I dry off and toss the towel to the tile floor with my discarded clothes, then hold up the white Oxford button-down. There’s also a pair of nude panties and jogging pants. Despite still being cold, I forgo the pants and dress in the shirt and panties only.

I test the door. It’s not locked. As I enter the narrow hallway, I hear Alex typing on his computer. I hover in the entryway, and I know he’s aware of me. His fingers halt briefly over the keys before he resumes typing.

Despite my desperate actions earlier, I knew there was little chance of escape. I wasn’t trying to get free so much as test Alex and get a better sense of my surroundings. Right now, he’s still vulnerable. Worn. Tired. Fragile.

After my stunt, I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to be outside. I have to utilize this rare chance to push him even further.

As I enter the room, I eye the cart with the metal box and paddles, a feral need to destroy it taking hold. But for right now, it doesn’t appear Alex plans to use it.

“I need better shampoo and conditioner,” I say.

Alex stops typing, but he doesn’t turn around. “That’s what’s important to you?”

I drag my fingers through my damp strands. “I have highlighted hair. Your off-brand shit makes if feel like straw.”

He clears his throat. “I’ll see what I can do.”

I ease closer, taking note of the closed curtain. “Why do you wear a lab coat?”

This gains his full attention. He closes the laptop and spins the chair around. He’s wary about my questions and demeanor. He should be. His gaze travels over me—my bare legs, wet hair saturating his white shirt, making it nearly transparent over my breasts—and a hard edge frames his features.

His body language states he’s in no mood to play, not after chasing me down in the freezing river. But all we have is this game. One winner, one loser.

And I refuse to lose.

“Because I’m a scientist,” he says curtly.

I fiddle with the top button of his shirt. “But this isn’t a lab with other scientists. It’s just you and me. Who do you wear it for?”

He adjusts his glasses, a maneuver geared to prevent him from staring. “I wear it because it’s who I am.”

As opposed to a kidnapping megalomaniac… I keep that to myself. Instead, I undo the button and let my fingers skim down to the next one. “You’re something else, too,” I say.

Alex crosses his arms, his gaze drops to the exposed skin between my breasts. “Blakely, whatever this is…stop.”

I undo the second button, then the third, letting the shirt fall open. A tease, a taunt. A peek at the bottom swell of my breasts. Alex has stopped trying to avoid looking as he stares openly now.