Chapter Fifty Six

Thea's legs were indeed useless. Every muscle in her thighs screamed in protest when she tried to move, and a dull ache throbbed deep in her bones.

Her eyes started up at the ceiling, this was her first real look at his room. It was huge. The main colors were dark; deep grays, blues, and black.

On her left was the closet and bathroom and on her right was a study table and a flower vase.

Her eyes settled on Seth, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling windows, shirtless. The muscles of his back and shoulders flexed with every small movement. He held a tablet in his hands, his eyes fixed on the screen, reading something. He seemed completely unaware of her, or perhaps he just didn't care.

That was it. The passion from last night was gone. It was nothing more than just an exchange for him.

“You're up?”

Thea pushed herself up, wincing as pain shot through her legs. She tried to swing them over the side of the bed but ended up falling back onto her bum.

“Shit.” She muttered, her face contorted in pain.

Seth looked up from his tablet, his eyes meeting hers. "Stay put. You won't be able to walk properly for a while."

Thea glared at him. "I can walk just fine," she shot back, even as her legs trembled.

Seth sighed. She was not going to listen to him, he knew that for sure.

Thea tried again, pushing harder to stand but her legs wobbled beneath her. She took two steps away from the bed and almost fell back when Seth caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

His palm lay flat around her bare back, warm and gentle. Thea tried to push away the warmth she felt; last night meant nothing to him. She needed to remember that.

“I told you to stay put. You can barely take a step without your legs wobbling,” he said.

Thea bit her lower lip in annoyance. He was right, but she would hate to admit that. She wanted to be anywhere but next to him right now.

Seth sighed, grabbing a hoodie from the end of the bed and holding it out to her.

"Put this on," he said.

Thea snatched the hoodie from his hand. She pulled it over her head and it dropped just below her knees. Seth's eyes scanned her in silence. The hoodie was huge, and the sleeves barely fit.

Thea glanced at the door. She was desperate to escape this room, to put everything that had happened behind her.

Before she could take another step towards the door, Seth swept her off her feet, bridal style. Thea's eyes went wide open as she wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively.

“What are you doing? Put me down.”

Seth said nothing, simply walked out the door and towards her quarters in silence. The house was no longer silent with staff members cleaning and guards keeping watch again.

They all sent a bow their way, fighting the urge to swoon at how beautiful they looked together. If only they knew.

Finally, Seth pushed the door to her quarters open and walked right in, shutting the door behind him.

Instead of walking towards her bed, he heads towards her bathroom instead. Thea glanced at him, brows arched in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“You're sore.” He said simply.

Her cheeks coloured, but Thea wasn't the type to back down. “I'm fine. Put me down.”

Seth met her gaze, his expression unreadable. “No.”

Finally, in the bathroom, he turns on the warm water tap for the bathtub as he sets Thea down on her feet.

“Take it off,” he said, his eyes fixed on the running water.

His eyes went over to Thea, and she had her arms wrapped around her shoulder, a wary look in her eyes. She was yet to take off the hoodie. “Why haven't you…”

“Why are you doing this?”

Seth covered the distance between them, his face suddenly serious. “I might be an asshole but I have a heart. I know that's hard for you to believe."

Thea chuckled, he was damned right about that! Judging by how he used their contract as an excuse to fuck her senseless, only an asshole would do that!

And the fact that she loved every part of it made her feel sick! What the hell is wrong with her?!

He grabbed the hoodie she had on by the sleeves, pulling her closer to him. He pulled the hoodie over her head. His eyes lingered on her neck, her breasts, and her thighs.. She had hickies all over and her lips were swollen..

“Get in.”

“You don't have to do this.”

“I know.” He replied. “Yet, here I am. Get in.”

Thea sighed. She had no clue what was going on in his head, and she was dying to know, to say the least!

She stepped into the tub, lying down in the warm water, and her body seemed to relax suddenly. Her aching muscles and the soreness in between her thighs seemed to ease up. Thea leaned her head back, relief washing over her. Seth sat on the bench right in front of the tub, his eyes studying her in silence.

“How do you feel?” He asked.

“Better.” She said simply.

Seth gave a curt nod and silence enveloped the room. Thea hesitated, she wanted to ask him that one question burning in her mind.

“About last night...” Thea started. “Did any of that mean anything to you?”

Seth stiffened under her gaze, he had no clue what to say. Usually, he had a response for everything, but after last night, seeing how much he wanted to pleasure her and not himself, he knew the answer to that question.

“Forget it.” She said, turning away from her. “It was an agreement we both signed, nothing else.”

“Last night..” Seth started. “You were perfect.”

Thea glanced at him, eyes scanning his face in disbelief. Was it what she's thinking or something else entirely?

“What?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“We have an agreement,” he started.

Thea nodded. Of course, it wasn't. “Yes.”

“But we clearly want each other. Sexually. That, we can both agree on.”

Thea wished she could deny it but who was she kidding? She would be lying if she told him she didn't want him.

“That attraction will make things easier for both of us. We get our needs met and fulfil your end of the deal.”

“That’s it?” Thea asked, fighting back the urge to scream at him.

“Yes.” He replied.

Thea scoffed, does he really feel nothing for her? Not even a fondness for her?

“You only want sex?”

“I believe I made things clear when we started. You can't fall in love with me.” Seth reminded her, his voice cold this time.

“Yes. I remember.” Thea said, her gaze meeting his colder than ever. “Fine. Sex it is then.” She said without a second thought. “That's all you'll get.”

His hand clenched, she was serious. He could tell from her eyes, she meant every word. His grip on the bench tightened; he had just lost something precious.

“I'm glad the feeling is mutual.” Seth got to his feet, ready to leave. “I believe we have an agreement for Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.”

Thea leans back, eyes swinging shut. “Sounds perfect. We don't have to stick to those days right?”

“Right.”

Thea nodded. “Please tell Butler John to get me breakfast. Looks like I might spend the rest of the day in bed.”

Seth nodded. “Will you be fine on your own?”

“Yes.”

Seth turned on his heels and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Thea to her own thoughts.