Chosen By My Mate's Father-in-law
Chapter 87: Relief

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Relief

[Jasmine’s POV]

I tightened my legs around Gareth’s waist, pulling him closer to my wet center. Our tongues fought for dominance as he deepened the kiss. I clung to his powerful body, desperately needing him to touch me everywhere. His insistent mouth and his fingers in my hair gave me some relief to the throbbing need that had become my entire existence.

But I needed more. So much more.

A loud moan escaped my lips as we pulled away to catch our breath. Even though I was gasping for air, I trailed hot kisses down Gareth’s neck, needing to touch him at all times. He let out a deep groan and cupped my ass, picking me up and lifting me.

I hoped that he was bringing me to his big white bed. Just thinking of things that he could do to my body made me shiver with anticipation. As I nipped and kissed the pulse point on his neck, I imagined his tongue trailing down my flushed skin. I couldn’t wait to experience his warm breath on my neck, his fingers teasing my warm center, then my hard bundle of nerves, his hard—

Ah!

All of a sudden, I was dunked into freezing cold water. The icy bath water effectively chilled my overly hot body. My blood ran cold as the water lapped around me. I surfaced, gasping for air, trying to make sense of the situation. As my heart slammed against my chest, my body went into fight-or-flight mode. There was a feeling of terror crawling up my throat like I was in immediate danger, but I didn’t know what I was supposed to be afraid of. I let out a high-pitched scream that filled the space around me.

“What’s happening?” I demanded as my hands gripped the edges of a porcelain tub, and I whipped my head around. But I was panicking too much to truly understand what I was seeing.

Where the hell was I? I looked down, and my stomach swooped with anxiety when I realized I was naked.

All at once, memories hit me like a punch in the stomach. Waking up in a jail cell. Isabella crying as I tried to find a way out. The disgusting rogues assaulting us, ripping off our clothes, and groping our nude bodies with their dirty hands. One of them injected Isabella with wolfsbane, but I had not been lucky enough for the sweet relief of unconsciousness. They had given me something much worse. A drug that made me feel like I was going to explode if someone didn’t extinguish the fire that spread across my body.

So, how did I end up in a bathtub? Was this a torture method of the rogues? Would they submerge my head repeatedly under the cold water? I sucked in a sharp breath, and that thought made my stomach stiffen with fear.

But the next touch I felt wasn’t cruel. It was comforting. A warm hand rubbed soothing circles on my bare back, and I automatically leaned into the touch. When I looked up, my gaze locked with Gareth’s.

Relief flooded through me as I stared into his gray eyes. Gareth meant safety. I’d been right. I told Isabella her dad would save us.

“You’re safe, Jasmine,” he muttered softly and gently smoothed my wet hair from my eyes. “Isabella is safe too. Elliot brought her to the hospital. He killed some of your kidnappers, and my men captured almost all of the rest. I will personally make sure that the bastards who took you and my daughter are all captured and punished accordingly.” When he mentioned the rogues, his eyes became flat, and his voice turned dangerously low.

But his touch in my hair remained gentle and comforting.

My shoulders slumped when I realized that Isabella and I were safe. Just in time, Gareth had saved us.

It hadn’t been Gareth in the cell, though...

My heart sank as I remembered Elliot bringing Isabella to safety instead of me. I understood that she was his fiancée, but hadn’t my situation been more dire? If a rogue—or any unmated male—would have come across me in heat, they would have violently assaulted me. Bile rose in my throat just thinking about what could have happened.

My lower lip trembled, and I swallowed the lump in my throat.

Elliot choosing to save Isabella truly showed me that he would pick her over me when it came down to it. When pressed, Elliot wanted power more than he wanted his fated mate. Of course, I was already aware of this, but it cracked my heart down the middle to be shown where his loyalties lie. Especially in such a horrible way.

After everything that I had been through, I couldn’t hold back tears anymore. I buried my head in my hands to hide from Gareth and began to cry. My shoulders shook from the force of my sobs, and the sounds coming out of my mouth sounded like an animal in agonizing pain. My salty tears leaked through my hands and into the cold bath water.

Throughout my breakdown, Gareth rhythmically rubbed my back. His presence was the only reason that I had any sanity left. Once my sobs stopped, my tears still flowed, and Gareth drained the cold bath water and filled it with hot water. The warmth felt amazing. Gareth lathered his hands with a lavender-scented body wash and cleaned the grime off my body.

I had to bite my lip so I wouldn’t moan out loud as his hands glided over my sensitive skin. When his thumb grazed the underside of my breast, it nearly undid me.

As he stood straighter to wash the soap from my body, I peeked over at him.

Oh my Goddess.

My mouth went dry, and my pulse quickened when I noticed that the front of his pants was bulging. A quiet gasp came from my lips as I stared at his hard length.

Then, all of my memories from being in heat came back to me. My cheeks heated as I remembered writhing on the ground in lustful agony. And begging Gareth to touch me, claim me as his. Had I really pressed my lips against his neck? Or stripped myself of his jacket and threw it back at him in an attempt to seduce him?

Gareth massaged sweet-smelling shampoo into my hair, and I blushed even further when I realized how much I embarrassed myself in front of the Lycan King.

Again.

That was the second time that I’d stood before him, asking him to make love to me.

No, not make love.

While I was under the influence of the drug that triggered my heat, I had begged Gareth to take me on the dirty floor of a jail cell.

I couldn’t believe myself. I’d never been more embarrassed in my life.

“Gareth, I’m so sorry for the way—”

He cut off my apology with a shake of his head and a finger to my lips. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Jasmine. You were drugged.”

For some reason, Gareth being so understanding about the whole situation just made everything worse. I submerged my head under the water, half-hoping that I would drown. After the way I acted today, even being fully nude in front of Gareth wasn’t the most embarrassing thing. If I were making a list, it would be near the bottom.

Once Gareth was finished rinsing out the conditioner from my hair, he helped me carefully step out of the bath and wrapped me in a fluffy white towel, enveloping me in his warmth. As he dried my hair for me, I stared up at his handsome face. His silver-streaked dark hair was slightly damp, and his white shirt had gotten wet. It was now clinging to his skin. My eyes greedily took in his muscled chest and his broad shoulders.

My legs trembled as our eyes met.

Was the drug still in my system? The overwhelming heat was no longer tormenting me, but I still wanted Gareth to touch every inch of my body.