They sat in silence as the tub filled up. The steam coming from the water had started to fog up the bathroom mirror and made the air look misty. Yet neither of them had made a single attempt to move from their position.
It wasn't until Aiden closed the faucet to avoid overfilling the tub that he decided it was time for her to freshen up. He couldn't stand seeing her covered in other people's blood. Or in any kind of blood for that matter.
"Angel." He quietly said as he gave the top of her head a kiss. "How about you freshen up. We can cuddle in bed after we both get cleaned up."
He was as patient as ever with her. His head had a million questions waiting for her to answer, but her current state wasn't one that motivated him to do much other than pamper her and cater to her every need. Even if that meant she needed to avoid clearing his doubts for the time being.
Claire knew she was being childish, but she couldn't help it. She had a rougher time than she thought she would and his embrace was too comforting to let go. She needed him close. Close enough for her to concentrate on his heartbeat instead of the unbearable thoughts that had been flooding her mind since the second Colton had told her that her time was up. The time for her to pretend she could keep living as she was had ended.
"Can we go in together?" She quietly asked him. Her shy voice would've barely been heard if it weren't for the fact that they were so close to each other.
"Is that what you want to do?" He asked her as he pressed her even more into his chest. His heart was having trouble deciding between being happy with her need to be close to him, or being sad because of the sadness that was laced in her voice. But either way, he was extremely pleased with he fact that he brought such comfort to her. Enough so that she would ask him to join her.
"I want to stay like this." She replied as she snuggled deeper into his embrace. She truly hadn't ever felt a more soothing sensation before.
"Okay then." He gave the top of her head another kiss before he stood up and gently placed her down on the edge of the tub. This time she let him do so.
He bent down so that they were at eye level before he continued. "I'll go get us some clothes and be back in a few minutes. Why don't you take a quick shower and then get in." Seeing a bit of reluctance in her eyes he smiled at her. "I promise I won't be long Angel."
Without saying a word, Claire lifted her pinky up for him to see. He understood what she wanted and chuckled. Lifting his own, they sealed his words with a pinky promise.
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After a few minutes of Aiden going to his bedroom and grabbing clothes for Claire and himself, he made his way back to the guest bedroom he had left her in. When he walked into the bathroom, he saw her inside the tub with her back towards him.
Placing the clothes on the sinks countertop, he proceeded to take his own clothes off and toss them on top of Claire's which were in a pile in the corner. He made a mental note to tell his staff to have them thrown away.
He never wanted to see his little lady wearing those clothes again.
After giving himself a quick shower, he joined her as promised. Once he got closer to her, he noticed she had her eyes closed and a small frown was formed on her face. She truly didn't want to be alone.
Standing behind her, as to not make her feel uncomfortable with the view of him in case she looked up, he gently rubbed the back of her head. "Move a little Angel."
Claire opened her eyes to look up at him and slightly smiled when she saw his face. She sat up and moved to make some space for him. The tub was big enough for them to sit side by side, but she didn't want that. She wanted to be in his arms as he worked his soothing magic on her. So instead of shifting to the side, she moved forward.
Understanding what she wanted, Aiden stepped inside and sat down. Leaning his back on the tub, he pulled her by the waist and let her rest her entire body on his own. Immediately realizing how he would never fully enjoy another bath unless she were to take it with him.
He pulled her hair tie off to let her strawberry red locks fall on to her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her. Since he had also added soap to the water, their bodies were perfectly covered under the bubbly white sheet. But even so, the sensation of her bare skin against his own was enough to send his heart in to overdrive. She was truly something else.
'I really am screwed huh?' He thought himself as he felt her relax in his embrace. There was no other feeling like it.
They sat in silence for a while before Aiden silently submerged a clean sponge in the soapy water and passed it to her. Without much thought, she accepted it and began to slowly wash herself.
"I know you have questions." Claire said as she began to scrub her legs. Her voice was soft and vulnerable, but she knew it wasn't fair to only ask to be comforted without even attempting to address the elephant in the room. Or in their case, the tub.
"Hmm." Aiden hummed in reply as he lifted water in one of his hand and poured it over her head. The subtle changes of red in her hair let him know she had managed to splatter blood on it as well. She must have been too much in a daze to wash it in the shower.
