Chloe had given him a large, soft towel, which felt like heaven in his rough hands, and told him to hook it behind the bathroom door. He did as she asked while she stood at the doorway, her hands crossed beneath her breasts, a cautious expression on her lovely face.
He was dying to strip off and get under that shower, but decided to shave first. He pulled out the stool from under her dressing-table and positioned it just outside the bathroom, ordering her to sit there, where he could see her, while he shaved. The razor was new and sharp but he managed not to cut himself, even though her presence and every move she made in that maddening satin gown distracted him. She stared at him once he’d finished, patting his jaw with the soft towel, and he wondered how many other men she had seen shaving besides him. He quashed the thought, it was none of his business and she didn’t have a man now, he believed that. He had to believe it for his own peace of mind.
Zack stared longingly at the shower, but he had to make sure she was secure before he allowed himself that pleasure; he wasn’t going to kid himself into trusting her. She’d do a runner without giving him a second thought. First he checked the lock on the bathroom door. Excellent, there was a key in it – he’d be able to shower in peace.
“Come inside Chloe and sit on the toilet seat”
She hesitated a moment and then did as he said, folding the gown carefully around her legs. His thigh brushed against hers as he closed and locked the door, extracting the key and dangling it in his hand. She stared at the key for a long moment, an air of defeat overtaking her.
So she was thinking of doing a runner! Zack felt a stab of anger at her obvious disappointment, but quashed it savagely, after all what did he expect of her? Undying devotion? She was probably afraid he was going to rape her after the incident in the bedroom. But hell, how was he supposed to know that going naked was disrespectful to a woman in this world. Getting a hard-on for her, maybe, but getting naked for a shower? He couldn’t understand the big deal.
“I’ll take this into the shower with me, just in case,” he couldn’t resist the jibe as he closed his fingers around the key and felt petty when her cheeks flushed red.
He stepped into the shower, still wearing his jeans, laid the key on the windowsill and closed the door. There was an array of perfumed bottles and other stuff that women of this world obviously enjoyed, but he was happy with the bar of soap and some shampoo for his overgrown hair. He unzipped the jeans and pulled them off, wondering what to do with them. Then, still feeling pissed at her, he threw them over the door onto the bathroom floor.
The cool water felt heavenly against his heated skin and he turned on the hot tap a little just for the pure luxury of it. The soap smelled of her, the lather rich and slick against his skin. He just wanted to enjoy the shower, but his mind kept wandering, aware of her, on the other side of the glass door. He stifled a groan of frustration as his body hardened in response. If she wasn’t right there he would have relieved himself – at least of the frustration – but he couldn’t do that. He turned off the hot tap, hoping the cold water would dampen his lust and began shampooing his hair. The cold water helped a little but he still couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have her here, naked, in the shower with him…
Chloe sat on the toilet seat watching his blurred, naked form through the shower door. She couldn’t see much, except his dark image against the white tiles. The room was warm and the mirror a little steamy – all too intimate for her liking. She dragged her eyes away from him, thinking about her silly plan to escape. He had locked the damn door and it was all her fault! If she had planned this better, and not spent so much time drooling over him, she could have had a chance to take the key before he’d even noticed it. She could have been out of this apartment by now, calling the police…
Somehow the idea of him being arrested again was not a pleasant one. He would go to prison for a long, long time. She felt sick at the thought of it. After all what had he done wrong, really? He’d been thrown in jail for no particular reason, except being naked on a beach, and according to him being naked was something quite acceptable where he came from. Wherever that was? He’d assaulted two policemen, but instinctively she believed his reason for doing that. Then he’d escaped, broken into her apartment – somehow – and taken her hostage. She swallowed hard. All serious offences. But could she really send him back to jail?
“Can you pass me the towel, please? I don’t want to offend you with my naked body.” She’d been so deep in thought; she hadn’t even heard the water stop running.
