"What about you?" I finally manage.
"What about me?" His voice is rough like gravel.
"You need a release too."
"Nattie—"
"No," I pull back to look at him. "Fair is fair."
Something fierce and hungry crossed his face. He lifts me gently, laying me back against the edge of the hot tub. The position exposes me completely to his gaze, and I should feel vulnerable. Instead, I feel powerful.
"Fuck, you look beautiful like this."
His hand dropped below the water. I can't see what he's doing, but I can see the effect on his face—the way his jaw clenches, pupils blowing wide. The prominent vein in his forearm as his fist moves in a steady rhythm.
He holds my gaze the entire time, never looking away. There's something raw in his expression, something vulnerable beneath the hunger.
When he comes, he pulls me closer, releasing on my belly.
For a long moment, neither of us moved. Then he reaches for one of the towels on the deck chair, wetting it in the hot tub before wiping me clean with careful, gentle movements.
When I'm clean, he pulls me back into the water, tucking me against his chest. His arms wrap around me, solid and secure.
"How many of your rules did we just break?" he asks quietly.
I count them in my head. Professional boundaries. Emotional distance. The careful separation between crisis manager and client.
"Too many to count."
His chest rumbles with silent laughter. "Do you regret it?"
I should. By every measure of professional conduct and personal safety, I should absolutely regret this.
"No," I admit. "But I know that I should."
His arms tightened around me.
We stay like that, wrapped up in each other, until the cold air starts to win its battle against the hot water. Until realitybegins creeping back in around the edges of this perfect, reckless moment.
But for now, I'll let myself have this. Let myself be held by a man who carries darkness in his blood but touches me like I'm something precious. A man who respects my boundaries even as he destroys them.
A man I'm absolutely, catastrophically falling for.
Tomorrow I'll deal with the consequences. Tonight, I’m ignoring them, and no one can stop me.
Chapter Twenty
LUKA
I stand at the foot of the bed, the early sunrise barely seeping through the blinds, my hand on the zipper of my bag as I listen to the soft rhythm of Natalia’s breathing, still lying naked in my bed.
The storm outside has eased, snow sliding off the roof in sheets. The heat in here smells faintly of chlorine from the hot tub. It’s proof that last night happened.
Last night was a mistake, wasn’t it?
Not because I didn't want it—God, I wanted it. Iinvited her into the hot tub. I positioned her over the jet. I asked permission and then touched her until she came apart in my hands like she were mine to unmake. I asked her for one chance… one timeto show her what I could do to her, and she agreed against her better judgment.
The mistake was how much I wanted to stay after.