"And I also know you and the rest of your people deserve an explanation." Being done with her legs, she continued with her arms. Aiden hummed in response again prompting her to continue. "It's just that.... saying a lot of the things that go into explaining who those men were, who sent them and what they wanted with me...." She stopped scrubbing herself and sat still for a moment before continuing. "Saying a lot of those things means sharing about my past." Her voice slowly began to come out quieter and quieter. "And I don't....I don't think that I'm ready for everybody to know about..." She slightly trembled at the images appearing in her head. They were appearing faster than she could shut them out.
Aiden turned her towards him a bit and pulled her head on to his chest. Forcing her to focus on him. His heart beat. His voice.
"Nobody needs to know Baby. Relax." He kissed the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her body. He avoided touching any sensitive parts the same way he tried his best to prevent her from touching his.
The moment was meant to be an intimate one. Not a sexual one. And although the two often came hand in hand, it wasn't one of those moments.
"You don't need to share anything you're not ready to. We've already gone over that." He lifted one of his hands and gently grabbed her chin. Lifting it up for her to look at him, he continued. "I don't give a damn about how confused or out of the loop they feel. If you're not comfortable with anybody else besides me knowing, then I'll take whatever you decide to tell me to my grave Angel."
Claire could see the sincerity in his eyes. He truly wouldn't tell another living soul anything she deemed too private for him to share with others. And the thought of him being so serious about it warmed her heart more than the tub they were cuddling in would ever warm the rest of her body.
She lifted one of her own hands and placed it on his cheek. The way he leaned in towards her touch strengthening her resolve. "Then I have nothing to fear as long as it's you. Right?" A small smile made it's way to her face, making Aiden feel as if he were in the midst's of hugging an angel in the middle of heaven.
"Right." He replied as he bet down and gave a her lips a soft and meaningful kiss.
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After they soaked in the warm water for a while, Aiden took his leave first to get dressed in the bedroom. Giving Claire some privacy to finish up on her own. After wearing the clothes he had brought for her, she made her way out of the bathroom in search for him. As soon as she opened the door, she noticed he was in the middle of a phone call.
"Make sure they're all debriefed as soon as they regain consciousness." He was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and simple black t shirt. He didn't usually wear one when going to bed, but that night was different. He wouldn't be alone. "No, I'm going to stay at the house tonight. Have my schedule cleared for tomorrow. I'll deal with everything then." He sensed the bathroom door open and decided to hang up on Jacob's yapping. He would deal with him later. Ending the call without another word, he turned around to face her causing his hear to skip a beat.
Since he didn't know where Aurora had stored the spare clothes he and Lucas had bought for her and Lily, he decided to give her some of his. 'You've really outdone yourself this time Aiden.' He thought to himself as his little lady made her way towards him.
Not owning any pair of pants that would even remotely fit her, he had left her the top of one of his pajama sets. She wore his blue, long sleeved, button down shirt that was big enough to seem like the most alluring dress he had ever seen her wear. Accompanied with the smallest pair of long white socks that he could find, she looked like the very reasons poets and painters would go mad for. Not a single other woman in the world could compete with her in terms of beauty and Aiden was certain of it. Her hair was still damp, her face decorated with only the natural rose color of her cheeks and her skin looked as smooth as it did enticing. She looked pure. Just like a real angel. One that would make any portrait or poem inspired by her instantly go down in history as unforgettable. Aiden was beyond sure of it.
She suddenly felt shy when he looked her up and down. Not because she was uncomfortable, but because she was somewhat bashful. And why wouldn't she? She was in his house, wearing his clothes, getting out of the tub where they had shared a very intimate moment together and now she was even going to be spending the night with him. Their first night together.
Sure the circumstances were severely unusual, not to mention bloody, yet she couldn't help but think of how far she was willing to go to be near him. She had killed in his house. Brought danger right to his doorstep. Put his people at risk. Kept him in the dark about everything. The list in her mind for things she was responsible of and now continued to feel guilty about seemed ridiculously long. And even so, there she was.
Seeing as she was now fidgeting with her fingertips and looking down at her feet, Aiden understood her earlier jumbled up thoughts were finally straightening out. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up in his arms and pepper her face with kisses due to how adorable she looked, but he knew they needed to clear the air properly. For both of their sakes. With that in mind, he turned around and sat down on the bed.
"Come here Angel." He said to her. His voice as calm and as warm as it always was when he spoke to her. "Let me help you dry your hair."