Her cheeks flush with color. “I was not?—“
“Bullshit. Your eyes were burning holes through my Calvins.” I gesture toward the primary suite. “Bathroom’s this way if you want the full show.”
“I’m not getting in the shower with you,” she snaps, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Didn’t ask you to.” I smirk.
I don’t wait for her response, just continue down the hall to my bedroom. The door’s open, and I walk straight through to the en-suite bathroom, flipping on lights as I go. My bathroom is fucking massive—black marble everywhere, a glass shower big enough for four people, and a soaking tub that could double as a small pool. I drop my briefs without ceremony, stepping out of them and kicking them aside.
When I turn around, she’s standing in the bathroom doorway, her eyes widening before she quickly averts her gaze from my naked body.
“If you’re not joining me and just want to look,” I say, gesturing to the marble counter, “you can plant your pretty ass right there. Front row seat to the show.”
She scoffs, her cheeks flushing red. “Maybe I’ll just snoop through your stuff while you’re busy.”
I shrug, opening the glass door and stepping into the shower. “Go ahead. I have nothing to hide from my Chosen anyway.”
And that’s the fucking truth. There’s nothing here to hide and if there were, she would be the one to know and see it all. She’s irrevocably bound to me, no matter what her mother and my father are trying to do by appealing to the council without outing her affair with my father.
She walks out to be nosey like I knew she would. The offer was too good to pass up.
Chapter 15
Lucien
The water did fuck all to cool me down or ease the tension in me. At least I no longer smell like a gym bag left in the sun.
I drag a towel through my hair one last time before tossing it aside.
The silk lounge pants slide over my skin as I pull them on, letting them rest low enough on my hips that the V of my pelvis shows. Just enough fabric to keep things informative.
I pad barefoot through the hallway, listening for any sign of her. The house is quiet, but I can sense her presence like a fucking heat signature. She’s here somewhere, probably trying to find dirt on me or a way out. Good luck with that.
I check the kitchen first, then the living room, and both are empty. Finally, I make my way to the library, and there she is, her back to me, fingers trailing over the spines of my books. She’s still wearing my name, those fucking thigh-high boots making her legs look a mile long. Her hair’s down now, those red waves falling past her shoulders, and I want to wrap it around my fist so fucking bad my palm actually twitches.
I lean against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest, and just watch her for a moment. There’s somethingalmost innocent about the way she’s exploring, pulling books out and pushing them back in, reading titles and running her fingers over the leather bindings.
“I didn’t know you were so interested in literature,” I say finally, my voice cutting through the silence.
She stiffens immediately, her spine going rigid before she turns to face me. Her eyes rake over me from head to toe, lingering on my bare chest before dropping to the waistband of my pants, following the trail of dark hair disappearing beneath the silk.
“I’m not,” she says, lifting her chin, but her voice has that breathless quality that tells me she likes what she sees. “Just killing time until you decide to let me go home.”
I push off from the doorframe and move toward her slowly, like a predator stalking prey. “Who says I’m letting you go anywhere?”
She backs up until she hits the bookshelf, her hands gripping the edge of a shelf on either side of her. “You can’t keep me here against my will.”
“Can’t I?” I stop directly in front of her, close enough that I can smell the lingering scent of whatever perfume she used. “You seem to forget you’re due for a punishment, and I always deliver.”
“Punishment?” she snorts, crossing her arms over her chest. “What could you possibly punish me with? I’m not a child; you can’t spank me. Lock me in my room or take away my phone.” Her voice drips with sarcasm as she tilts her head. “Are you my dad now?”
“As much as spanking you would be...” I let my gaze drop to her ass before returning to her eyes, “…entertaining, no. I’m going to do something so much worse.”
I watch as uncertainty creeps into her expression. That flicker of fear in her eyes is fucking exhilarating—the way herpupils dilate, how her breathing quickens. I drink it down like fine whiskey, feeling it burn through me and settle low.
“Get on your knees, Little Sinner,” I command, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “It’s time you worship at the only fucking altar that matters.”
She stares at me, her mouth falling open slightly. “You’re out of your fucking mind if you think?—”
