[Jinhai's perspective]
[WARNING: MATURE CONTENT CONTINUES]
If Jinhai made it through tonight, he deserved a medal. Scratch that, if he managed not to maul her, he deserved the title of Saint.
The second that the first layer of clothing left Evelyn's body, his mouth went completely dry.
Her breasts were full and smooth above her bra. It was all he could do not to reach out and touch them, to kiss them. When he lowered her pants and his face was level with her crotch. He could smell her arousal. It was intoxicating and he wanted nothing more than to bury his face there. He forced himself to concentrate instead on removing the legs of her pants.
He stood up and he couldn't help himself. He needed to taste her even if it wasn't there. He brought his hand into her hair and crushed his lips against hers. He bit back a groan when she opened herself to him.
He had to tear himself away before he tried to take things further. Her cheeks were heated and her lips were swollen from the kiss. She had never looked more beautiful or enticing. But he resisted, barely but he resisted.
He forced himself to move his hands and removed the bra. He was mindful of her injury. He forced himself to focus on the packing of her wound rather than her erect nipples. 'She's injured,' he chanted again and again in his head.
She covered herself with her hand when the bra came off. He was both grateful and annoyed. Grateful that it allowed him to maintain some of his sanity. Annoyed because he was a man after all.
Before he said or did anything he would regret, he told her to wait while he went to go grab plastic. The bandages appeared large on her small frame. He was well aware he was leaving her to stand in her underwear but he needed a second where he wasn't breathing in her scent. Air that wasn't saturated with her perfume, her femininity, her.
The second he left the room he adjusted himself. He let out a breath as he got to the kitchen. He took out everything he needed from under the sink and set it on the counter.
He went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He twisted the cap off and chugged half of the bottle before he pulled it from his lips. The cold water helped only marginally.
Before going back to Evelyn he vaguely remembered that he would need to feed her soon and sent someone to go get something. He gave instructions for nutritious foods that would be particularly beneficial for blood loss.
After another deep breath, he went back to her. She was exactly where he left her. Standing there with one arm across her chest to give her a little bit of coverage.
After he wrapped up the bandage he realized she would struggle with taking a shower. Before she could ask him, he took it upon himself to assist her.
He knew he did the right thing when her shoulders relaxed. He made sure to word it in such a way that she was doing him a favor and not the other way around.
He held her hand as she stepped into the shower and gritted his teeth. She washed any part of her body that she was able to reach with her left arm and he got her back, right side and leg.
He tried not to make her feel awkward by ogling her body.That was not to say he didn't look. No man in his right mind wouldn't be looking at her. He took note of her perfectly smooth skin, soft and pale. He noticed the scars on her body and his jaw clenched. Regardless though, she was beautiful.
It took more self control than he was aware he possessed to bathe her without allowing his hands to linger, or caress.
Jinhai was incredibly aroused and was doing his best to recite this quarterly's profits in his head. He was positive he didn't get a single number correct, but he didn't care. It helped keep himself at bay.
They were quiet while he quickly but thoroughly bathed her. She shivered against his touch several times even though the water was very hot. A fact he steadily ignored but he couldn't hide his erection. A fact he was aware she noticed.
This night would be the death of him. He prayed to all the God's in existence for the strength not to take advantage of her.
[END OF MATURE CONTENT]
When he finished, he dried and dressed her quickly. When she was finally clothed, he almost released a sigh of relief. He needed her to be covered before he completely lost his sanity.
He had her sit back and lean her head back so he could wash her hair. He enjoyed washing her hair for her. The entire process was so soothing. He loved the scent of her shampoo and conditioner. It was sweet, and floral with it had hints of fruits. But which ones? That he couldn't quite put his finger on.
But it wasn't the shampoo he was focused on. She had long hair that he had long since wanted to run his fingers through. It was so silky and shiny after he distributed the conditioner into her hair.
When he finished he gently towel dried her hair, then had her sit in front of her vanity. He grabbed the blow dryer and proceeded to blow dry her hair. He had the setting on low as lifted strands of hair and held the blow dryer to it, gently shaking it to and fro.
[Evelyn's Point-of-View]
Evelyn sat there allowing him to dry her hair for her. She felt incredibly pampered. She could have attempted to do this herself but it would have been with great difficulty.
It was difficult to move her left arm without feeling pain shooting through her left side. Every movement tugged at her stitches. So she didn't fight him and allowed him to fuss over her.
She felt embarrassed yet aroused the entire time that Jinhai had bathed her. But the second she was dressed and was afforded that shred of modesty, she was able to breathe more easily.
Jinhai had found a cami top and then an off shoulder shirt as well as a pair of sweatpants. The top half was perfect as she would need her stitches changed. The cami would allow Jinhai to change it without removing her shirt again.
