“No!” she protested. Her heart ached. The lying was bad enough, but she hadn’t fully comprehended how her deception must have hurt him. “I swear, it wasn’t like that. It’s just—it was the day before the games and I was so nervous. You were there, and I realized I could die the next day, and I didn’t want to die without—”
He drew her into his arms, cutting off her rapid flow of words. “It’s all right,” he murmured.
“I’m so sorry,” she said again, her voice muffled against his chest. “I never meant to hurt you.”
He ran a soothing hand down her back. “I forgive you. But no more lying, all right?”
She nodded, wrapping her arms around him. His forgiveness eased the tight knot of guilt inside her, and she cherished it like a jewel.
“I can’t believe you scaled a wall for me,” he said, a slight chuckle in his voice.
She snorted. “I can’t believe you shouted at my manager for me.”
He drew back from the embrace. “I should look at your arm while you’re here.”
She proffered the limb, and he unwrapped the bandage, inspecting the wound with a furrowed brow. “It looks inflamed, but somehow you managed not to reopen it,” he pronounced. He gave her a stern look. “You gotverylucky. Let me make a poultice to soothe it. Sit.” He pointed at a stool, then went over to his shelves, gathering up a few ingredients.
Lea sat and watched him grind and mix the substances, the muscles of his lean forearms tensing as he worked the mortar and pestle. She could watch him do that all day. It should have been boring, but the confidence with which he handled his ingredients and tools entranced her.
She grimaced at the musty, vegetal smell that soon emerged. “Why does it always have to smell so bad?”
He gave her a frosty glare. “Believe me, I have things that smell even worse.”
That sounded like a threat, so Lea kept quiet, hoping he wouldn’t decide his poultice needed any additional ingredients.
Once the mixture was applied and a clean bandage wrapped around it, the smell dissipated. It did have a pleasantly cooling effect. “Thank you.” She rose from the stool, unsure if he wanted her to stay. “I should go before it gets too late.”
A crooked smile curved his mouth. He remained where he was, sitting on the stool beside her. “If you think I’m going to let you walk back alone after dark, you’re even stupider than I thought.”
A flood of warmth rushed through her. Shereallyhadn’t wanted to leave, but she would have understood if he preferred some distance after their argument. She cocked her head, attempting a coy look. “So you’re going to walk me back?”
He snorted. “Then I’d have to walk back here alone in the dark, and I’m far too cowardly for that. No, you’re going to spend the night here.”
“I am?” She slid into his lap, thighs easily stretching to fit his hips between them. “The night is very long. I might get bored.”
His hands were already gathering handfuls of her dress, working to pull the fabric over her head. “I can think of several occupations for you.”
20
LeahelpedKalliastugher dress off, tossing it to the floor. Cool air rushed over her skin, but the grasp and slide of his hands made heat blaze all over her body.
Still sitting in his lap, she leaned forward to kiss him, but broke off with a gasp as his palms grazed her nipples. Sensation shot straight to her core, and she couldn’t help arching against him, her body bumping the tempting hardness already growing beneath his tunic.
His breath caught. “Lea,” he rasped. “Don’t do that.”
She moved against him again, sparking another pulse of yearning. “Why not?”
“Because it makes me want to do this.” He grasped her nipples in a hard, twisting pinch.
She hissed in pain, eyes fluttering closed.
“Did you like that?” He released her.
She nodded. In a strange way, pain like this soothed her mind, softening the sharp edges and forcing her to focus only on what she could feel. There was a heady pleasure in being with someone she trusted enough to do this, to hurt without harming. She’d never been sure what to make of her desire, but it felt as natural as having an affinity for a certain food.
“Tell me you liked it,” he said. “I need to hear you say it.”
She opened her eyes. He stared at her, his gaze dark and intense.
