Read my Lips

Chapter 25

The moment the hotel room door clicked shut behind them, the tight tension in Eliana's muscles finally released. She and Spencer weren't alone yet. As a security measure, hotel management switched them from the rooms that Spencer's team was originally assigned to, moving them into an area where each room adjoined with another room next to it. So once they were in his room, Spencer opened a door on the inside wall. And then they switched rooms with Derek. That way if Casanova was still stalking the team, he wouldn't know which room she and Spencer were in even if he was able to hack the camera feed in the hallway outside.

Spencer carried their bags into the other room first. And then he hurried back for Eliana, lifting her up into his arms to stop her from hobble stepping her way across the cheap hotel carpet. "I told you to wait there," he scolded. "I was coming right back."

Spencer moved carefully across the room with her in his arms, holding her like she was precious cargo. Derek took a few steps back, giving them a wide berth as they passed through the narrow doorway that led into the adjoining room. Elaina noticed the look of obvious amusement on the man's face. He seemed to be getting a great deal of entertainment out of watching her interactions with his coworker. The rest of Spencer's team kept giving them similar looks. Eliana was starting to wonder if she was the first girl they'd ever seen Spencer with.

After they passed into the adjoining room, Derek moved into the doorway. He watched as Spencer set Eliana down on the edge of the bed. He was handling her like she was a fragile baby bird. Like she might break if he squeezed too hard. Normally, Eliana wouldn't enjoy being coddled or treated like an invalid. Her father never treated her like a child, even when she was one. But she was in pain. Her body hurt in dozens of different places. And after being put through such a stressful ordeal, it felt good to be cared for and treated so gently.

"It's too bad we can't leave and go back to my house," Eliana said. "A soak in the tub sounds so good to me right now." Spencer nodded his head in agreement as he lowered himself down on the bed next to her.

"You can take a hot shower," he suggested. Spencer moved his hand, softly rubbing it up and down the length of her back "When we get back, I'm going to take some of the vacation time I've been saving. And then we can soak in the tub as much as you want." A warm pull of emotion bloomed in Eliana's chest as her dark eyes met his lighter ones. And she leaned into Spencer, wrapping her arms around him and tucking her face into the crook of his neck. They were speaking quietly. But since he was only a few feet away, Eliana was sure that Derek could still hear them. When she popped her head back up, the look of curious amusement he had on his face had been replaced with a softer expression.

"I'm going to leave my side of the door open," Derek explained. "That way you can shut yours but you'll still be able to get in here in a hurry if you need to."

Spencer thanked him as he rose from the bed. Eliana watched as they exchanged a few more words. They were talking about the man that kidnapped her and how they were going to catch him. She understood that much. But some of the terminology they were using went way over her head. When they were done, Derek smiled at Eliana and told her hoped she would feel better soon. And then Spencer shut the door.

Eliana let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. And she extended her arms, motioning for Spencer to join her on the bed. He lowered himself down next to her, carefully pulling her into his arms. They sat like that for a while, breathing in sync and letting the sensation of their bodies touching slowly calm their minds. When she finally let go, Eliana felt the closest she had to normal since she woke up to find a masked devil in the living room of Spencer's apartment.

"I'm sorry about my dad," she sighed, tucking a stray curl behind Spencer's ear.

"You're his daughter. After everything you went through, it's only natural for him to feel protective."

Spencer's response made her smile. Protective was a very kind word to describe the fit her father threw when she informed him that she wasn't going to be staying in his room with him. He full on demanded that she come with him. And when she refused, he made a few extremely unnecessary comments about some of the injuries that were listed in her medical report, adding what he thought Spencer was planning to do to her once they were alone. To his credit, Spencer remained calmer than she would have given the circumstances. But no one would appreciate being called a sexual predator. Eliana was fairly sure the only reason things didn't get physical between them was because one of Spencer's teammates intervened and walked her father in the other direction down the hall.