When her hair was dry and hanging down her back, she began to do her nightly skin care routine. Jinhai stood there patiently and opened and closed bottles and jars for her. "Thank you," she said to him. She turned and smiled brightly at him.
"You're welcome," he said. They've barely said a word to each other since they've entered the bathroom until now. But it wasn't necessary. They were both lost in their own little worlds.
It wasn't weird or awkward. For Evelyn she was raised to have modesty. Her time spent in America had helped her break through of that. But faced in such proximity, she felt a sudden sense of shyness.
Evelyn's stomach growled breaking the silence between them. He smiled and then chuckled softly. He placed a hand on the top of her head and stroked downward.
"I guess it's time for me to feed you," he teased. "You're in my home, I believe it is I who should be feeding you," she retorted.
"Semantics," he said, holding out a hand out for hers. She placed her hand on top of his and he wrapped his fingers around it, swallowing them whole.
He held her hand as she stood then held it as they went to the kitchen. Like a gentleman he held her chair out for her and gently pushed it in for her.
When he was sure she was seated he went to the door and pulled it open. He reached out to grab the bag of food from one of the guards before closing it behind him.
"When did you get food?" Evelyn asked. "Right before I helped you into the shower," he replied. "Oh," she responded.
Jinhai took the containers of food out and approved of the entrees. There was congee with liver as well as steamed dark leaved vegetables. She needed iron rich foods and these were exactly what she needed.
The second he opened the lids her mouth watered. She hadn't eaten that day and had loss a lot of blood. He handed her a spoon and she began to eat. They didn't bother with proper utensils or dinnerware. Neither of them had any intentions of doing any dishes tonight.
They ate in comfortable silence. Evelyn noticed Jinhai's constant glances in her directions but said nothing. Coffee was lying down by her feet. He'd been staying close to her since she came home.
They finished dinner and Jinhai cleaned everything up. They settled onto the couch and turned the TV on. Evelyn leaned against him, enjoying his warmth. He had an arm wrapped around her. His hand on her shoulder traced lazy circles.
Garfield climbed up onto her lap and she gently stroked his fur. While they were in the middle of a movie her phone began to vibrate with messages.
Her father and Phoenix let her know that they made it home okay. Her father also told her that everyone else was safe as well. The only person that had yet to check in was Zain. She only assumed that he would be last as he had dropped Phoenix off first.
Now the guilt settled in. Everyone around her was in danger. She was almost certain that Shawn's family had not been aware of the evidence she held against them. They were simply aware that she knew about their illegal activities.
But they have already proven that they would be willing to go as far as murder to silence her. She could ill afford to underestimate them. The cost would be too high. Would they target Phoenix? Ben? Chloe? She could not allow for this to happen.
She needed to talk to her father-in-law. Come up with some kind of deal. She couldn't allow herself or her loved ones to live with this constant fear of the unknown.
Her phone vibrated again and Zain confirmed that he was home and safe. She let out a breath.
"Everyone is home," she told him. He kissed the top of her head and she felt his body relax against her.
"How are you feeling?" he asked her. "Okay, considering," she answered.
"Xiaoli, I know you aren't okay," he said. They weren't looking at each other but she knew his face would be filled with concern.
"I'm scared," she whispered. She was grateful that he didn't tell her that there was no need to be. He understood that those words would fall on deaf ears.
"For your family," he stated. She nodded against his shoulder. She sat up so that she could face him.
"I'm not really worried about if they get me. But if they go after my father, Chloe or Ben, or Phoenix," she took a breath to steady herself.
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself," Evelyn said. "Nothing will happen to them," he said, his voice strong and steady.
"How can you be so sure?" she questioned him. He frowned before he answered.
"Because they want you. You're the only one who could testify against them," he said. "The guards are around because we can't be too careful," he continued.
"But that's my point, we can't safely say they won't be targets," Evelyn reasoned.
"With them guarded now, they won't look be easy targets," Jinhai countered. "It's a preventative measure not a countermeasure," he said.
'Was it?' She thought. The logic behind it did make sense. It's so they don't start looking toward her family since everyone will now be heavily guarded.
"What do you plan to do?" she asked him. It suddenly occurred to her that he wouldn't take this lying down.
"Hmm?" he asked innocently. "You have a plan," she said. "Perhaps," he answered evasively.
"Jinhai," she said. "Evelyn, he shot you. You were lying in my arms. I didn't know where the bullet hit you and for an hour, I thought I was going to lose you," he said, he left her with the impression that she should not argue this with him. He took a second to compose himself before continuing. "You don't want to know what I'm going to do," he said.
"But trust me, I will protect you," he said to her. She nodded. She believed him, her Jinhai would protect her.