She thought she heard a door squeak open. She quickly whipped her head around to find Will standing behind her with a tray of food and pitcher of water.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” Will said with a laugh.
“No reason to be jittery around here. Well…” Will paused and looked down. “You can feel safe here for a few weeks. Until you’re all healed up.”
“Then why not take me to a doctor if you’re so worried about me,” Maria snapped back.
She wanted to like him and think that he was a good person, but she didn’t trust him yet.
“If we go to a doctor, we’ll have to explain that your uncle caused this.”
Will paused and glanced up at Maria, who nodded.
“And I don’t think you want him to get into trouble. Unless you want to tell someone.”
Maria shook her head and said, “Who would run the pharmacy? He knows everyone in town and what they need. All their health…”
“And I’m sure you don’t want to alienate family. Even if they are…”
“Don’t talk about him like you know him,” Maria spat back.
She didn’t want him to judge her for seeming like a weak little girl who needed the protection of her uncle, even if it might have been true.
“Or me.”
Will defensively put up one hand and set the tray on the bedside table. Maria leaned back and fell on top of the bed, which she didn’t know was behind her.
Will held out both hands. Maria didn’t take them. She just stared at him angrily; trying to bring out the bad man in him that she secretly believed existed in him.
Maria knew that if he showed his harsh side, she wouldn’t be attracted to him and, therefore, it would be easier for her to leave him and escape. Start a new life.
“No,” Maria said, refusing his hands.
She spread across the bed and spread her legs open more.
“Just get it over with.”
“What?” Will said, sitting on the bed next to her.
“I’m serious about those wounds. You have to get better before going back home. And you need to eat because you look like you haven’t eaten in a while.”
He handed her a bowl of grapes, which she reluctantly took. He grabbed a handful of cheese and headed for the door.
“Wait,” Maria called out.
“You’re not going to-“
“You’re not a whore, Maria,” Will softly said.
“I won’t hurt you. Or touch you. I promise. Act the way you want to be treated.”
With that, Maria stood and walked over to him. She decided that he was mostly good and trustworthy.
“I’m sorry I was snooping,” Maria began.
“Thank you for everything. Where is my room?”
“You can stay in here if you like. But this room may be a bit dusty. No one has slept in here since my parents died,” Will said in a monotone voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“Your parents are gone too,” Will said.
“You don’t have to be sorry.”
Will left abruptly and shut the door in Maria’s face. She thought it was a bit rude but then noticed how tired she was.
After a few grapes and the entire bread and cheese plate, the silky sheets in the bed felt so relaxing. She didn’t even remember falling asleep.
Chapter 4
Maria woke up in the middle of the night with a giant headache. She poured herself some water from the pitcher and drank out of it, what she thought, was the nicest piece of glass to ever touch her mouth.
She drew the drapes open and saw the light blue night sky. There was a pond in the distance that reflected the moon, which helped her see the beautiful garden that had an intricate walkway that lead into the woods.
She contemplated going outside to explore but knew that her undershirt tee and boy-short underwear wouldn’t protect her from the cold. So she stole a white robe from Will’s mother’s closet.
She didn’t feel sleepy. She actually felt rested and decided to walk down the hallway to see what was down the left wing. The hallway was longer and darker than she expected.
Maria got to the end and saw a light emitting from the furthest door down another hallway to the left. She looked back, wondering if she could find her way back to her room.
The curiosity pushed her enough to enter the glowing room. There was no one there. Nothing but a large billiards table and television hanging on the wall stuck out from the bland beige carpet and walls.
A few tan loveseats lined the walls and sat in front of the television. A rustling from the closet behind the billiards table startled Maria. She turned away to get out of the room, but she wasn’t quick enough.
“I’m sorry I didn’t see you there,” said a soft female voice.
Maria turned around to see a tiny middle-aged woman with black pants and button-up shirt that matched her pitch black, clearly dyed, curly short hair.
She held a vacuum attachment, a spray bottle and a few rags.
“I’ll get out of your way,” the lady said. “Didn’t know William had a guest in this hallway.”
“He- he didn’t,” Maria stuttered.
“I was…”
“You were exploring. Trying to figure him out.” The lady laughed and nodded.
Maria felt relieved that the lady, who she assumed was the maid, was friendly and seemed understanding.
“He’s a hard one to figure out,” Maria replied with an equally haughty chuckle.
“I’m Maria.”
“Well, if you need anything, call on Mrs. Gilbert,” the maid said, pointing at herself.