She grabbed the towel quickly, before he changed his mind, and tossed it over to him. A moment later the shower door opened and he was standing opposite her, his lean, muscled body dripping with water, the towel around his waist, reaching down to his hard calf muscles.
Chloe felt her stomach tighten as heat flooded her body. She lowered her eyes to his feet and couldn’t help noticing that they were as brown and beautiful as the rest of him.
He pushed his sopping hair away from his face. “That has gotta be the best shower I’ve ever had,” he grinned, and her insides melted. “Do you need one?”
“One what?” Her brain had stopped functioning.
“A shower,” his knowing smile brought her down to earth with a thud.
“Yes, I do need a shower,” she answered in a cool voice. “Do you trust me not to escape through the window?”
“The window’s got bars on it, honey,” he was still smiling. “Just let me dry off and you can have the place to yourself.”
He began to loosen the towel and Chloe averted her head quickly. “I told you not to get naked in front of me!”
“Take it easy, I’ll keep my - manhood covered,” he laughed. “I just don’t want to drip water all over your bedroom carpet.”
She could hear the towel rubbing against his skin, but she fixed her eyes on the door handle to her right, just in case. The room was so small she was afraid to move and, perhaps inadvertently, touch him. She felt trapped – and embarrassed and stupid. Like a teenager rather than a mature woman.
“What’s the big deal with people going naked anyway?” he asked. “Can you explain it to me?”
Chloe stared at the door, wondering how to answer him. “It’s not – a big deal. Well it’s – to some people it’s not a big deal,” She ran her finger along the metal of the handle, her head turned away from him. “This is a very strange situation that we’re in Zack and – and I just don’t want you walking round naked in my apartment Ok?”
“Look, Chloe” his husky voice was right behind her. “I’m sorry, Ok. For coming here - invading your space and your privacy. Believe me when I say I didn’t have much choice,” he sighed, resisting the urge to touch her. “Maybe one day you’ll understand…”
Zack left her to her shower. It was great to feel clean again, but he was damn tired. Escaping from the police cell had taken its toll, telling him that his body was not yet back to its normal strength and agility.
The clothes Chloe had given him were clean and comfortable, even if the black t-shirt was a little short and the jeans too baggy. He stretched out on her double bed and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow he would need to start planning his next move – he didn’t have time to waste. But right now he was just too damn tired to think about anything. Except Chloe in the shower. The scent of her was all over him, keeping him in a state of semi-arousal. She was a distraction he didn’t need. Instead of focusing on the task ahead of him, he was spending his time thinking about her. Why didn’t she have a man in her life, he wondered? Did it have something to do with the scar on her leg? Yet she was a beautiful woman and there was no doubt she must have men queuing up to go out with her, go to bed with her. Her bed was large and comfortable and Zack wondered how many men had shared it with her. His jaw clenched, don’t go there, he told himself. In a day or two he would be out of her life for good, and if he accomplished what he’d come here to do, at least he would know that Chloe and the rest o
f the world, would have a future ahead of them.
********************************
Chloe exited the bathroom wearing the black t-shirt and track-suit pants she’d taken in with her. She’d had time to think while she was in the shower, and decided it was pointless to dwell on the mistake of forgetting the key that was in the door, she had to make another plan. Giving up was not an option.
He was lying on her bed, hands behind his head and his eyes closed. Chloe froze. Was he asleep? Was this her chance to escape? And if she did escape, she asked herself, would she go and report him to the police? She drew a trembling breath, moving closer while trying not to make a sound. Was he really asleep?
His breathing was soft and regular. The black t-shirt had ridden up almost to his midriff and she could see his flat brown stomach with the fine line of dark hair running down beneath the faded jeans. Slowly, trying to calm her thumping heart, Chloe toOk another step. Listening for any change in his breathing, her mind raced as she tried to decide what to do. The decision was made for her when Zack opened his eyes.
Chloe jumped. “Oh. Sorry I thought you were asleep.”
His eyes narrowed. “And if I was?”
She moistened her dry lips, searching for an answer.
