“Don’t look at me.” Embarrassment floods through me as I hurry behind a sofa, but it only conceals me from the waist down. I sink to my bottom. “Go away, Jasce!”
ChapterSixteen
Unfortunately,he doesn’t listen.
His footsteps echo across the floor as he moves to stare down at me crouched behind the sofa. “We have a bathhouse.”
I slam my legs together and hunch my shoulders over my body, shielding myself. “Stop looking at me.”
He turns, moves to the armoire, and pulls out a silk dressing gown. “Put this on.”
I eye him suspiciously as he walks to where I sit and places the gown in my arms. Then, he does something I don’t expect. He turns his back to me, giving me the privacy I crave.
Nerves tighten in my throat as I stand and pull my dressing gown on. When I’m finished, he turns and grabs my arm, leaving me with no choice but to follow him from the room. He leads me through the dimly lit corridors, his grip on my arm firm but not uncomfortable.
The shadows play across his sharp features, highlighting the intensity in his eyes. A shudder runs through me at that intensity—at the hint of danger running like a fault line beneath the surface.
He’s an earthquake, Annora.
He will destroy you!
I clear my throat, attempting to break the silence. “Where are we going?”
He doesn’t answer me but instead pushes open a large door, revealing a bathhouse that takes my breath away. It is even grander than I imagined, with four pools of water surrounded by elaborate stonework.
“Get in.” He nods toward the nearest pool.
“In front of you?”
He rolls his eyes.
“Turn your back.”
To my surprise, he obeys, giving me privacy again.
I take advantage of the moment, stripping off the dressing gown and stepping into the heated water.
As I close my eyes and lean back, the water envelopes me, melting away the tension. The water lapping against the sides of the pool adds to the calming effect.
I sigh, letting the tension melt away as I stretch my arms out. As I relax, a shift in the air prickles my senses, alerting me to a presence behind me. I tense and pivot, my heart racing, only to discover Jasce submerged in the water.
My mouth falls open as I tell myself to not stare. I do anyway, taking in his bronzed, sculpted chest, and the way the water drips down his skin.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Enjoying the water.”
“Was this your plan all along? To get me naked with you?”
Merriment twinkles in his eyes. “No, but Iamenjoying the view.”
Embarrassment floods my face when I look down to see my breasts hovering near the surface of the water. I move to cover them with my arms, but he catches my wrists and pulls them away.
“Don’t hide from me,” he says in a husky voice.
“Jasce,please,” I whisper, my vulnerability laid bare.
Something shifts in his expression, a softening as he releases me and allows me to sink to my shoulders. “You are driving me to my breaking point.”
