I tried to not let the bags distract me as I sat on the wall, but my legs were shaking anyway. I stood before I collapsed and walked over to the bed. I hadn’t bought his nice guy persona and was a little nervous that something could be hiding in the bags to scare or hurt me.

I took a deep breath and reached for the first bag. “Let’s see what you brought this time.”

I took the bottom corners of the bag and dumped it as fast as I could, taking a step back. I looked over the pile of bottles, but nothing seemed out of place. I set the bag down and picked up a few bottles of lotion, smelling each one. He did well. I nodded as I enjoyed each one. If he wasn’t going to allow me makeup, I’d at least feel a little better with lotion.

I picked up the razor and almost hugged it. I’d never gone that long without shaving before, and it was making me insane. It looked decent enough, but I had no experience with electric razors. I was happy to see it was able to still go into the shower with me. I couldn’t wait to use it.

I opened the top of the box and looked at the other bag. Shaving could wait a few more minutes. “What else did you bring up?” I reached for the other bag and dumped it like the bag before it, but I didn’t expect the contents.

The clothes were nice, but my eyes widened when I read the different bottles of lube, and my mouth opened in shock when I saw the vibrating bullet and various dildos. When I saw the package of batteries, I knew he expected me to use them.

I grabbed the bag, tossing everything back in and didn’t care that I’d mixed up the lotions and the lubes. I couldn’t put it away fast enough. What if he’d come back? What if he was giving me a little time to look at it and would come back in expecting me to use the items with him?

I grabbed the comforter and pulled it over the bag to hide everything. I didn’t want to see it. Did he expect sex, and that was why he bought the lube? I should’ve been grateful for that because I would need it if he expected sex. I didn’t need it with Bryce, but he knew how to turn me on. I didn’t think Brody would take the time to care if I was turned on or not.

I shook my head. I looked at the bag in the corner where my vibrator sat. I enjoyed using it with Bryce, but I’d never used it on my own. I didn’t want to, but I’d never been alone this long before. I always had him to use it with me.

I took the comforter off the bag and began to look through it, careful not to take anything out. I hadn’t seen a note, but if he gave me some clue as to what he expected with this gesture, it would’ve been nice. I still didn’t see a note when I rummaged through the bag.

I looked at the time and sighed. I needed to put it away before lunch. I didn’t want any traces of it out while he was in the room. I walked around the bed and opened a drawer. I’d wait to look at it until he was gone after dinner. He rarely came back up at night unless I pushed the button to request him. I could guarantee I wouldn’t request his services for that.

* * *

I felt almost human again after my shower. The razor was easier to use than I thought, and smooth legs were mine again. I could’ve used some fresh air and sun, but that was never happening. I looked at the window and wished he’d take the board down.

Lunch had been brought up while I was in the shower, so I hadn’t seen him since dropping the bags off. I glanced at the drawer I stashed everything in and looked away. I hadn’t had much experience before Bryce, so I was used to not having sex, but I hadn’t had to go so long without it since Bryce. I looked at the drawer again, but looked away when I heard the key in the lock outside the room.

I sat up straight in the chair and put my hands on my lap. It was hard to look at Brody when I didn’t know what was going through his mind. Had he thought I already used the stuff he brought up? Was he going to ask me to get them out with him there? My mind was going over every possibility for why he gave those to me that I didn’t hear him.

“Laney?” He placed his hand on my forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”

Out of instinct, I smacked his hand off my forehead and stood, putting the chair between us. “I’m fine.”

He furrowed his brows and looked at the chair. “It doesn’t seem like you’re fine.” He walked back over to the tray and took the top off, but only set out one chicken dinner. He placed the lid back on and picked up the tray.

“I’m sorry.” I didn’t want to spend time with him, but at the same time I had to. “I was lost in thought and didn’t expect you to touch me.”

He set the tray down and leaned on his knuckles on the table. “I was checking for a temperature.”

I moved the chair back and sat down at the plate he set out for me. “I don’t have a fever. I’m fine.” I picked up the fork and began eating. “This is good. Thank you.”

He sat in the chair across from me and was slow to touch his dinner, but he removed it from the tray. “I see the clothes fit.”

“Yes, thank you.” I didn’t want him to bring up the other items he brought, so I changed the subject. “You don’t have many guests, do you?”

“You need to have friends to have guests. I like to keep to myself. I didn’t see many people with you when I was following you.”

I shrugged. “I have friends, but we aren’t very close.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure. It was difficult to have close friends in school because my father always seemed to find a way to ruin it, or people expect me to be just like him and he isn’t a very well-liked man.”

