Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115347 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115347 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Feminine power flooded her, heady and delicious. Had anything ever tasted so sweet? Viori settled more weight on her elbows, raising her upper body above the water. With her breasts framed by her biceps, she created maximum cleavage.
“Where would you like to start?” she asked, batting her lashes at him.
He jutted his chin, his stubbornness on full display, and met her gaze. At first. His attention dipped. A quick peek at her chest before snapping up. He gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing. His irises blazing. A dead giveaway. How desperately this male craved her...
Mmm. This power wasn’t heady, after all; it was beyond heady. And distracting... Tempting her to enjoy herself while working her wiles and charming him. But why not? After the day she’d had, she deserved a little pleasure. Didn’t she?
With a teasing tone, she asked, “Forget the conversation. Why won’t you remove your clothes and join me, husband? Or are your muscles fake, as I suspect? Are rocks strapped beneath your tunic? They are, aren’t they?”
His eyes slitted. “I told you. I’m scarred, thanks to you and your trees. Fae tend to sicken when they behold my ruined flesh.”
Her small smile faded. How many injuries had he sustained as a young lad? How severe had the cuts and gashes been?
Guilt flared deep, deep inside her. “You startled me, and I screamed, spurring my protectors into action.” But it wasn’t terror she’d felt as her eyes had locked with young Micah’s. No, he’d sparked a desperate yearning to throw herself into his arms. She’d thought, At last! All is truly well. In that moment, terror had come. Trust another fae? How could she?
And yes, an innocent boy had suffered for it. Still suffered. “They love me and react to my slightest emotion,” she added. The guilt continued to burrow, but she finally headed it off. Mostly. Hold on to your hate. Prepare the way for your escape.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Can anything make you feel better? I merely explained the situation.” To mask a tremor, she ducked under the water. As she surfaced, he turned her, putting her back to him. Without eye contact, she was able to douse the sudden spike of tension. She rested her elbows on his thighs, saying, “I keep hearing about these so-called scars. I’m afraid the time has come to prove it, husband. Rip off your tunic quick or pull it off slow. Majesty’s choice, of course, but either way, get to stripping,” she said, trying for a teasing tone again. “This girl is ready for the show to start.”
“Do you think your opinion means anything to me?” He lathered her hair with jerky motions, only to slow and gentle his touch of his own volition. Soon he was massaging her scalp, and Viori was moaning in astonished delight. Once he rinsed out all the bubbles, he tenderly applied a softening cream to the locks. He took his time, combing his fingers through the strands, and she could do nothing but let him, leaning against him for support, trying to remember to breathe. Doing everything in her power to resist the potency of his scent. She could enjoy this, but she shouldn’t love it. For her, love had always equaled pain.
Viori roused from her semiblissful state. Focus. He’d said something, and she needed to respond. Besides, while his ministrations did strange things to her insides, he was still her enemy. Best she remembered that.
Tease him, but do not soften. “If you didn’t care about my opinion, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, now would we? You’d be baring all to your cherished wife, as commanded.” Oh...no. The knowledge threatened to crack her calm facade. This big, strong beast tamer had a weakness, a vulnerability—her.
“Where is Graves?” he asked as he rinsed the smoothing cream from her hair.
Mmm. “That, I don’t know. He left me. On purpose! He huffed at me like a silly child and marched away, leaving me in his dust, never glancing over his shoulder to ensure himself of my well-being. Can you believe the nerve of him, insisting his former killer is his current father?”
Micah’s fingers flexed on her scalp. “It’s something you suggested.”
“Yes, but I was merely taunting you.”
A soft growl left him—a common occurrence now, apparently. “Tell me your original intentions with me. That was our deal, yes?”
Was the truth painful to him? Well, too bad. He was about to get another dose. “They are exactly as you feared. To stop your war with Kaysar before it started.”
“It had already started. The final battle was simply delayed by a year.” He filled his palms with liquid soap and spread the bubbles over her throat. Her shoulders. Her breasts. His palms grazed her nipples. Slowly. Again.
Air hitched in Viori’s throat, hidden parts of her awakening from slumber as if for the first time. His touch remained gentle. Soothing. Mesmerizing.