Fuck that.
I shove down the ache Kane’s words stirred, plastering on a wide grin as I stride in. “You like the bath, baby?”
She smiles back, soft and shy, with a small nod.
That’s it. Game over.
We’re putting a bath in every damn room.
Hell, we’ll build her a temple of baths. The Greeks did that shit, right? Marble, steam, water, nakedness.
All of it. But only for us.
“Already in mind,”Julien says, the smug bastard reading my thoughts like they’re printed on my face.
She’s buried under milky, pink water, thick bubbles—hidden, but that makes it so much worse. Every time she shifts, I catch glimpses of her tempting, luscious body. When she trails her fingers through the water, the gaps reveal thetiniesthint of smooth skin.
Tiny, maddening flashes.
I crouch beside the tub, bringing our faces level. “You want company, Red?” I smirk, making sure my dimples are pulling their weight. “I’m pretty much a bath connoisseur, you know. Could show you the ropes.”
She lets out a soft laugh, and I swear I forget how to breathe.
Forget what I’m saying. Forget who I am.
Then she leans in and whispers, “Maybe you could tell me why they’re not coming in?” She says it like a joke, but there’s a tremble there. A bit of doubt.
I glance back at the idiots still frozen in the doorway.
“Well, Red, it might have something to do with you being the most stunning creature we’ve ever seen, and you’re here… naked. Smiling at us. All wet and soapy and naked… Did I already say that?” She’s laughing again, so I take that as a yes. “So yeah. Even took me a few seconds to resurface.”
Her blush deepens, eyes turning a little hazy, because she likes it. Likes knowing she has this effect on us. She has no idea.
She glances at the others, then lowers her voice again. “So… asking people to come into the room when you’re in a bath isn’t, like, a faux pas?”
Goddessdamn, she’s so fucking sexy.
“You speaking French now, baby?”
Her voice is soft, almost shy. “I’ve been learning a little, on my phone.”
I grin, already imagining what other filthy phrases we could teach her. “Julien, get over here and translate.”
He’s there in an instant, perched on the edge of the bath near her knees—smooth, wet knees now emerging from the bubbles like the sexiest magic trick I’ve ever seen.
“No, mon âme,” he says, voice thick, eyes going everywhere. Poor guy’s trying not to stare, and failing miserably. Same. “Not a faux pas. But only for us.”
She frowns. “But you can’t see anything? I’m literally covered—”
“No one else.” Kane’s voice is cutting and crisp, dripping with that possessive edge only Daddy Darkness can deliver as he finally enters.
“Maybe dial back the possessiveness just a touch?”I mutter, eyes still on Red. But she doesn’t seem to hear.
Interesting…
“In some places…” Julien’s voice is all smooth, like he’s narrating a fantasy, bastard’s using every chance he can get to be all suave and charming, “...they have places called onsens. Outdoor baths, surrounded by nature.”
“Outside?” she breathes. “Like a pool? But... wouldn’t it get cold?”
