Page 126 of Crucible
“What’s wrong?” I ask as I stand behind her.
Her gaze flicks to mine in the mirror before returning to her hair. “Nothing.”
“Looks like something.”
“You won’t understand.”
“Try me.”
Sighing heavily, she drops her arms. “Okay. Well, I have to do something with my hair before it drives me crazy, but I don’t have any of the stuff I need.”
“Like what?”
“A comb or brush for one?”
“What else?”
Turning around to face me, she folds her arms and runs down a list of products that make me wonder if she’s secretly building a bomb instead. When she’s done, I raise my brows. “Is that all?” I ask sarcastically.
“Forget it.” Her nostrils flaring, she faces the mirror once more and goes back to trying to section her wet hair.
After the third or fourth wince, I can’t take it anymore and leave the bathroom. I walk over to my bed, and after making surethe coast is clear, I pull her duffel from under my bed. I’ll have to find a better hiding place soon, but it’s the least of my worries as the sound of Aurelia cursing hard enough to make a sailor blush reaches my ears.
The small case I’d found her conditioner in is sitting on top, so I find what she needs in no time. I hesitate only for a moment since the plan had been to use this shit as a bargaining chip before remembering an old adage.
Happy wife, happy life.
Kicking the rest of her shit under the bed again, I ease back into the bathroom with Aurelia’s hair products. She ignores me when I walk in until I set the designer case on the counter, and her gaze flies to it before finding mine.
“What…how did you…?” She doesn’t finish her sentence when she dives for the travel case and flips it open. A few of the bottles are busted, but most of them are intact. Aurelia doesn’t seem to notice the mess as she squeals happily and then throws her arms around my neck and kisses me. “I don’t even know how the hell you found this and just happened to have it, but I don’t care. Thank you, Thorin.”
I grab a handful of her ass—which is more than ahand full—and groan before stealing another kiss because I’m greedy like that. “That’s right, wolf. Keep ignoring those pesky questions, and we’ll get along just fine.”
She sinks her teeth into my bottom lip until she draws blood.
My perfect, vicious thing.
Aurelia stays in the bathroom for hours.
When she finally emerges, the day is gone, and she looks exhausted but relieved. Light floods my bedroom from the bathroom when she opens the door and steps out wearing my T-shirt. The front of her hair is twisted to her scalp in small, neat rows, while the rest of her hair is in its usual unburdened mass, though the curls do look more vibrant than before. I’d always known she had beautiful hair but seeing it now has my fingers flexing, imagining her golden curls slipping through my fingers.
Aurelia doesn’t notice me, doesn’t even look my way.
I’m lying on my bed in the dark with my fingers linked behind my head. I’d been careful not to make a peep.
Shortly after leaving her alone, Aurelia started singing again.
She hadn’t stopped—not once in all the time that she’d been locked inside my bathroom. When one song ended, she immediately started another, and I’ve been rooted to this spot ever since. Even when my hunger turned to pain, my back hurt, and I needed to piss like no other, I ignored the discomfort and stayed to listen to her sing about love and heartbreak and being true to yourself.
All things she knows nothing about, thanks to her uncle.
“So, when girls claim they can’t go out because they have to wash their hair, it wasn’t a lie after all?” I ask, startling her.
Aurelia yelps and jumps back with a hand on her heaving chest. “What the hell, Thorin? Could you be more creepy?”
“I could try.” Tilting my head, I grin and end my slow perusal at her chest. “I know how much it excites you.”
She glowers and ignores my statement. “Why are you in here?”
