Then, Khiva jerked. His grip on her neck loosened slightly and he immediately stepped back, giving her space. Eve’s brow furrowed in slight confusion and she straightened from the door.
“Forgive me,leeldra,” he rasped, inhaling a short breath. “I forget myself.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
His jaw ticked, but his eyes never left her. “I touch you like an untried male during his first Rut.”
Untried male? First Rut?
“I don’t mind,” she said softly, understanding what he was saying though she might not understand his words. “I would rather you act naturally with me, Khiva, even though I’m your…client.”
“Even so, I forget my manners,” he continued, tilting his head forward slightly. “Good evening,leeldra.”
Eve couldn’t stop the small smile that crossed her lips. “Good evening, Khiva.”
Some of the tension drained from his shoulders and he reached out to touch her hair. “Are you hungry? Shall I send for your meal?”
Truthfully, Eve hadn’t eaten much that day, too excited and anxious to eat. But right then, she wasn’t all that hungry either, her stomach too swamped with butterflies.
“Maybe after,” she said softly, finding the courage to hold those beautiful eyes.
Khiva growled, closing the remaining space between them. “Pax? Will it be this night then?”
Her cheeks warmed when his hands slid down her sides, cupping her hips before pulling her more firmly into his body. His cock was already hard.
“Yes,” she said.
Khiva closed his eyes at the word and she felt his cock actually jump against her. But if Eve was expecting him to get right into it and immediately push her back onto the bed, she was sorely mistaken.
“Come,” he murmured, drawing her forward, towards the door, which she assumed led to the washroom. And she was right.
But what she hadn’t expected was for it to be as large as it was. The most massive, claw-footed bathtub—an old style that Eve knew was hard to come by—sat off in the left corner and next to it was a glass enclosed, walk-in shower. A double vanity was set below an ornate gold mirror. The lighting was dark, but it made it feel…intimate. Cozy.
Eve tilted her head in slight confusion when Khiva stepped past her to turn on the faucet over the bathtub.
“You…want me to wash?” she asked, wondering if this was required before sex.
He made a slightly chortling noise in his throat and when he was satisfied with the temperature, he returned to her. “The hot water will help relax your muscles,leeldra,” he purred, his fingers slipping under the thin straps of her dress.
Eve’s lips parted, realization hitting her. “Oh, I see.”
“We will need you as relaxed as possible,” he continued, rounding behind her. He brushed aside her hair so that it fell over her shoulder and she swallowed thickly when she felt his lips gently touch the side of her exposed neck.
Her hands trembled at her sides, watching the tub fill slowly with half-lidded eyes, as Khiva continued to kiss her bare skin, starting at her sensitive neck before trailing his lips to her bare shoulder.
“Your scent, Evelyn,” he rasped against her. “I cannot get enough of it.”
Slowly, he pushed the straps off her shoulders, the loose dress sliding a little bit. She wasn’t wearing a bra that night due to the slim straps, so when Khiva tugged the bodice down a little more, her breasts sprang free as the dress fell around her round hips, where it caught and held.
He growled. He could see her nipples over her shoulder since he towered over her. Immediately, his warm hands cupped them and Eve moaned softly, goosebumps trailing over her arms at his touch.
She clutched at his strong forearms when he tweaked both of her nipples. He murmured something, something not in English, against her neck like he was pleased, but then his hands left her breasts before he swiftly unhooked the back of her dress.
It fell in a pile at her feet, the warm, humid air in the washroom brushing over her exposed skin. The tub was almost half-full right then and Khiva helped her out of her heels before he promptly rid her of her panties.
When he rounded her, his eyes were flickering over her nude body. Her breaths were coming out quick, a part of her wanting to raise her arms in self-consciousness. He was the only male she’d been naked with, but the way he looked at her…she knew that she had no reason to try to hide her body. The look in his gaze was all desire and that did amazing things for her confidence.
“You are…” he rasped, sweeping her from head-to-toe, before his eyes connected with her own. “Vellka.Beautiful.”
