Let him believe I wanted this. Let him take his pleasure, and when he’d slaked his lust? Strike. Claim the pendant and freedom both with one perfect strike.
Thenit would be easy.
I felt him then. Swelling against my backside. The twitch and throb was at once foreign and utterly unmistakable. Separated from my skin by nothing more than thin strips of sodden fabric.
Cheeks ablaze, I set glassy eyes upon the ceiling, trying to will the pounding of my heart to go no further south than the pit of my stomach. Just a few minutes of unpleasantness and I would do exactly as Alicia said. I’d pay that price to have my freedom.
Just another war story to add to the list.
I’d forget it soon enough.
Forget him.
Rough palms compressed my ribcage in a tiny squeeze, then slid higher, blunt fingernails tracing the marks Kas has left upon my skin, now an angry red in the bath. Raising gooseflesh in their wake as they traveled up, ghosting over the insufficient bandeau wrapped about my chest. He found purchase in the hair at my nape and gathered the walnut-stained locks in both hands, tugging, guiding my head back as he wet the ends.
I shifted between his thighs, throat dry as his erection flexed against my spine, dragging an answering throb from the seat of my core—and I flinched. Arching my lower back to put a swell of heated water between us, useless claws finding his knees.
The powerful muscles beneath my palms provided a foundation almost as sure as the ki thick in my blood or the marble tiles beneath us, and instead of marking his skin, I clutched at him.
Trembling.
This was…wrong.To let this hated, manipulative beast touch me so. To let his perverted ki drug my senses was… it was… my only bloody option.
Play the part.
I forced a breath through clenched teeth as his fingers worked my hair, moving closer to the base of my skull.
This wasnatural.
A primitive instinct necessary to ensure the future of a species. Nothing more. Not a betrayal of my body or a sign of weakness.
This… this…fireburning in my belly was strength. Not brawn or Goddess-given power, but it wasmine.
Breath ragged against my shoulder, he slid one hand forward, cradling my throat in his palm. Easing my head back until I stared at the ceiling once more. Back arched, hands tight on his skin. Elite ki fluttered alongside the tiny bird trapped in my chest.
Abandoning my throat to shield my eyes, the captain wet the crown of my head, scooping up slow handfuls of water with his free hand. Brushing away fouled water before it filled my ears. Petting my wild tresses into some semblance of order as he worked, he collected the soap, bringing it to a lather.
Sure fingers kneaded it into my scalp, filling the humid air with the nauseating floral scent, but I groaned, eyes fluttering closed.
Goddess, Iached.
His smile brushed my cheek. “Feel good?”
My eyes snapped open, lax muscles surging with tension once more.
“Easy,” he breathed, cutting me off before I’d even begun, digging his thumbs into the stress knotting my shoulders.
“Mm…” I went limp, eyelids getting heavy. “Easy…” Let him take the lead as he’d taken everything else. My physical presence was the only requirement here.
Humming deep in his chest, he fit my head to the cradle of his shoulder, scooting his hips forward on the stone bench. He lined us up—back to front—sinking lower and maneuvering my soapy tresses into the water. Pendant pressed against my spine… but it was the pebbled nipples pricking my shoulders that dragged a ragged breath from the back of my throat.
And there, nestled between my cheeks, his erection jumped, beckoning to the slick heat gathering between my legs, clutching at nothing. Dragging a flinch from the shredded, rational part of my brain.
His hand snaked under one arm and over the other. Forearm laid between my breasts, he pulled me closer. Wrapped so tight his pulse hammered a rhythm against my skin, drowning out the pendant’s song. Denying my urge to flee, he matched me. Forcing me to stay.
Clinging to his forearm with both hands, I whined, heart pounding between my legs. Goddess, this was… madness. My blood was on fire, guts aching with tension…
Play. The. Part.
