Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen
Elizabeth’s POV
What is wrong with you?! My subconscious screamed at me. This man just confessed to trying to kill you, being a murderer, and lying to you, then proceeded to hold you in a shady motel room against your will and with one kiss you are willing to trust anything he says?!
I buried all reasonable thoughts away as I stared back into Zen’s desperate eyes. He looked so vulnerable. Although I knew that he was trained to manipulate people, I couldn’t fight the control he had over me. I wanted to trust him. I had to trust him. Everything he had just told me added up. I still had so many questions about who he was and how he got here, but those would have to wait. He was eager for my answer.
I smiled softly at him, clearly catching him off guard.
“I trust you, Zen.” I confessed. It was true; stupid and foolish, but absolutely true.
“This isn’t a trick, right? You aren’t going to kick me in the balls and run away as soon as I get off of you, are you?” I laughed at his questions. I had considered it, but I wouldn’t make it far. Especially if this guy was a trained assassin like he said.
“No, Zen. You know, if you expect me to trust you, you really ought to trust me, too. I haven’t lied to you, ever.”
“You didn’t tell me you were a virgin.” He retorted, a smirk playing at his lips. I blushed, scowling at him.
“You didn’t ask.”
“A lie of omission is still a lie.” He chuckled, giving me a quick peck on my lips before climbing off of me for the second time that morning. I sat up, rubbing my lower back. It was sore from sleeping on the terrible mattress as well as being knocked to the floor. His hand reached around and began rubbing circles on the other side, making me jump. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? I tried to be gentle.” He asked softly, his voice low in concern.
“No, I’m okay. Just a little sore. Anyway, I should be asking if you’re okay. You’re bleeding…” I glanced over at the hand I bit that was still trickling blood onto the mattress.
“Right, fuck. Hold on, I got us some bandages. Also, some pain killers if you want some for your back.” He stood up and walked back towards the bags he dropped on the floor. He pulled out a small bottle of Tylenol and some water bottles, as well as some chips and roller food. A pack of gauze and some tape were the last things he took out, but the bags still looked relatively full. I wondered what else he had bought. He opened up a water bottle, took out two pills, and handed me both. I took them quickly, not realizing how thirsty I was until I had downed half of the bottle. “There’s some food. It’s pretty damn cold, but better than starving. Once we get out of this shithole town I’ll be able to treat you to something you deserve.” He took a lock of my hair between his fingers, watching it with interest.
“You know, I didn’t know you had such a potty mouth.” I remarked. It seemed like he couldn’t speak a sentence without some sort of swear word. He certainly didn’t speak like that in the park.
“If you had known, would you have invited me to your apartment? For a sweet girl like you, I had to appear wholesome and harmless. It’s all a part of the fucking trade. Sorry, baby, but now you just get me. No more lies, remember?” He shrugged nonchalantly, as if confessing to screwing with one’s mind was a topic of casual conversation. I raised a brow, smirking.
“And how did you know I wasn’t into bad boys?” He chuckled, showing off his sexy dimples and beautiful white teeth.
“I didn’t think you were. But after today, I think you’re a little wilder than I originally thought. Pulling guns on people, getting horny by being restrained… You’re just full of surprises.” He winked at me, causing my face to all but burst into flames.
“I was not… aroused by that!” I argued, crossing over to the food on the table. I was starving, but also humiliated.
“Oh really? You’re right, maybe I was wrong. I mean, you’re so pure you can’t even say the word ‘horny’.” He laughed, covering his mouth and grabbing his stomach. He stopped when he noticed my glare. “I’m sorry, Princess. I think you’re pretty damn cute. It’s just surprising that you look like… well, that and you have never had a guy fuck you before me.” He gestured up and down my body, making me suddenly insecure. “Not that I’m complaining, of course. It was the best sex I’ve ever had…” He mumbled to himself so quietly that I could barely hear him. I snorted. “What?”
“Best sex you’ve ever had? I thought we agreed on no more lies.” He blushed, turning away from me and rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.
“I’m not lying…” He insisted, his face still hidden from view.
“Well, then you must not have had a very wide selection.” I retorted. This time, he snorted. Surprised, I furrowed my brow at him. What was so funny? “Okay. How many women have you slept with?” I asked. For him to laugh at what I said, it must be a lot. He shrugged, heading to the bathroom and rinsing out his wound. He didn’t even wince as the water hit it, but instead watched it with an unreadable expression. I huffed, folding my arms. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.” I snapped at him.
He sighed, dropping his hands to either side of the sink and watching the bowl in contemplation.
“I don’t know.” He whispered so quietly that I wondered if he was still talking to me.
“What? What do you mean?” His fingers curled into fists on the counter.
“I don’t know how many women I’ve slept with. I’ve never kept fucking track, Elizabeth.” His brutal honesty and harsh tone hurt a little. I must’ve looked like it, because he followed it up quickly, much softer this time. “I can say that I’ve never fucked a woman who knew my real name. Until you. Yea, there have been a lot. You were still special, though.”
“Never?” I asked in disbelief. He began to bandage his wound, his jaw tightening in frustration.
“No. Never. I already told you, telling you my name was an accident. I usually go by John or Joey or some shit. All the girls I’ve fucked couldn’t care less what my name was. They wanted to get laid, just like me. No flowery romance bullshit.”
“I don’t believe that. I don’t know of any women who wouldn’t be hurt by being lied to…”
He shrugged, as if telling me that he truly didn’t care either way. Was this really who Zen was? Some guy who just slept around with no regard for the women he could hurt?
I felt sick to my stomach all of a sudden. I placed down my can of Pringles, pushing it away and taking a large swig of water to clear my mouth of the excessive saltiness. I was supposed to be one of those women. The only reason I wasn’t was because of a mistake he made.
“Look, Princess. I’m not a good man. I’ve killed a lot of people and I’ve done some real fucked up stuff. I don’t expect a thank you. Hell, I don’t deserve a thank you. I certainly don’t deserve your respect. But you better bet your ass that I’ll protect you with my life.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a lighter and a cigarette. Lighting it, he took a long drawl, as if it was he couldn’t live another second without it. Then, he sauntered over to me, caressing my cheek with his freshly bandaged hand. His fingers trailed over to my bottom lip, tracing it with grace and gentleness. I shivered at the sensual touch combining with his heated gaze. “Eat, baby. We need to leave soon.”
With that, he grabbed a toothbrush and soap from one of the bags and headed to the shower.