Chapter Twenty-One

Izabella watched as Devon ran out of the elevator and jumped on the couch. “Hey, get changed first. You’re going to get the couch all wet.” She laughed, watching him curl up into a big throw blanket. His little head popped up and he gave her a toothy grin before burying himself in the blankets. Bram followed her in, his thumbs hooked in the belt loops of his jeans.

She had to admit, he was striking in his leather jacket and jeans. Though she was pretty sure he was the type of person that could put on anything and still look amazing. He threw his jacket onto one of the sitting chairs at the dining table and slumped down into the couch opposite where Devon had curled up. He was smiling at his son.

Izabella reached over the back of the couch and started tickling Devon. “Hey!” He said between his giggles. “Stop.”

She did, messing his hair. “Do you want to take a shower before bed?”

“No.” He looked up at her, “I wish I had my pajamas though.”

She shrugged, “Well, we don’t. Why don’t you go get your clothes back on? I’m going to go take a quick shower before I get changed.” Tucking her hair behind her ear, she looked over at Bram, who was watching her with a smirk. “Do you need anything before I go shower? You’re feeling better?”

“Yeah, I feel better.” He got up, “I think I’m going to run down to the store. I’m not sleeping in my clothes, what size are you, I’ll pick up something for all of us.”

“I usually just sleep in an oversized shirt, so a woman’s large should be fine.” She blushed as his eyes traveled over her. She couldn’t help but wonder if he found her attractive. Bram smirked before leaving. He was a strange man, but she liked this quieter version of him. It had also felt strangely good that he was willing to punch someone for her. She knew she shouldn’t get excited about such violence, but the guy had been bothering her nearly the whole day, so it was satisfying to watch. “I’ll be in the shower, kiddo.”

Devon waived, “’Kay!” A moment later, she heard the television click on.

Izabella turned on the warm water and let it run while she brushed out her hair, letting her wet bathing suit fall to the floor. The bathroom was enormous and had a beautiful shower. The whole wall was one huge mirror, and she wondered why anyone would want to see so much of themselves. She made a face at herself as she got into the shower. The glass around the shower was all frosted over so you couldn’t see in. Which worked for her, she didn’t want to watch herself showering the whole time.

The warm water on her skin felt nice. She wondered if Bram would want to go in the hot tub later with her. Maybe it would give them a little time to talk. She wanted to know what happened earlier today and why. She was also curious about how often it happens. Devon had said he’d never seen his dad like that before, so it obviously didn’t happen all that often, or he was usually better about hiding it from his son. She also wondered if that was why his nannies kept leaving. Maybe they saw it, or maybe it usually happened after Devon was in bed?

As she lathered up her hair, there was a knock on the door. “Yes?” She called.

The door cracked open a bit, and she heard Bram’s voice. “I was just going to drop your clothes here in the bathroom.”

“Oh, you can put it on the counter. Don’t worry, you can’t see inside the shower.” She called back.

He was quiet for a moment, before she heard the door shut. “I wasn’t expecting you to invite a strange man into the shower with you.” He chuckled, “You don’t seem like that type.”

“Well, I’m not inviting you to join me in the shower.” She laughed back, “I just didn’t want you to put my clothes on a bathroom floor. I was also hoping you might grab me a towel and throw it over the side of the door. I meant to grab one and forgot.” She heard the cupboard open and close, and felt a cool whoosh of air as he tossed half of it over. “Thank you.” She said, stepping under the water to rinse the soap from her hair. She peeked and could tell he was leaning against the counter facing the shower. When she was done, she wrung the excess water from her hair, poking her head out of the door. “Besides, I don’t think you’d care to see any of this. Not after all the gorgeous models you’ve probably dated.”

Her heart slammed against her chest as Bram pushed away from the counter and took four quick steps toward her, hooking his finger under her chin. She nearly melted as his blue eyes stared into hers, and his face came close enough to hears that she could smell mint on his breath. “You’re as beautiful as any woman I’ve dated. And twice as captivating. If you change your mind about letting me join you, you need only let me know.” He winked at her, squeezing her chin gently, a smile playing at his lips as he turned and went out the door. Shutting it behind him quietly.

Izabella’s hand shook as she closed the door. That was the most intimate thing that had ever happened to her. Her legs felt like putty, and she nearly slipped in the shower as she grabbed for the conditioner. She couldn’t get the look of those beautiful blue eyes out of her mind as she finished up quickly and turned off the water. As she dried off, the shirt on the sink caught her attention. It was white, but it had large red lips on the front with vampire teeth. Under the lips it read BITE ME in large black text. As she put it on, she couldn’t help but laugh at it. She didn’t bother with a bra, but realized she had no underwear, so she stepped back into the bottom part of her bathing suit.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she wrinkled her nose. She looked like a little kid in her dad’s shirt. The arms were huge and it went down to about mid-thigh. The neck was large enough that the shirt slid down over her shoulder. She felt ridiculous, wishing she had asked for anything else. Frowning at her reflection, Izabella realized that he was just playing with her. There was no way she was as pretty as he said. She had little to no curves and looked like a skinny boy going through puberty. Her green eyes were common and boring, and her hair had no volume or shape. Brushing it out, she hoped to give it some sort of life, but failed miserably.

Sighing, she shook her head at herself. What she needed to make sure she didn’t do, was lose herself in this. Those things had never been important to her before, why did she care now? Tossing her hair into a messy, wet bun. As she walked out, she saw Bram sitting at the table with a drink looking like he too had just gotten out of the shower. Devon was still focused on the tv.

“Well, I feel about a thousand times better.” She didn’t miss the way his eyes followed her. But she wasn’t going to fall for his sweet words. All they were meant to do were take her guard down so that he could get into her pants. Hadn’t her father warned her about men like him all her life?