Kai's breath caught, and he tried to cover it by clearing his throat. He moved closer and stopped at the edge of the bed, then lowered himself to his knees on the packed earth floor. The position put his face eye-level with my stomach and close enough that I could see the firelight dancing in his eyes. “May I touch you here?”
CHAPTER 20
Hannah
Heat pooled in my belly, and I suddenly wanted to rub my body against his. If he didn’t touch me, I might combust. I nodded, not trusting my voice. Something about seeing this powerful king kneeling before me and asking permission sent a flutter through my chest that had nothing to do with bruised ribs.
His hands hovered over my skin for a heartbeat before making contact. When he touched my skin, a faint buzz vibrated and moved with his hands along my body. His touch was clinical at first, with careful fingertips pressing gently along my ribcage, testing each bone. His palms were warm, almost hot, and I found myself leaning into that heat despite myself. He had large, strong hands, and I wanted to press against them and feel them more.
"Tell me if anything hurts beyond being bruised," he murmured, his attention focused on his examination. His pulse jumped in his throat, and his breathing turned shallow.
I really looked at him for the first time without the haze of cold, panic, or fury clouding my vision. He was definitely easy on the eyes, and I couldn’t tear mine away. Everything about him, from the sharp line of his jaw to the sleek dark indigo hairto the breadth of his shoulders, was just…perfect. And those arms of his were ideal for snuggling and holding, especially with his shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows and tight around his shoulders. His taut muscles moved with practiced care, and I traced the lines of his forearms and biceps down to his chest and abdominals with my eyes before I could stop myself.
He was beautiful. Infuriatingly, impossibly beautiful in a way that made my heart ache.
His fingers pressed along my lower ribs, and I sucked in a breath. He shuddered in response.
“Did I hurt you?” His voice was a low rumble that made my core throb. Concern flashed in his eyes, then faded as he studied me. His pupils blew wide, and the lavender of his irises turned violet.
“No.” I swallowed hard. His touch sent sparks skittering through my body, lighting up places that had no business lighting up right now.
His hands stilled. “You seem to be healing well. I don’t think there’s any internal bleeding, but the pain may return. I have a salve that will help with the stiffness and bruising, if you’ll allow me. I put a stronger warming one on you last night, but this one is more restorative and will focus on the bruising specifically, as well as preventing additional pain.”
“Okay.” The word came out breathier than I’d intended, and I cleared my throat. "Sure. Whatever helps."
He leaned forward and removed a small tin from a bag on the bed. When he opened it, the contents smelled like lavender, eucalyptus, and vanilla.
"Lie back," he commanded, causing inappropriate fluttering in my stomach.
I complied, settling against the furs and focusing on the beams of the ceiling. The logs shifted again in the firepit, the flames casting dancing shadows overhead. My heart hammeredagainst my ribs in a rhythm that had nothing to do with injury.Just keep breathing. It wasn’t the first time I’d been around a handsome man.
His fingers dipped into the salve, and then his hands were on me again.
The first touch made me suck in a breath. The salve was cool at first, but his palms warmed it. Wherever he pressed, heat bloomed and spread. He started at my ribs, working the ointment into the deepest bruises with slow, circular motions. His thumbs traced the spaces between my bones, pressing just hard enough to ease the tension without causing pain.
My entire body felt light, and my eyes drifted shut as his hands moved across my stomach. The broad sweep of his palms covered so much skin at once. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from making any embarrassing sounds, but a small sigh escaped anyway.
His hands faltered for a heartbeat before resuming their work.
I cracked one eyelid open and caught him staring at my face. His expression was tense with something that looked almost like hunger. His chest rose and fell faster than before, and that muscle in his jaw was working overtime.
A small, satisfied smile tugged at my lips. Good. At least, I wasn't the only one affected by this.
He moved to my hips, and I had to fight to keep my breathing even. His fingers traced the curve of my hipbone, spreading the salve along the ugly purple marks there, and every nerve in my body seemed to light up at once. Heat pooled low in my belly, entirely separate from the warmth of the salve.
Oof,calm down. He was just treating my injuries, and I didn’t need to make this more complicated. I had to be misreading him due to my own foolish fantasies. There was nothing sensual about medical care. Nothing at all.
Except…his thumb was making slow circles on the sensitive skin just above my hip, and his other hand had splayed possessively across my stomach, and I was pretty sure neither of those things was strictly necessary for healing purposes.
I shifted, and his hands stilled.
"Am I hurting you?" His voice had dropped to something rough and low that shuddered along my consciousness and made my insides flutter.
"No." I swallowed again, forcing myself to look at him. "Definitely not hurting."
Something flickered in his eyes, dark and heated. He held my gaze for a long moment before resuming, his movements slower now, more deliberate. His hands traveled up my sides, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts with a touch that made my breath catch even through my bra. He was watching my face, cataloging every reaction, every hitch in my breathing.
"The bruising extends higher than I realized." His voice was almost hoarse. "I should?—"