“Will do,” Maria said as she proceeded to exit.
“But if you were trying to figure him out,” Mrs. Gilbert said, stopping Maria, “I wouldn’t.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s not my place, but he’d not want you to snoop.” Mrs. Gilbert paused.
Maria gave her a horrified look.
“I’m not being rude. If you get in trouble, though, I’ll get you out.”
Mrs. Gilbert winked at Maria and shooed her away with a gentle hand. Maria nodded and bid her goodnight.
The maid replied with a smartass comment.
“It’s early morning.”
Maria didn’t feel turned off by Mrs. Gilbert but she did wonder what she meant. Of course no one likes a snoop, but Maria thought she was in the right direction since she was sleeping in a stranger’s home.
With a stranger who could assume it as his business to hurt her. She was being cautious. Not a snoop. What worried her more was Mrs. Gilbert’s warning.
Why talk about Will as if he was such a complicated person?
She returned to her hallway and gently, trying to be quiet, pushed her door open. It squeaked.
She felt a presence walk up behind her.
“Were you looking for something? Bathroom?” Will asked.
“Um, yes,” Maria answered.
She turned around to see his perfectly tanned and sculpted abs. She tried her hardest not to stare.
“I found it.”
“Funny,” Will said, pointing in the opposite direction from which Maria came.
“Bathroom’s that way. Let’s get breakfast and then clean up those wounds.” He started towards the stairs.
“And you’ll have a bath!”
Chapter 5
Maria and Will sat across from each other at the long dining table. The silence between their bites of potatoes and eggs bothered Maria. Made her skin crawl. She took a long time chewing to stare at Will who cut his food so precisely and with such grace.
When he took a bite, she did think it was odd he opened his mouth so wide and bit with so much ferocity. Like his food was a giant piece of meat. Maria closed her eyes and imagined him biting her that way. On her neck. On her thigh. Anywhere.
She watched him lick grease from his peachy lips, wanting to touch them and kiss them herself.
He stopped chewing and stared at her.
“What is it?” he asked with a mouthful of food.
Maria laughed.
“Don’t chew with your mouth open.”
“I’m sorry,” Will said, smiling and embarrassingly looking down at his messy plate.
“I was hungry. Are you almost finished?”
Maria only had a few bites left, so she nodded and put down her fork.
She followed Will up to the restroom. It was painful for Maria to walk. Her knee and thigh throbbed with every step.
The bathroom was so pearly white and flawlessly clean that it made her forget about the unhealthy state she was in.
The tub was centered in the middle of the marble floor with hung ceiling lights surrounding it. Brass accessories, like dragon-shaped towel-holders, lined the walls.
“This is gorgeous,” Maria stated breathlessly.
Will took out a few towels from a brass cabinet and handed them to Maria. She sat on a stool next to the tub and hung the towels over the side.
Will stared at her knee. Maria noticed and tried to cover the bloody scab with the bottom of her robe. Some of the dried blood spread to her thigh.
Will bent on one knee and opened her robe, tapping the dried wound.
“Don’t worry,” Will almost whispered.
He turned on the faucet in the tub and wet half of a washcloth. He pressed it against Maria’s wound, which made her quickly suck air in her mouth. Whatever intimate heat she felt while Will was so close to her legs, it was gone because of the pain.
She looked up at the ceiling to avoid revealing the pain in her face to Will. She realized how many bruises she had up and down her arms and back too.
She reached behind her to rub the bruised back of her neck. It burned to touch, so she pulled away quickly.
Will gently wrapped two fingers on both sides of her chin and moved her head from side to side.
“What’s wrong? I don’t see any blood anywhere else,” Will said, examining her body.
“Nothing. My back,” Maria answered.
He took her hands and made her stand up. He untied Maria’s robe with just one finger. Her heart raced as the silky robe fell to her ankles, revealing her curvy thighs and bottom with only her underwear.
She tried to cover her protruding nipples under her white tee with her hands, but Will grabbed her shoulders and stroked both arms, pulling them apart.
Maria felt vulnerable and exposed. She didn’t feel unsafe this time, though. She watched Will examine her side and walk around her.
He stroked certain parts of her body and pressed on her side.
“Does that hurt?” he asked.
Maria shook her head.
He pressed on her middle back, which made Maria squirm away from him. He grabbed her waist and kept her from falling over.
“It’s okay. I’m sorry,” he whispered.
He stood directly behind her and lifted her shirt.