In a fluid movement, he was sitting up on the side of the bed, facing her. “Don’t try and run away, Chloe, I’m warning you,” he didn’t even raise his voice. “I don’t want to tie you up, but if I have to I will.”
“Tie me up!”
“Yes. Tie you up,” his pale eyes raked her slim form. “And it’s not very comfortable. Believe me, I know.”
He knew. Of course he knew; he’d been handcuffed in the cell after assaulting the two policemen, and who knew what else?
Zack watched the range of emotions flicker across her freshly washed face. She was so easy to read, so open and honest. It didn’t suit her to be deceptive, but he’d probably put her in that position. Probably! Who was he kidding? He sighed, running fingers through his damp hair.
“I’m dog-tired, Chloe.” He glanced at the fading light outside the window. “It’s almost dark, why don’t we just go to sleep?”
Her honey-gold eyes widened. “Sleep? Where?”
Zack groaned inwardly. “Right here in the bed – where else?”
“I’m not sharing my bed with you!”
“Why not, it’s more than big enough for the two of us?”
She pushed her hands through her hair and Zack watched her breasts lift beneath the thin cotton of the t-shirt. Was she wearing a bra? He wanted to find out. Hell, he wanted to do a lot more than that. But he’d settle for just sharing her bed and being able to feel the warmth of her body beside his. “I’m not gonna touch you, Chloe.” Not unless you want me to. “I’m dead tired and I’m not gonna sleep on the floor when there’s a perfectly good bed here – big enough for the two of us.”
She’d dropped her hand now, and he tried to keep his eyes off of her breasts, she was skittish enough as it was.
“Can’t you sleep on the couch in the lounge?” She was looking desperate and Zack almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
“No, I’m not sleeping on the damn couch,” he stood up, his expression implacable. “First; it’s too small and second I need to keep an eye on you. I’m not stupid, Chloe. Given half the chance you’ll make a run for it and the only way I can make sure you don’t is if you’re right next to me. Fortunately I’m a light sleeper; just remember that before you get any ideas about sneaking out while I’m asleep.” His eyes were cold and hard. “Now let’s go to bed.”
CHAPTER THREE
Chloe lay stiff as a board, staring up at the ceiling, which she could just make out in the darkness of the room. He was lying on his stomach beside her, but at least he’d left about a foot of space between them.
After he’d made his demand that they go to bed, she’d brushed her teeth and pottered around, trying to delay the inevitable. Then, finally, reluctantly, she’d climbed into the bed with her pants and t-shirt still on. It was a warm night and she would normally have slept in a thin nightie or just a pair of panties, but that was out of the question tonight. He, of course, had wanted to strip off; he couldn’t sleep in jeans anyway. Luckily she had found him a pair of men’s boxer shorts that she sometimes wore around the house.
His breathing was soft and regular, but Chloe knew he was awake. She needed to escape and the best way to do so was to wait until he was asleep and then quietly sneak out of the apartment. She wouldn’t report him to the police, she’d already decided she simply couldn’t do that. She would go to her friend Shahida’s place. She had no idea how much she’d tell Shahida, but for now all she knew was that she had to get away from him. From his disturbing presence and the effect he had on her. She lay there trying not to think about him, not to think about what would happen if, or rather when, the police caught up with him. She drew a trembling breath, feeling that horrible, now familiar, knot in her stomach. God, it was crazy, but she was more worried about him than she was about herself!
“Go to sleep Chloe.”
Her pulse jumped and she turned her head to face him. His eyes were closed, but that didn’t stop him from being aware of how she was feeling, what she was thinking. She sighed and turned onto her side away from him to stare sightlessly out the window…
She came awake with a jolt, still laying on her side and wondering what time it was. She could hear Zack’s deep, steady breathing behind her. He must be asleep. If she was careful and quiet enough, she could do this. Her heart began to thump in her chest and she had to force her breathing to calm down. It took her a good fifteen minutes to move silently out of the bed and onto her knees on the carpet. She stayed like that for another few minutes, just in case; planning her next move. She had to get the front door and gate keys. They were in her bag and her bag was in the lounge. If she could get the bag, carefully unlock the door and gate, she could make her escape. She leaned her head against the side of the bed and listened to his steady breathing.
