He held perfectly still as her gaze raked over him. Her cheeks pinked as her eyes traveled over his abs, then lower. This close to the wall, she could see everything through the perfectly clear water.
Teddy had always been a bit vain—not in the same way Jalen was, but he spent hours training. He liked the mixture of shock and interest on Stella’s face.
“My eyes are up here,princess,” he said.
Her gaze shot to his and her cheeks flushed bright red. She liked the nickname just fine when Fionn used it. Teddy was thrilled to ruin it for her.
Stella crossed her arms and stood to her full height. “Just surprised to see so many muscles on a man whose most practiced exercise seems to be judging other people. I’m shocked you can find the time for anything else.”
Teddy smirked. “Happy I could impress you.”
He fought to keep his gaze on her face and failed. Her hair was still pinned on top of her head, but water dripped from the ends of several loose tendrils along her neck, over her crossed arms, and down the lines of her firm stomach. Her figure was lithe, not quite imbued with a warrior’s strength, but she was clearly a woman whotrained regularly. Teddy stopped following the droplets’ descent at the water’s edge. He wouldnotlook any lower.
Lust warmed the bond in his chest. Did shelikethat he was interested?
“Much as I appreciate your gawking, I was hoping you’d give me some peace,” he said slowly.
Stella kicked her lower lip into a pout. “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I disturbing you? Is the prince used to bathing alone in exclusive fancy washrooms?”
Teddy scowled at her. “No. I just find your incessant moaning very irritating.”
Stella smiled wickedly. “Oh?”
She was doing it on purpose, trying to wield the power she had over him like some kind of game.
It had been too long since he’d had sex. Teddy wasn’t opposed to a casual fling, but he also wasn’t the type of man to go long stretches without intimacy.
The past few weeks had given him little alone time. From traveling to Olney to being dodged by Grace during the festival until now, he had been so busy and exhausted every day that he’d hardly had time for self-gratification.
He regretted that now, with a beautiful, wet, naked woman in front of him trying to drive him out of his mind.
“It’s just this place,” she said softly, her face somber. “It’s just the energy of the temple and Aunt Desiree. It makes things feel a certain way. I used to notice when she visited. It feels lovely and compelling, but you don’t need to worry. It’s not permanent.”
Of course—the goddess was doing this on purpose. She was probably trying to force them to spend more time together.
“She’s probably watching us from a temple window somewhere.”
“You don’t think she was actually busy?” Teddy asked.
Stella shrugged. “I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s a fair guess. She’s known to be quite nosey—always getting involved where she isn’t needed.”
She turned back toward her room and climbed out of the poolslowly, as if making sure she had purchase on each mossy rock before continuing. That slowness granted Teddy a long look at her backside.
“Your Grace, I can feel you staring at my ass,” she said without turning around. She wrapped a linen towel around her waist and grabbed a second one to dry her hair.
“It’s a nice ass,” Teddy said.
“Nice?” She scoffed. “Nice? Nice is how you describe a new type of tea or an afternoon stroll.”
Teddy couldn’t fight a smile. “Oh, I’m sorry,my lady. Allow me to adjust my compliments to your requirements. You have alegendaryass. The bards should write songs about it, the likes of which would be sung in pubs for years to come, so all in the two kingdoms can forever bask in the glory of it.”
She grinned at him over her shoulder. She was still topless, facing away from him, with the towel wrapped around her waist. Water dripped from the curls atop her head, trailing down her smooth back to the dimples at the base of her spine.
She smirked. “And to think you were horrified at how inappropriate it was to bathe next to each other and now you’re openly gawking.”
Teddy ignored the jab, his gaze catching on the edges of a shiny scar on her side. He could only see the barest hint of it, but he felt angry that she’d been permanently marked while trying to win a contest for a man who didn’t appreciate her.
She noticed his assessment and tugged the towel higher protectively.