“Tell me how badly it hurts. We want to make sure nothing’s broken.”
Maria stood still, frozen, enjoying Will’s breath on her neck.
When he spoke behind her ear, he sent shivers down her spine that made Maria feel electrified.
“Are- are you a doctor?” Maria asked.
“I studied some,” Will began. “I learned from my father, who was a doctor.” Will gently wiped hot water on her back wounds.
“Is that why you live in a mansion?” Maria asked, chuckling.
“Yes,” Will responded quickly. There was a long pause before he said, “And I make business deals in Edinburgh. Selling real estate. I’m good with money. So I help businesses with theirs too.”
Maria accepted the vague answer and asked, “Then why were you in the village yesterday?”
“I go there every once in a while,” he answered. “I have a few friends who I like to visit every few weeks or so. We were friends as kids.”
“Then why didn’t you live in the village?”
“My father didn’t want me living around a lot of people,” Will quietly said.
“He, um, wanted me to focus on my studies. And he loved living in a big place with my mom and me in seclusion. It was peaceful.”
Will put Maria’s shirt back down and walked to the door.
He turned around to face her and smiled.
“Take a bath and I’ll send Mrs. Gilbert up with clothes,” he ordered as he left.
Chapter 6
Maria enjoyed the bath and closed her eyes as she lay in the water. She focused on her wounds being washed, which burned but was bearable.
When she wanted to stop focusing on the pain, she thought about how gentle Will’s hands were against her skin.
She wanted to believe that he liked seeing her naked skin. She wondered what his skin felt like. Only one thing bothered her and it was something she couldn’t put her finger on. The suspicious secrecy about his past. All the money.
Maria didn’t know, but she definitely planned on asking more questions to get to know him better.
A knock on the door surprised Maria before she remembered Mrs. Gilbert was to arrive.
“Mrs. Gilbert?” she asked.
“Yes,” the maid responded.
“Come in!”
Mrs. Gilbert entered with a handful of sundresses and set them on the stool. Maria tried to cover her chest with hands and crossed her legs under the water.
“Oh, don’t be so shy,” Mrs. Gilbert said as she held up a large towel.
Maria got out of the tub and wrapped herself in the towel. Mrs. Gilbert started patting Maria’s long hair dry.
Maria looked at the sundresses and picked up a light purple one with a white ribbon.
“That’s a good one,” Mrs. Gilbert said.
“I’ll leave.”
“Wait,” Maria said.
“I was wondering what you meant by Will. He’s not very open…”
“Of course he’s not.”
“But he also doesn’t seem mean. He’s kind,” Maria started to say.
“He wouldn’t get angry like you…”
“You want to know what he’s like,” Mrs. Gilbert said with a smile. “If you’ll be here long enough, you’ll find out. Just know that his parents died while on vacation in London. William was seventeen. Wanted to go to University but decided to use his talents to keep the mansion up. Thankfully he did, or I’d be out of a job.”
Mrs. Gilbert left swiftly. Maria still didn’t see what his parents had to do with his shifty attitude.
Chapter 7
Maria sat on the bed in her room, folding Will’s mother’s robe and her own dirty clothes.
“We’ll wash those,” Will said as he entered the room. He showed Maria that he had a bag in his hand.
“First aid kit. And alcohol.” He revealed a bottle of scotch and two glasses in his other hand.
“I’m not much of a scotch…”
“It’ll ease the pain, though,” Will interrupted.
“I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I can get another type.”
“No, no,” Maria said. “I’m fine.”
“Sit back,” Will ordered.
Maria did as he asked and lifted the dress up to reveal her open leg wound. Will dabbed alcohol on a cotton swab and pressed it against her thigh. He was so close to her that she didn’t mind or really notice the pain at all.
Once he wrapped it in gauze, he grazed his hand to her knee. He felt around her bones, which did make her squirm from pain.
“I think it’s out of place,” he said. “If not broken.”
This worried Maria only a little because she trusted that he completely knew what to do. Will lifted Maria on her feet and made her walk back and forth from the bed to the window. He watched her legs closely.
Will put his hand behind her knee, the tips of his fingers almost tickling the back of her thigh, which made Maria flush. The heat crawled up her neck and into her cheeks. Will let go and stood at her level.
Eye to eye. Maria couldn’t help but think how perfectl
y sparkly his green eyes were among his dark eyebrows and light brown wavy hair.
Romance: Sold To The Alpha Dragon: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (BBW Romance, Paranormal, BBW Shifter Romance) Page 2
