders dropped. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to completely surrender to the care he was forcing upon her.
When her hair was completely dry, Jarrod clicked the machine off.
The sudden silence in the room felt incredibly heavy.
Jarrod did not step away. He kept his hands buried in her warm hair. He slowly leaned down, his chest brushing against her back. He lowered his face until his lips were hovering right next to her ear.
“Do you have your answer now, Caroline?” Jarrod whispered, his voice a dark, velvet rumble. “Do you understand that this territory belongs exclusively to you?”
Caroline’s heart skipped a beat. She opened her eyes. She could only manage a single, shaky nod.
The small movement was all the surrender he needed. Jarrod set the heavy hair dryer down on the nightstand. He slowly lowered his head, his warm breath ghosting across the sensitive shell of her ear as he moved past it.
“Good,” he murmured, his voice a dark, velvet rumble. He gently cupped her jaw, turning her face toward his, and pressed his lips deliberately against hers in a kiss so tender it was almost heartbreaking. It was not an accident. It was a conscious, overwhelming surrender.
Caroline’s hands gripped the edge of the mattress. Her brain stopped functioning. The urge to fight him completely evaporated, replaced by a terrifying, overwhelming desire to lean into the kiss.
Jarrod slowly pulled back. He kept his hand on the back of her neck, his thumb gently stroking her pulse point. His gray eyes were dark, heavy with a promise that made her lungs burn.
“Go to sleep, Caroline,” Jarrod whispered, his voice thick with restrained desire.
The echo of Jarrod’s command to go to sleep hung in the air. His lips had just left hers, but the physical space between them did not increase.
The master bedroom was completely silent. The only sound was the incredibly faint, mechanical hum of the climate control system pushing cold air through the vents.
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