Holding the plate of food, she hesitated atthe entrance to Fallon’s sleeping chamber. “Are you sure you don’twant to eat at the table?”
“Get in here already,” came the forcefulreply.
Shea grimaced at the slight edge to his voiceeven while she stepped past the partition. Her eyes were drawnimmediately to where Fallon reclined in the water. His head waspropped back on a folded towel and both arms were resting on eitherside of the bath.
She stopped several feet from him and held upthe plate of food. “I didn’t know what you wanted, so I justguessed.”
Her eyes kept wanting to stray to where thewater distorted the view of his hard body. Even distracted as shewas, she braced for the interrogation she knew was coming. She’dalready thought up a dozen excuses as to why she left his armsbefore dawn. She had no doubt he would think their previousintimacy was a reason to continue in the same vein.
“Bring it here. You’ll have to feed it to me.As you can see, my hands are a bit wet.” He lifted his hands out ofthe water as if to prove his words true.
The slight smile and the challenge in hiseyes dared her to argue.
Shea fought back a growl. She’d be damned ifshe’d react the way he expected her to. If he thought she was tooshy to function around a naked man, he was wrong. She’d beat him athis game and show him his body held no appeal.
Her chin jutted bullishly, she steppedforward and knelt. Water soaked into the knees of her pants.
“What would you like to start with?” Sheaasked.
“The meat.”
Shea picked up a strip of the ham and held itout to him. He jerked his head back.
“Bite size pieces. I don’t want any of itdropping into my water.”
Her promise to herself that she would keepher patience and her mouth shut already seemed impossible. Quickly,she tore the meat into smaller pieces and then shoved a piecetoward Fallon’s face. Anything to get this experience over faster.He caught her wrist before she could knock him in the face and thenheld it as he slowly pulled the meat from her fingers, swiping themwith his tongue to clean off any of the juices.
Shea felt an answering tug deep inside astingles raced outwards from the skin he’d licked. Not allowingherself to dwell on the feeling, she tugged her hand free making apoint of wiping her fingers on her sleeve before picking up thenext piece.
He smiled at her, not offended at heractions.
“Tell me, what duties have you been given?”Fallon asked.
Shea repeated what she had been told thatmorning, finishing by saying, “So basically, I’m supposed to stickby your side to fulfill whatever needs you may have.”
As soon as the last words left her mouth, shewanted to pull them back. The wicked glint in his eyes told her allshe needed to know about what he was thinking.
Instead of clarifying what she had said,knowing that would only make things worse, she pinched off a chunkof biscuit and shoved it into his mouth.
Once he swallowed, he informed her wryly, “Ithink that’s enough food for now.”
Shea nodded, glad this particular torture wasover and stood.
“If you could grab the towel for me.”
Shea stiffened and forced herself to set theplate gently on a stool before making her way over to the bed tograb the carefully folded towel. The towel was plush and soft underher fingers and smelled clean and fresh.
Even caught up with the urge to rub her faceback and forth against its softness, she heard the slosh of wateras Fallon stood. Once again she turned her eyes to the ceiling asher hands tightened on the towel in a death grip. Why, oh why.
Her willpower could only take so much.
“I’d like the towel while there is stillsomething to dry off.”
He was just a man and if his previous actionswere to go by, he wasn’t going to jump on top of her to have hiswicked way. No, he was going to seduce her and given her heightenedawareness of him, that wouldn’t be too hard.
He was just a man, Shea told herself. She’dseen plenty of naked ones during her time as both a pathfinder anda scout. He had the same equipment. It was just arranged a littlenicer than most.
This body, unlike those she’d seen on thetrail, belonged to Fallon. She had intimate knowledge of itsattributes.