It took her another 15 minutes to crawl silently through to the living-room. It was not as dark as the bedroom, due to the large window, and she scanned around, still on her hands and knees, looking for her bag. Finally she saw it on the floor beside the sofa he’d been sitting on. Chloe started crawling towards it, her heart thumping in her chest and her palms slick with sweat on the wooden floorboards. She could probably have stood up by now, but for some reason she felt safer crawling.
Once she’d reached the bag she forced herself to slowly stand and only then realized that she had no shoes on. It was too bad, she decided, she’d take her chances barefoot. The bag was unzipped and she found the keys almost immediately, closing them into her palm so that they didn’t make a sound. She slung the bag over her shoulder and made her way slowly, determinedly, towards the door, her heart pounding so loudly she was afraid he might hear it in the bedroom. She was almost there. The final hurdle would be unlocking the door without making any noise..
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Chloe stifled the scream that rose in her throat. He was standing in front of her – out of nowhere he was there – his furious face inches away from hers. It must be a dream, she told herself, as her body shook with fright. A nightmare, not a dream, and she willed herself to wake up. When the lights in the living-room went on, she knew she was dreaming, for how could he do that without moving? How could he just appear in front of her – it was all impossible!
“I’m dreaming aren’t I?” she whispered, but he just shook his head.
“No, Chloe, you’re not dreaming.” But she felt the darkness closing in on her and gave a blessed sigh of relief…
*****************
Chloe opened her eyes to find herself lying back on her bed just as she’d hoped. Only the image of Zack leaning over her, a strange look in his pale eyes, erased the relief washing over her. The bedside lamp was on, creating a soft, warm glow over his grim express
ion.
“I was dreaming,” she murmured, forcing her eyes to stay open, her head still swimming unpleasantly.
Zack didn’t say anything, just continued to watch her, but he was tense she realized, a pulse throbbing at his jaw. Strange she’d noticed that same pulse in her dream, when the lights went on… A wave of apprehension washed over her.
“It wasn’t a dream, was it?”
Zack didn’t bother answering, just straightened up, arms crossed as he stood over her, wearing only the cartoon boxer shorts she’d leant him earlier. Chloe felt a bubble of hysterical laughter threatening to overwhelm her, but slowly her brain began to work, forgetting the boxer shorts, forgetting his perfect, semi-naked body, she started to fit the pieces together.
Finally she spoke. “You’re invisible, aren’t you? I mean you can become invisible if you want.”
“You were dreaming, Chloe.” He lied.
“Ok, you’re invisible and can walk through walls,” she added, remembering how he’d managed to get into her apartment.
“Are you listening to yourself, woman?” he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You had a weird dream, it’s over now. End of story.”
“No,” she shook her aching head slowly. “It’s not the end at all, it’s the beginning.” She held his gaze, not prepared to let him patronize her – she wanted the truth. “You never explained how you escaped from the jail, or got my file, my address and what about getting in here?” Her voice was beginning to shake. “How could you possibly have got in here without breaking a lock or a window or anything? Explain that to me Zack? Explain how you did it and I’ll believe it was a dream?”
*******************
She looked exhausted, but her eyes were full of fire and she wasn’t going to let it go; Zack knew, she just wasn’t going to let it go.
“Why should I tell you anything, Chloe?” he bit back. “If I hadn’t stopped you from leaving, you’d be on your way to the cops right now. Happy to send me back to jail – and for what? Did I hurt you in any way? Did you fear for your life?” He felt angry and betrayed and he couldn’t hide it. “I told you, I just needed somewhere to crash and I’d be on my way, but you wouldn’t think twice about sending me back to jail!”
TimeShifter Part 1 Page 3