I swallowed. Why was he looking at me like a predator hunting its prey?
The camera crew weren’t the only staff present. Two kobold masseuses were on standby, ready to get to work. But Jade ignored them. He stared right at me like I was the only other person in the room. His emerald gaze was so intense it sent a shiver down my spine.
Jade cracked his knuckles. “I’m a bit out of practice, so I understand if you’d prefer a professional, but I’ll offer you my services, Alaric.”
I forgot how to breathe for a few seconds. Did I imagine those words or did he really just say that?
On the inside, I was beyond flustered. Outwardly, I held my cool.
I cleared my throat to overcome the sudden dryness in my mouth. “I accept your offer. But if you do a subpar job, I’ll take the professional.”
Jade’s mouth sliced into a confident grin. “Done.”
The masseuses ushered me into a change room where I ditched my clothes and slipped into a fluffy, luxurious robe. My mind returned to its previous fantasy of Jade in one. This time, I didn’t chase it off. Even in my imagination he looked fucking good.
When I emerged from the change room, my fantasy had come to life. I sucked in a quiet breath as I saw Jade. Unlike my stock white robe, he wore a beautiful malachite green robewith his name embroidered on the breast in gold thread. Green should not have beenanyone’scolor, but Jade made it work.
“Shall we begin?” Jade offered, gesturing to the sleek massage table.
I took a seat. “At once.”
The masseuses bid us farewell and disappeared, leaving only the camera crew in the shadows. Thanks to my multiple seasons on the Games, I quickly forgot they were present. Besides, it was impossible to focus on anything besides Jade’s radiant aura.
His snake-like gaze swept over me. “You’ll need to disrobe.”
I bit my lip to stop another shiver from rippling across my skin. That smug bastard. He knew exactly what he was doing.
“I’m aware,” I said.
Making a point to annoy him, I dragged out my striptease. I took my sweet time slipping off the robe and placing it on the nearby hook. Now the only things remaining on my skin were Jade’s collar and a pair of silk briefs—and if I wasn’t careful, the latter might get ruined.
Jade didn’t blink. He watched me with that quietly pretentious expression, hungry eyes glinting as each new inch of skin was unveiled. He looked like a predator biding its time.
And I wanted to be his prey.
I sucked in a breath before tearing away my gaze. I lay down against the massage table, lowering my face into the open cradle. I was happy not to lock eyes with him anymore. Who knew what kind of dastardly mind tricks he’d pull on me?
The lights dimmed. The room went dark and quiet except for the warm glow of flickering candles and calming ambient music. I heard the thin pop of an opening bottle.
“Oil?” Jade asked.
My throat tightened in anticipation. “Sure.”
I ground my teeth at the sound of Jade smearing the oil against his palms. Against my best efforts, my cock twitched in my underwear. Thank gods I was still wearing it.
He began with my shoulders. I froze as his hands hooked over them like missing puzzle pieces, gliding into place as if they naturally belonged there. His thumbs dug into my shoulder blades with just enough pressure to hit the spot.
Fuck.
I bit my tongue to avoid moaning. I managed to hold it back at the very last second.
Why did that feel sogood?
“Too soft? Too hard?” Jade prompted.
My eyebrow twitched at the smug tone in his voice. He definitely knew how much I enjoyed it—he’d only asked to rile me up.
“Just right,” I mumbled.
