Chapter 8
Ethan froze when he caught the undisguised disgust on her face.
"Ethan, if someone has to sit there, I’ll take the back," Christina said, her voice steady and firm. "Otherwise, you might as well just kill me here."
They stood at an impasse in the pouring rain. Ethan’s gaze dropped to her bare feet, pale and swollen from the cold water, marked with small, angry cuts. A sudden pang of sympathy cut through his irritation.
He slammed the passenger door shut, then rounded the car and pulled open the back door. "Get in."
Christina let out the breath she had been holding and hurried into the back seat, pressing herself into the far corner to put as much distance between them as possible.
Ethan got into the driver’s seat and turned on the heater. As the cabin warmed, he watched her through the rearview mirror.
She hugged her knees as water pooled on the leather seats. Her skin was deathly pale, making the swollen red mark on her cheek stand out even more.
She looked like a stray cat dragged home against its will.
With a frustrated growl, Ethan yanked at his tie. He pulled a dry towel from the glove compartment and tossed it into the back seat.
"Dry off," he snapped. "I don't need you catching a fever and passing it to me."
Christina caught the towel but didn’t use it. Her fingers only tightened around the fabric.
"Did you hear me?" Ethan’s eyes narrowed in the mirror. "Christina, this is my last warning. Tonight’s welcome party matters. Stop acting out."
He shifted into gear, and the Maybach pulled away with a smooth, heavy hum.
His eyes kept returning to the mirror.
When he noticed her teeth were still chattering, he reached for the climate control and turned up the heat. "What a pain..."
The car screeched to a halt at the villa entrance. Ethan didn’t wait for the butler to bring an umbrella. He threw open his door, strode to the back seat, and yanked the door open. "Get out."
Christina was soaked through. Her thin clothes had turned nearly transparent, outlining her figure. The sight brought back flashes of last night, and Ethan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He hated her, yet he couldn’t deny the pull she still had on him.
He reached in and lifted her out in one swift motion.
She was light. Her wet clothes clung to his chest, stirring an inexplicable restlessness in him.
"Let me go... I can walk..." Christina’s voice was weak, but her hand clutched his suit for support.
"Shut up." Ethan kept his face cold as he carried her inside, though his arms tightened around her.
Her scent only irritated him more.
The hall was brightly lit. Uma stood to one side, staring in surprise as the germaphobic Ethan carried in a soaking-wet woman.
"Mr. Carter, what happened?" Uma hurried forward.
"Make some hot cocoa," Ethan said without stopping. "And bring the medical kit upstairs."
"Right away!" Uma had never seen Ethan like this, and she rushed off to the kitchen.
Ethan carried Christina straight into the master bathroom and turned the tub faucet on full. Steam quickly fogged the mirror.
He set her on the counter and reached for her dress. His jaw tightened the moment his fingers touched her icy skin.
"I can do it myself..." Christina pressed a hand against his, her teeth still chattering.
"You can do it yourself?" Ethan gripped her chin. "You can barely stand. What, are you planning to drown so the Reeds can collect a settlement?"
Christina’s fingers slowly loosened.
Ethan stripped away her soaked clothes, his gaze flickering over her silhouette through the steam.
He swallowed hard before lifting her into the warm water.
The heat enveloped her frozen body. Christina shuddered as it washed over her wounds.
Uma left the cocoa and medical kit by the door.
Ethan went back for the kit.
His gaze swept over her in the water, and a trace of heat stirred in him.
If not for the party, he would have taught her a lesson right there.
He took hold of her injured foot. In the water, the cuts looked even more raw.
He dabbed them with iodine, and Christina flinched.
"Why are you pulling away?" Ethan’s voice was harsh, but his touch softened. "Do you want to lose your feet?"
The room was quiet except for the sound of running water and their mingled breathing.
In the thick mist, Ethan’s face was only inches from hers. Their breaths caught and tangled in the humid air as the tension between them sharpened.
The atmosphere left Christina dazed.
Just as Ethan finished tending to her wounds and began to stand, a pair of wet arms slipped around his neck.
He stiffened and looked down at her. "Haven’t you caused enough trouble?"
Christina didn’t let go. Instead, she pulled him closer.
The distance closed until their noses touched, her breath brushing his skin. "Ethan, we’ve been married for three years."
"So what?" Ethan braced his hands on the edge of the tub, his eyes darkening.
"In those three years, I’ve been obedient. I gave in to your preferences in bed and played the meek wife for the Carters..." Christina held his gaze and gathered her strength. "I just want to ask... even for a moment, did you ever love me?"
