I stepped toward the metal tub, then hesitated. “Just turn around until I get into the tub, okay?” I’d imagined how he’d look naked more than I’d like to admit, but that didn’t mean I was ready to give him a strip tease.
His lips twitched as Charick inclined in his head just before turning his broad back to me. I stripped quickly, leaving my kilt and tunic on the floor, and climbed into the tub.
Bliss!
Utter, complete, perfect, heated, watery bliss.
On a good day, the small trickle standing in for a shower was lukewarm at best. How the hell did he gather all this lovelyhot water? I turned to gaze at the broad back and shoulders, noticing a metal bucket on the floor beside the doorway. Suddenly, what he’d had to go through to do this for me became clear. It was far more than just dragging the tub into the room. My eyes grew hot and itchy, and I pressed my palms against them, knowing Charick would not appreciate tears, even ones of gratitude.
I cleared my throat, and even so, my voice was husky with emotion. “You can turn around now.”
Charick did as I bade, settling in the chair next to the table. Far enough away, I knew he couldn’t see beneath the water. Such a gentleman.
“I have to say, you’re getting some brownie points for this.” I sighed, leaning my head against the edge of the tub. God, this felt heavenly.
“Brownie points?” Charick shifted in the chair, dropping his elbows to his knees and clasping his hands.
“It means you did good. Really good.”
Charick’s low chuckle rolled through the air. “I am glad you are pleased.”
My hands moved through the water, cupping and pouring liquid warmth on the few areas of my body that remained unsubmerged, mainly my shoulders. “Are there bathtubs on your spaceship?”
“TheBardaga? Yes, much bigger than this.”
“No wonder my friends like it aboard your ship.” I didn’t know a woman alive who would turn her nose up at a bubble bath.
“You miss them?”
I turned my gaze to find him, noticing the gold of his eyes seemed brighter now.
“I do. They’re my family. I’d have never made it through losing my husband or son without them.”
“I swear on my honor, you will see your friends again.” Charick did that vow thing by thumping his fist against his chest. Why did I find that so freaking hot?
“I know.” In my current situation, a smile was all I could offer in exchange for his promise. “What about you? Tell me about your family.”
Something shifted across his face, not sadness exactly, regret perhaps, and he lowered his gaze, focusing on his clasped hands.
“My father and older brother are warriors—highly decorated. Both reside on my home world and help train younger warriors. My mother works with the Alliance, the governing entity for this sector of the universe. I had a younger brother, Enslak, but he too died in battle.”
My heart seemed to skip a beat. He’s lost a loved one to war. We had more in common than I realized. Our eyes met and for a moment, grief and the healing power of someone understanding your pain passed between us.
“Did you always want to be a Sage—a wise man?” I changed the subject, not wanting to linger on the past, but explore the future. I wanted to know Charick.
“No,” he snorted. “I wanted to be a warrior, like my father and brothers. But early skills testing indicated my predisposition toward diplomacy.”
The alien version of the SAT, perhaps?
“What about when you were younger? Any girlfriends?” I teased, although a strange twist in my gut dreaded the answer.
He appeared shocked by the question, the pelt on his high cheekbones coloring faintly pink. “Perhaps a stolen kiss or two when I was a youngling.”
Charick was too gorgeous to escape the notice of any red-blooded female—no matter the species. I cocked my brow, expecting there was much more to the story.
He laughed, leaning back in his chair. “I am a wise man… not a holy man. But no. Nothing more than a passing moment in time. I thought I had lost all hope of finding a mate when I joinedBardaga. For a long time, most believed that other species could not withstand the mating ritual of the Vaktaire.”
And yet he thought of me as his mate? “Why not? What’s the ritual?” I asked, trying to control the ire in my voice at thinking of him with other females.
