thought came, I shoved it away. I would need money to get anything, and I wouldn't be around long enough to bother with it anyway. No sense wasting money on stuff that would just sit there in the bottle forever.
The steam insulated me from the rest of the world, and I wasted a few minutes just enjoying it. If only all my problems would fade away in the steam. No such luck, though. I needed to suck it up and get on with what I had to do.
I finally shut the water off and dried myself, and kept a towel around my hair. Another towel practically swallowed me as I wrapped it around my body and tucked an edge in to hold it in place.
I found Ryker in the kitchen. "Hi."
He looked around, a little startled. "Hey. Did I wake you?"
"No, I just woke up." Keeping my eyes off his bare chest became a real struggle. I could look at him for hours and never get tired of it. "I hate to ask, but do you happen to have another shirt and shorts I could borrow?"
"Oh, yeah, of course. Sorry, I should have realized… I'll have Stella pick up a few things for you, if you'll give me a list."
I shook my head. "I can't ask you to do that. If he could go by my place, he could just grab my stuff there."
"No, can't do that. Royse probably has someone keeping an eye on your place. We can't have anyone following Stella back here and finding you."
Well, that made sense, even if I hated to admit it. I shrugged a little. "Then I guess I'm wearing your shorts and T-shirts. I don't have money for clothes and stuff."
The look he gave me meant something, but I wasn't sure what. "Don't worry about it. I have it covered."
"No. I don't want you spending money on me. Staying here, and putting you in danger, is bad enough." It took everything I had not to just walk out his door and let him get back to his life.
"You don't understand, Elena." He caught my arms and prevented me from pulling away. "I have friends who are willing to help. Stella isn't going to the mall and buy a whole wardrobe. He'll give your list to one of our friends' girlfriends, and have them go to a second-hand store for most of it."
Okay, that didn't sound so bad. "So you're not spending a fortune?"
He grinned. "I'd like to. Unfortunately, I'll have to make my fortune first." One hand left my arm to cup my jaw. "Don't worry, okay?"
"Okay. If you say so." Of course, I would keep right on worrying.
"I do. Now, let's get you something clean to put on, and then you can make your list." He led the way to his room, where he quickly found another T-shirt and more drawstring shorts.
Ryker left me to get dressed, returning to the kitchen. When I came out, he had a pad and pen waiting. I frowned and wrote down my sizes while he worked on something at the counter.
"Make sure to add what kind of shampoo and stuff you like, along with whatever other girly stuff you'll need in the next few weeks."
I stared at his with a raised brow. "Girly stuff?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Tampons and stuff."
Heat flooded my face. I hadn't thought that far ahead. That part of the list was pretty easy. I wasn't picky about brands and all that. I had to just get the cheap kind. "Okay, all done."
"You put shoes and underwear?"
I added those things to the bottom of the page. "I did now."
A chuckle rumbled from him. "Good girl. Now, something else." He turned and put his hands on his hips. "I've been thinking. If we have to leave here, we don't need you being recognized. I think maybe you should think about dying your hair."
"Will we have to go somewhere else?" Alarm quickened my pulse. As long as we remained in the city, I could put my plan into action. If he took me too far away, I might as well forget it.
"It's possible, depending on how Royse reacts to our disappearing, and on what my friends find out about him. And if it takes more than a few days to get things sorted out and find your mom, it'll be easier if we're somewhere else."
"Oh. Okay." I weighed the idea. Looking different might actually let me
The steam insulated me from the rest of the world, and I wasted a few minutes just enjoying it. If only all my problems would fade away in the steam. No such luck, though. I needed to suck it up and get on with what I had to do.
I finally shut the water off and dried myself, and kept a towel around my hair. Another towel practically swallowed me as I wrapped it around my body and tucked an edge in to hold it in place.
I found Ryker in the kitchen. "Hi."
He looked around, a little startled. "Hey. Did I wake you?"
"No, I just woke up." Keeping my eyes off his bare chest became a real struggle. I could look at him for hours and never get tired of it. "I hate to ask, but do you happen to have another shirt and shorts I could borrow?"
"Oh, yeah, of course. Sorry, I should have realized… I'll have Stella pick up a few things for you, if you'll give me a list."
I shook my head. "I can't ask you to do that. If he could go by my place, he could just grab my stuff there."
"No, can't do that. Royse probably has someone keeping an eye on your place. We can't have anyone following Stella back here and finding you."
Well, that made sense, even if I hated to admit it. I shrugged a little. "Then I guess I'm wearing your shorts and T-shirts. I don't have money for clothes and stuff."
The look he gave me meant something, but I wasn't sure what. "Don't worry about it. I have it covered."
"No. I don't want you spending money on me. Staying here, and putting you in danger, is bad enough." It took everything I had not to just walk out his door and let him get back to his life.
"You don't understand, Elena." He caught my arms and prevented me from pulling away. "I have friends who are willing to help. Stella isn't going to the mall and buy a whole wardrobe. He'll give your list to one of our friends' girlfriends, and have them go to a second-hand store for most of it."
Okay, that didn't sound so bad. "So you're not spending a fortune?"
He grinned. "I'd like to. Unfortunately, I'll have to make my fortune first." One hand left my arm to cup my jaw. "Don't worry, okay?"
"Okay. If you say so." Of course, I would keep right on worrying.
"I do. Now, let's get you something clean to put on, and then you can make your list." He led the way to his room, where he quickly found another T-shirt and more drawstring shorts.
Ryker left me to get dressed, returning to the kitchen. When I came out, he had a pad and pen waiting. I frowned and wrote down my sizes while he worked on something at the counter.
"Make sure to add what kind of shampoo and stuff you like, along with whatever other girly stuff you'll need in the next few weeks."
I stared at his with a raised brow. "Girly stuff?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Tampons and stuff."
Heat flooded my face. I hadn't thought that far ahead. That part of the list was pretty easy. I wasn't picky about brands and all that. I had to just get the cheap kind. "Okay, all done."
"You put shoes and underwear?"
I added those things to the bottom of the page. "I did now."
A chuckle rumbled from him. "Good girl. Now, something else." He turned and put his hands on his hips. "I've been thinking. If we have to leave here, we don't need you being recognized. I think maybe you should think about dying your hair."
"Will we have to go somewhere else?" Alarm quickened my pulse. As long as we remained in the city, I could put my plan into action. If he took me too far away, I might as well forget it.
"It's possible, depending on how Royse reacts to our disappearing, and on what my friends find out about him. And if it takes more than a few days to get things sorted out and find your mom, it'll be easier if we're somewhere else."
"Oh. Okay." I weighed the idea. Looking different might actually let me
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