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This was the kind of bliss he lived for.
Raider sighed and closed his eyes. He kept them closed even as the rustling of undergrowth announced Seth’s approach. The light scuff of boots on stone said he’d reached the edge of the pool.
Then silence.
Raider opened his eyes to the sight of Seth, soap and scrubbing cloth in hand, standing on the rocky ledge. The man was staring at him, looking stalled. He had expected, perhaps, to find the pool empty, to bathe alone.
Raider met his gaze with mild challenge. It reminded him of that day in the bathhouse, when Seth had stood at the edge of another pool, demanding answers, refusing to bare himself, refusing to enter the water with Raider.
Would he still refuse?
Raider waited for Seth to drop his eyes, to turn away. The clear water obscured Raider’s nude form a little with its wavy distortion, but the fact of his nudity was plain enough. Seth’s eyes remained on Raider, not dropping to the bareness of his body but not dropping to the ground either.
Seth was going to turn away, leave, seek another, more private cove. Raider was sure of it, so sure that he smirked a little, trying to say, Yeah, I thought so, you damn coward.
Was that why Seth smirked in response? Was that why he set down his scrubbing cloth and soap then straightened to unbuckle his vest with such unhurried deliberation?
Raider held Seth’s gaze, both of them unyielding, as Seth undid the buckles. But when he shrugged off his vest and bared the smooth musculature of his upper body, Raider lost the staring contest.
His nostrils flared as he took in the sight of that fair skin moving over powerful muscle. He relished every detail: the heavy pads of Seth’s pectorals, the notches of his belly, the cut of muscle from each hip angling inward to vanish behind the waistband of his pants. Then there was the delightful trail of dark hair leading down from his navel. And lower … the bulge of Seth’s cock against the front of his pants.
Raider closed his eyes as his own cock, already half swollen at the mere tease of Seth’s presence, hardened fully.
He remembered perfectly well what Seth’s cock had felt like grinding against him. He wanted it again, that hot, stiff length gliding along his own. He wanted that cock in his hands, in his mouth. He wanted it deep inside his body.
Raider opened his eyes to find Seth lingering, watching him. Was he enjoying Raider’s gaze? Was Seth teasing him on purpose?
Seth bent to remove his boots, shoulders flexing as he worked. Then he straightened and his hands went to the lacing of his pants. Raider bit his lip, holding back the sound that wanted to escape him. He held still, not quite trusting Seth to follow through.
Then, slowly, Seth turned away, his hands busy. Raider knew he was only unlacing his pants, but the sight of him—broad muscled back, hands working near his groin—made a needful sound escape Raider. He reached down and squeezed himself. He couldn’t help it.
Raider meant to take his hand away from his cock, but then Seth pushed his pants down off his ass. He had to bend a little to pull them off, and the view had Raider’s hand tightening on himself.
Raider had already known that Seth’s body was balanced, that his ass and legs were as well muscled as the rest of him. The way he moved and filled out his clothes said as much. But the sight was another level of reality. Smooth curves of powerful muscle. The light dimpling at his lower back. Then—
Then Seth turned to face the water.
He paused as Raider’s eyes locked on his groin, where his cock hung long and thick, half hard. That gorgeous shaft twitched, stiffening further under Raider’s hungry gaze.
Raider gave himself a much-needed stroke before forcing his hand away. Seth hadn’t touched his own cock.
Raider had spent enough time with Seth to understand that the man was fighting him right now. This was Seth’s way of standing ground.
Yes, he was acknowledging that Raider turned him on, but that had already been well established. Seth seemed to be saying that, still, even now, it was of no consequence.
After collecting his soap and cloth, Seth stepped into the water. He was a good fifteen feet away as he sank down into the cool depths, but Raider could see every line of his body above the water. And he could now imagine the rest with perfect clarity.
“The water is nice,” Seth said, his voice gravelly.
“Mm,” was all Raider managed to reply.
Seth set to work soaping and scrubbing his chest and shoulders. There was color in his broad, handsome face, along his cheekbones.
Before he could think to stop it, Raider’s arcane eye zoomed in and focused, showing him the aroused darkening of Seth’s eyes. He blinked that away.
The arcane eye was useful, but it wasn’t the same as experiencing things naturally. Raider would rather see less and have it feel more real.
Seth’s scrubbing moved along each arm. Then it traveled inward. It traveled down.
