Greta shuffled in, one hand bracing her belly. “Ah! Georgie!”
Sitting down on the bench, she turned sideways, pulling her knees up to her chest. “Greta, are you coming in?”
“I’m planning on it. If that’s all right with you?”
George tilted her head with a lift of her brows. “It’syourvilla.”
“You’rethe princess.” Greta popped a hip.
Isahn’s chuckles devolved into bubbles, and George assumed he’d dunked himself.
“Of course you can join us.”
“Good. I was going to come in anyway. Introduce me to our new guest when I’m back.” Greta sashayed behind the women’s screen, George’s laughter following in her wake.
“You have a wonderful laugh,Georgie.”
When she looked over at the earl, one corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk that popped an adorable little dimple on his cheek.
She huffed.
“I’m not joking.” He shrugged as he ran his hand through his tangle of sandy blond locks.
“Is this finally your real hair color?”
Isahn tugged one of his shoulder-length strands up to scrutinize. “I think so, yeah. Should get lighter in the summer sun, but this looks about right.”
The door creaked open again, and Hildy walked in, chin held high and gaze hard. “Were you going to bring him by to visit with us?”
“I didn’t know you were waiting. I thought you were wrapped up with the boys.”
Hildy coughed.
“Melody, is it?” Isahn chimed in. “Or Hil-something?”
George looked over her shoulder at the earl as Hildy retorted, “You really were listening in.”
“Yes. Sorry about that?” His lips dipped sheepishly.
The only sign of Hil’s stress was the ripple through her upper arms when she ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t trust you.”
Isahn lifted a brow as his eyes sparkled. “And I don’t trust you.”
With pinched lips, Hildy offered a clipped, “I’ll be right back,” and disappeared behind the screen with Greta.
“You don’t trust me either?” George asked, turning to face him again and enjoying the way the water lapped at his firm pecs. She knew his answer should be “No.” Sheexpectedhis answer to be “No.”
But when he said, “Not at all. How can I possibly trust a woman who’s risking her own safety to save her people?” her heart warmed.
Isahn continued, “How could I trust a woman who protects her friends fiercely? Who refused to torture her prisoner beyond a few false prods and poorly made illusions?”
“Poorly made?” Hildy snorted, emerging from behind the curtain wearing asubligarsimilar to George’s. She tugged at the triangular-shaped top, her gaze averted as she tried to hide the smile on her lips.
George caught a whisper tossed to her by Hil: “He likes you. Hemightbe nice.”
She blushed, a weight lifting from her shoulders at Hildy’s approval of their former captive. She hadn’t realized how much she needed that, that confirmation she wasn’t insane for thinking he was a good man.
Greta padded out from behind the changing screen wearing a flowy, amethyst tunic that hung to mid-thigh and was shortened in the front by the bump of her big belly.