"I'm still sorry he talked to you like that," Eliana lamented. "I think sometimes he wishes I was still twelve years old." She cupped Spencer's face, stroking her thumb back and forth across the stubble on his cheek. It was the most facial hair she'd ever seen him with. His stubble was darker and thicker than she would have expected given how light and soft the hair on hair was. It gave him a slightly rougher look. "I love the little bit of beard you've got going," she told him, finishing her words with a soft peck to the side of his mouth.

Spencer caught her by the wrist. His touch was soft and gentle. But Eliana still winced when his thumb bumped against the part of her skin that was still raw from where the ropes dug in.

"I'm so sorry," he gushed. Eliana parted her lips to tell him that it was fine. He barely touched her. But before she could get the words out, he added another apology to that one. "...and I'm sorry for what I did to you… before. The doctor that did your forensic exam… He said there was bruising on your insides from before you were taken. There were fluids… They swabbed my cheek to exclude me. Everything that was inside you was from me."

"Hey," Eliana said. Spencer was spiraling. And he was getting to the point where he was talking so fast she was having a hard time understanding him. "Spencer." She caught his face between her hands and kissed him, stopping his tirade with a gentle kiss. "You never hurt me. We had sex. More than once. You're not exactly small down there. I was a little sore in the morning, but not in a bad way." Eliana lowered her dark eyes, the color rising in her cheeks as she flicked them back up to meet his. "That was the best night of my life," she admitted, her face turning red under her bruises from her sudden bout of shyness. Eliana wasn't shy about expressing her feelings in a physical way. But voicing them out loud was harder for her. "I loved every moment that we spent together."

"Really?," he asked. His big hazel eyes were so expressive. And at the moment, they were searching her face for any sign that what she said might not be true.

"Really," Eliana promised. She breathed a sigh of relief as Spencer wrapped his arms back around her. He slid a little further back on the bed, carefully pulling her onto his lap. Eliana let her head loll against his shoulder. And she tucked her face into his neck, breathing in the unique mixture of scents that only belonged to him. She could feel his heartbeat. Eliana stayed there, swimming in the slightly euphoric feeling of his arms around her, until the throbbing in her foot and face became too intense to ignore.

"I think I need another advil," she whispered. Spencer nodded, shifting her gently off his lap before he crossed the room and started rummaging through a slightly crumpled white paper bag. "Once you find that, would you do something else for me?," she asked.

"Anything," Spencer confirmed, not even bothering to look up from his search for her pain medication. His absolute lack of hesitation made Eliana smile.

"Can I talk to your mom?," she asked. "I know you said she's ok. But it would make me feel a lot better if I could see for myself."

The crinkling of paper stopped as suddenly as it began. Spencer's hands froze in place as he looked across the small space at Elaina. His expression was something between total adoration and wistful sadness. Within her first ten minutes inside his apartment, Eliana figure out that Spencer's relationship with his mother was complicated and filled with a lot of highly charged mixed emotions. He loved his mother beyond reason. And worried about her. But Eliana suspected he was also slightly embarrassed by her. And those feelings were tinged with guilt. If Spencer had other girlfriends before her, Eliana very much doubted that any of them had met his mother let alone formed a relationship with her. She felt honored that she was able to be included in that part of his life.

"She really wants to talk to you," Spencer said. "But I didn't want to burden you when you're already going through so much. I know she can be a lot sometimes."

"She's not a lot," Eliana countered. Spencer's mother was actually quite lovely. As long as she wasn't throwing shit and stealing animals from the shelter, Eliana enjoyed the time she spent with Diana Reid. Thoughts of the animal shelter threw Eliana into a sudden panic. "The little kitty your mom took from the shelter!," she gasped. "He didn't hurt it, did he?"

"It's fine," Spencer assured her. "My mom sent Lynn back for her kitten. My friend Penelope has him at her apartment."

Eliana breathed an audible sigh of relief. She pressed her hand lightly against the center of her chest, taking deep breaths as she willed her heart to stop racing. She wasn't an anxious person. And she hoped her newfound constant bouts of panic would eventually subside. Like her body, her mind would take some time to heal.

