I shoved away every salacious imagethatcomment brought to my mind, all involving Tolek handcuffed to various?—
No, I could not go down that path.
I cleared my throat, ignoring the heat gathering low within me, like a trap ready to be sprung. “You could have done it earlier,” I mumbled.
“We were a little busy.” He shrugged, then started unbuttoning his pants.
“What are you doing now?” Exasperation rattled my voice, but I couldn’t stop my eyes from dragging over his torso. Broad shoulders and lean, defined muscles tapered into a narrow waist and hips. Angels curse me, even beneath dirt and bruises his body was perfect.
Half of me itched to slaughter everyone who’d hurt him—for the second time—but the other half wanted to close the distance between us, grab a cloth from the shelf above the tub, and slowly, carefully, clean each stained piece of his skin until it was once again flawless. Then, kiss each mark to remind him of my promise of revenge.
Tolek grinned like he saw right through me. “I’d like to get this mess off before I go to bed.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” I crossed my arms, stifling every ripple of taut energy coursing through my body.
Without breaking eye contact, he backed toward the bathtub and turned on the tap. “Sorry, did you want to go first? I don’t mind waiting.” He leaned across the basin, reading the bottles lining the small shelf. “They have a lovely little assortment of scented soap. Oh! This one is jasmine?—”
“Fine, Vincienzo.” I hated that I couldn’t stifle my laugh. “I don’t think I’ll be using that tub.”
“I’d prefer you bathe if we’re to share a bed.”
I was certain I did not smell good after days of travel with only streams to wash in. Still…
“I won’t be bathing in here.” Spirits, why did I suddenly feel self-conscious? We had been riding together all night; we swam in the river wearing little more than our undergarments our entire lives. But as I watched him open one of the bottles and pour a healthy amount into the tub, clouds of bubbles foaming, my chest tightened.
I had never been this way with Tol—with anyone. I always dove into challenges headfirst, but every move around Tolek was a dance toward an unspoken future I didn’t yet understand. I thought I might want it, but I was afraid.
Afraid of messing up. Could you do that twice in such a short time?
While I may have once climbed into the hot water without a second thought, now I shook my head. “Sorry if Ismell.”
Tol only laughed. “Suit yourself.” He stripped off his clothes, giving me just enough time to turn away, and splashed into the water. The sigh he released was so overly dramatic—so typically Tolek—it eased some of the unwarranted tension within me.
My heart thudded as I picked his clothes up off the floor and folded them, fingers digging into the leather when his spicy citrus scent wafted to me. They were stained and torn, but they were here. He had not been a sacrifice in exchange for my blood.
“You know,” Tol hummed, angling his head against the rim of the tub. Water dripped from his darkened hair to the floor. “I can easily leave the room if you’d like. Then you won’t get dirt all over the sheets.”
I exhaled a laugh. “Maybe you can get us food.”
“Deal.”
His eyes tracked my every move as I walked to the tub and crouched beside him. He had filled the water with so many bubbles that nothing was visible, but I kept my gaze locked on his face regardless.
“For what it’s worth, Vincienzo. I wouldn’t want to share a tiny room with anyone else.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Alabath.” His eyes darkened, and it seemed like he was seeing all of me, every facet of my heart laid bare before him. Who was I kidding, Tol had always seen me, even the most fucked-up pieces.
“Are you scared?” I whispered, folding my arms on the edge of the tub and resting my chin on my hands.
“About what?” His brows pulled together, leaning toward me until we were only an inch apart.
I searched his face, questions hovering between us. Things I wanted to talk about but was unsure how to. Fear of the encroaching war, the threats around our necks, the taut string pulling between us even now. Any would suffice, all terrified me.
“About sharing a bed with a woman who notoriously steals blankets?”
He sighed. “If you steal my blankets, I’ll shove you out of the bed.”
“You wouldn’t.” I narrowed my eyes.
