I let out a quiet laugh, unable to suppress the smile spreading across my face—and that’s when I see it.
A grin.
Not a smirk. Not a half-amused curl of his mouth.
An honest-to-God smile, eyes crinkling at the corners.
He brushes a strand of hair away from my cheek.
"Stay here with me for a second," he says. "Don’t go into your head yet."
I nod.
"Are you hungry?"
I blink. "That’s what you’re going with?"
"You burned a lot of energy last night."
Heat climbs up my neck. "You seem very confident about that assessment."
His mouth curves—not cocky, not arrogant. Soft in a way I’ve never seen on Luka before.
"I made sure to be thorough," he says.
His arm tightens around me, pulling me flush against him, and he kisses me without hesitation—morning breath be damned.
God help me.
He slides out of bed before I can respond, completely naked, and I have exactly three seconds to pretend I’m not watching before he catches me staring.
"Are you coming?" he asks casually.
"Coming where?"
"To the shower." His eyes drag slowly over me. "I need to get my hands on that body and wash you before I take you out to feed you. Otherwise I won’t be able to keep them off you long enough for us to eat."
My cheeks burn. Heat pools low in my belly.
"You’re going to wash me?" I ask, lifting a brow.
His expression turns wicked—controlled, deliberate.
"Come on, Nattie. Before I carry you there myself."
"No more Bunny Hill?" I tease.
"You let me touch you again. You get Nattie when you’re a good girl. Now come on," he adds, already turning toward the bathroom. "I’m not a patient man when it comes to you."
Then he disappears behind the door, and the sound of running water fills the room.
He didn’t leave. And I don’t know why that feels more dangerous than if he had. Maybe because I can’t hide the fact that I’m falling for him, and I know I shouldn’t be. I should keep a professional distance, but we’re too far past professional distance. I’m not missing any of this with him.
I throw the covers back and head straight for the shower.
Steam curls through the bathroom when I step inside.
The mirrors are already fogging. The scent of the hotel provided soap filling the room.
