"For what?"
"For this. For being kind. For not making me feel like I'm just—" I stopped, not sure how to finish.
"Just what?"
"A means to an end. A surrogate."
"You're more than that." He reached over, his fingers trailing through the water. "You've been more than that since the moment you hung up on Hastings and then showed up at our door anyway."
"I didn't show up. You sent me a helicopter and begged me to get into it."
"See. We knew. We just didn't know it."
I laughed, the sound echoing off the bathroom tiles.
Etienne stood, his hands going to the hem of his shirt.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Getting in with you." He pulled the shirt over his head, revealing the body I'd explored earlier. "If that's okay."
My mouth went dry. "It's okay."
He stripped off the rest of his clothes with easy confidence, then stepped into the tub behind me. Water sloshed over the edge as he settled in, his legs bracketing mine, his chest warm against my back.
His arms came around me, pulling me against him.
"Better?" he murmured into my hair.
"Yes."
He reached for a cloth, dipping it in the water before running it over my arm. Slow. Gentle. The touch was soothing, letting some of the tension drain from my shoulders.
He washed my other arm, my shoulders, and my back. His movements were careful, reverent, like I was something precious.
The cloth moved to my collarbone, then lower, washing away the sweat and heat. When he reached my breasts, his touch remained gentle, clinical almost, and I found myself relaxing further.
"You're good at this," Iwhispered.
"I've had practice."
"With other omegas?"
"With taking care of people I care about."
The cloth moved to my neck, and I felt his breath against my skin. His mouth hovered over my scent gland, just below my ear, and I froze.
He didn't bite. Didn't press. Just breathed me in.
"Princesse," he murmured. "Your scent."
I thought about Maeve's words. About not presenting my neck. About the danger of being claimed by the wrong alpha.
But I didn't panic. Instead, I found myself wondering what it would be like to have an alpha who was my scent match. A real match. I was attracted to Etienne, I’d choose him in a heartbeat. But what I felt about him wasn’t just attraction. He felt right.
What did that mean?
"Do you know what your hidden scents are?" Etienne asked, his voice rough. "The ones that only come out in full heat?"