As her body slowly relaxed, she watched Spencer get his laptop set up on the hotel room's one small desk. Eliana hobbled over before he could stop her, taking a seat in the rolling desk chair. She waited quietly as Spencer leaned over her with his phone in one hand and his other flying across the small laptop keyboard. She assumed that his mother was currently staying at the respite care facility. Because he had to talk to a few people before he was able to find someone that could get his mother set up to take a video call.

Eliana hadn't taken a good look at herself in a mirror since her frightening encounter. And the image that was reflecting back at her from the laptop camera was jarring. Her hair looked like a rat's nest. There was a long cut on the far right side of her forehead that still had small suture bandages on it. Both her eyes were blackened. And the really sore side of her jaw was still swollen and badly bruised. It was hard to look at her reflection and not wonder if she would ever be normal again.

A few more clicks of the keyboard and Spencer was able to get the call patched through. A moment later, his mother's image appeared on the screen. Spencer hovered over Eliana at first, listening to her reassure his mother that she was okay. Eliana confirmed that the devil Diane saw in Spencer's apartment was a real man in a mask. And she explained that they wouldn't be home until after the man was caught and brought to justice. Once the conversation turned to talk of volunteering at the shelter and what their plans were once Eliana got home, Spencer finally backed off. He headed into the next room to talk to Derek, leaving the adjoining door open so Eliana could call for him if she needed anything.

Eliana chatted with his mother for a little longer. But even though she took some over the counter pain medication, her face still hurt. She was relieved when one of the nurses poked her head into view and let her know that it was time for Spencer's mom to eat dinner and that she would have to call back later. Eliana closed the laptop and leaned back into the chair. She smiled when she saw that Spencer was already reentering the room. He shut the door behind him.

"Do you want me to order you something to eat?," he asked. Eliana shook her head. She was still feeling a little queasy from the soup and sandwich she had for lunch. It was too much food too fast in her empty stomach. She sort of knew that when she was scarfing it down. But she was too hungry to stop herself.

"I think I'd like to shower and lay down," she said. "I'm tired and I feel gross." Eliana looked down at her hoodie and leggings, remembering how much of a painful struggle it was for her to get herself into her clothes. She was only able to do it because she was more worried about covering her exposed body than the pain. "But could you help me get undressed?," she asked.

The speed and enthusiasm with which Spencer agreed to her request made her smile. He had to be feeling frustrated and helpless as to how he could make things better for her. Having her tell him how he could help was obviously a relief. Eliana didn't argue when he scooped her up out of the chair and carried her to the small hotel bathroom. He kicked the door shut and set her on her feet. But before he moved to help her with her clothes, he turned the shower on. The water didn't take long to heat up. And soon the small room was filling with warm steam.

Eliana slipped her arms out of her hoodie sleeves first. She stuck her hands up through the top, protecting her bruised face as Spencer eased the garment up and over her head. He doubled the thick fabric over a few times, setting it on the edge of the sink where it wouldn't get wet. When she dressed earlier, Eliana wasn't able to get a bra on. Her ribs hurt too much. So all she had on under her oversized hoodie was a stretchy tank top. She slipped one strap down over her shoulder. But when she reached for the other one, she winced and added her elbow to the long list of things on her body that she had to be careful not to move the wrong way.

Spencer took over, easing the thin straps down. He slid his fingers under the fabric of the tank, bunching it up and then easing it down over her hips without hurting her. Having the top half of her body bare exposed her injuries. The center of her chest, where Casanova hit her with the stun gun at close range, was scabbing over. Dark bruises were welling up on one side of her rib cage. There were deep ligature marks on her wrists. But it was the hickeys and bite marks all over her breasts that made her want to cry. Eliana crossed her arms, covering the marks on her breasts with her hands as she struggled to keep her breathing under control.

