“No.”
“You seem very interested whenever I remove it.” Head lolling to the side, he eyes me. “And every hour I rub my fingers over the teeth marks you left in the leather, and I think of how prettily you would gasp were I to show you the proper application of it.”
“Bael,” I growl, flinging his belt aside.
“Come. Join me.”
“I’m not getting into a bath with you.” I can barely control myself as it is.
“If we’re going to de Mahl’s, then you’re going to have to do a lot more than this.” A small smile touches his lips as he reaches over his shoulder to haul his tunic off.
There’s barely any warning.
I’m left staring at his bare back, my gaze stuttering to a halt on the small dimples etched on either side, just above his leather trousers.
Bael tosses me his tunic and I catch it in shock, the heat of the fabric melting against my face and hands. Instantly, I’m overwhelmed by the scent of him; a spicy aroma that reminds me of the markets from my homeland.
The unmistakable sound of his trousers hitting the floor echoes as I tug the shirt out of my face.
His ass is perfection. But it’s the many scars across his back that draw my eyes. This man has known a lifetime of war and no matter how teasing his tone might be, there’s always an edge in his eyes, a hint of darkness in his tone that indicates the savagery within him could rise at any moment.
I catch a glimpse of the mirror opposite him and realize he’s watching me watch him. My cheeks burn, but I don’t look away. Instead, I examine him. He seems bigger in the flesh, every muscle obscenely glistening as he steps into the bath. Thick dark hair arrows down from his navel into a thatch that surrounds the enormous jut of his cock.
I have to look away then.
I’ve seen one before, but I’ve never wanted totouchone.
“I will have you, Zyla,” he says with a faint smile. “It is inevitable.”
“You’re dreaming.”
“But right now, I’m enjoying the chase.” He sinks into the bathtub, steam curling around him.
A shiver runs through me.
Tonight. I need to know the truth tonight.
Because I do not think I could ever submit to him if he is the bastard who stole my sister.
It feels absolutely criminal to luxuriate in a steaming warm bath whilst Kari is out there, probably terrified out of her skin. Thunder rumbles through the skies outside as I scrub myself clean, plagued by guilt.
Kari.
The pragmatic side of me argues that I should cut my losses and concentrate on finding the Beast and discovering what happened to my sister.
I’ve barely known Kari more than a handful of days.
But something holds me back…
You weren’t there when Aylin needed you the most… You weren’t there when the knights took her.
A small part of me wonders if I rescue Kari, maybe then I can finally bury the gut-deep unease that assaults me every time I lay my head upon a pillow.
The Beast.
Bael.
I sink up to my chin in the water. Tonight is the crossroads.