“No.” The over exaggerated response got me to smile. “Not your father. He’s a peach.” He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “You have a lot of your father in you. Your determination, strength, and wit all come from him. I obviously never met your mother, but I do believe you have some of her in you, as well, because your father is not caring, sweet, or kind to anyone.”

“He used to be to me.” The thought crossed my mind that he could be trying to get information out of me about my father. Maybe he was trying to find something he could use to knock my father down a few pegs or extort money out of him. But, I found myself opening up for other reasons. I hoped I wasn’t making a big mistake by trying to be his friend. He seemed lonely, and I hoped to use it to my advantage to get the hell out of there.

“After my mom died, he focused on me and me alone. He hired more guys to look after the business side of things that took him away from home and raised me without a nanny or a babysitter. He was much more hands-on when it was just the two of us.”

“That must have been comforting after losing one parent.”

“Or suffocating.” I took a big bite and ignored the look he gave me.

“That’s true. The grass always looks greener on the other side.”

I took a drink and looked at him. “You think my childhood was better than yours? Is that what you mean?”

“My childhood wasn’t terrible. It was the teen years that sucked the life out of me.” I wanted to ask what he meant by that to get him to elaborate, but I didn’t and he didn’t volunteer anything. “As soon as you get done eating, we’ll start the next set of exercises.”

“As soon as? We can’t let it settle a few minutes?”

He chuckled. “Fine. As soon as dinner settles, we’re going to get after it.”

* * *

I lay on my back on the floor, sucking as much air in as my lungs would allow. I’d never been through a workout so intense in my life. Brody barely broke a sweat, and while his breathing was a little labored, he had no problems controlling the amount he was taking in.

He laughed when I groaned trying to wipe sweat from my forehead. “A hot shower will do wonders for you.” He got on his knees next to me and rolled me over. I was too tired to protest. “I’m not going to hurt you, so lie still.”

He gripped my shoulders with his big hands and pressed circles into the back of my shoulders with his thumbs. It hurt at first, but the pain gave way, and I moaned at the massage he was treating my shoulders to. He moved down my arms, and when he reached my wrists, he placed my hands over my head, stretching my back.

I’d stripped down to my sports bra when the T-shirt I wore was soaked with sweat. My back was exposed in only my bra, so when his hands traveled down my spine, I opened my eyes at the skin-to-skin contact. The last time those hands touched me it was to beat me. There was nothing gentle about it, but the massage on my back was. As his hands slid up and down my back, his fingers would brush the sides of my breasts. I closed my eyes.

I didn’t want to feel anything sexual for that man, and I didn’t believe I did. He planted the idea of sex with those toys he gave me and jumped at the chance to touch me. I’d let him finish the massage because my body really ached, but I wouldn’t go further than that with him. And, I’d remember to not fall apart no matter how much I hurt until after he left the next time we worked out with that much intensity.

“Roll over.” He sat back on his heels and motioned with his hand for me to roll over.

“My front doesn’t need a massage.”

His smile was disarming. I hated that. “I’m not going to massage your front, and unless you’d like me to massage your legs and thighs, roll over.”

I did as he said and placed my arm over my eyes. Bryce used to tell me he could look into my eyes and see how turned on I was. If that was true, I didn’t need Brody to see just how relaxed his massage had made me.

He removed my shoes, and those same thumbs that had worked magic on my shoulders were working the same magic, if not better, on my sore feet. I bit my lip to keep from moaning.

I moved my arm above my head and looked at him when he placed my feet on his chest and held my knees together with his hands. He locked his eyes onto mine and began his decent, pressing my knees forward until they hit my chest. He held the position for a few seconds before sitting up again.

He adjusted himself and pressed his body down toward mine again with my knees bending and staying between us, but that time he was able to touch his hips to my backside. I should’ve looked away or covered my eyes again, but I was mesmerized by his.

The third time he made the move, he pressed his hips deeper into me and I could feel the erection he had. My pulse spiked when I couldn’t move my legs to kick him back. His weight and the pressure his hands had on my knees to keep them together made it impossible to kick him off.

His voice was deeper when he spoke. “Take a shower and get some rest. You’ll still be sore tomorrow, but we’re going to continue the schedule.”

He stood before my body straightened itself out and had left with the tray before I got off the floor. I lay there, staring at the ceiling with my hands covering my chest. I thought my heart was going to beat out of it. My body had never been more confused in its life. Being turned on and scared to death at the same time was new to me. I was learning to love adrenaline, but even that was too much.