"Do you want me to leave?," Spencer asked. Eliana shook her head. Having him close to her was the only thing keeping her from losing her shit completely. "Should I keep going?," he asked. Eliana nodded. And then she closed her eyes. She knew there were more bite marks and bruises under her leggings. And she didn't want to see them. She felt Spencer ease her leggings and underpants down her thighs. He rose from his seat on the closed toilet lid. And then gently maneuvered her so she was sitting there instead, on a folded hotel towel. That way he could ease her pants and socks off without her having to stand on one foot.

Elaina gripped Spencer's hand as she stepped over the edge of the shallow tub. The water was perfect, hot but not burning. She wet her hair and let the water sluice down over her body. The hot water felt like heaven. Her muscles were slowly starting to relax. But then Eliana opened her eyes. Not only were there more hickeys and bite marks all over her lower belly and legs, there were fingerprint shaped bruises on her hips and the insides of her thighs where her attacker pried her legs apart and held her down. Her vision went blurry and her breath came out in hard shallow pants. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down over her cheeks. Eliana gasped once before she started sobbing.

Her body was shaking under the spray of hot water. Eliana heard the sound of the curtain being yanked open. And then Spencer pulled her into his arms. He shed his socks and belt. But he was still wearing his shirt and dress pants. Eliana melted into his arms. She cried into his chest, warmed by the water on one side and the heat of his body on the other. Eliana wasn't sure how long they stood there. But when she finally cried her last tear, she felt much better. Like some of the bad feelings inside her were finally able to escape.

"Your clothes are getting wet," she said, running her hands over Spencer's soaking wet dress shirt. It was soaked through and sticking to his body.

"I don't care," he promised. "They're just clothes." Eliana flicked her eyes up to meet his as she began working the buttons of his soaked shirt open. Once his soaking clothes were in a pile on the bottom of the tub, they held each other under the warm spray of the water. She could have done it herself, but her elbow and shoulder were still sore. So Spencer helped her wash and condition her hair. Eliana's fingers were wrinkled from the water, but she climbed out of the shower feeling much better than she had going in. Washing off the smell of the river water and the hospital made her feel more like herself.

Eliana was sitting on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a hotel robe. She was slowly working the knots out of her hair as Spencer knelt on the floor, changing the medical tape that was wrapped around her foot. She smiled down at him, enjoying the expression of deep concentration he had on his face.

"Will you think I'm weird if I sleep with a stuffed animal?," Eliana asked. Spencer paused the motion of his hands as he glanced up at her. There was a smile playing at the corners of his lips. He returned his attention to her foot as he answered her question.

"I once investigated an unsub that burnt dozens of people alive in a movie theater because he wanted to have sex with his sister," Spencer announced. Eliana's eyes widened. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. She knew Spencer was telling the truth. His habit of telling the truth even when he shouldn't was one of the things she loved about him. But still, what he said was hard to believe. His job was insane. But it was sort of perfect for him at the same time. She could tell he was intensely passionate about what he did.

"I won't think anything bad about you because you sleep with a pink stuffed rabbit," he promised. Spencer fastened the last bit of tape and sat back, gazing up at her with the same teasing smile on his face. "...And I already know you're weird," he added. From his tone, Eliana could tell he meant what he said as a compliment. And everything he felt for her was showing plainly in his eyes on his face. His gaze was so intense, Eliana could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She lowered her eyes, toying with a loose string on the hem of her robe.

With her foot secured with a dry bandage and fresh tape, Eliana pulled on one of Spencer's shirts on over her underwear and climbed into bed. She had Tribbles, her pink shag rabbit, clutched against her chest. A few extra pillows were packed in around her. And Spencer's body was tucked in behind hers. It was still daylight out. But he pulled the curtains to block as much light as he could. The room's air conditioner was running, the soft hum drowning out the outside noise. Eliana thought sleep would be hard to come by. The last time she fell asleep in bed, she woke up with the devil breathing down her neck. But only moments after she settled into her pillow, both Eliana and Spencer were fast asleep.