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Kai let out an equally dry chuckle. “Another lifetime ago, I’m sure.”
It was so caught up in the fantasy of us being just a regular couple on vacation, something I’d never experienced before, that I found myself licking my lips and shifting from side to side. Once more, Kai could pick up my apprehension through our bond.
“You all right, Ayla?”
Swallowing, I nodded, deciding that if we had the chance to act like a normal couple, why not run with it?
“I was just thinking…”
“By all means, enlighten me.”
“Before we get started with any of that or change into robes, perhaps we should clean ourselves first?”
The way his expression shifted from pleasantly curious to simmering with heat was enough to make me clench my thighs together. My body was now so fine tuned to his, like we’d been calibrated to respond to each other deeper and more ardently than one could ever hope to. Not everyone was lucky enough to have a fated mate, and even fewer were lucky enough to find them. Despite fated being right there in the name, sometimes partners died before they ever met, or they ended up in countries so far away, their paths never crossed.
“You thinking a nice, cool shower will wash the travel off of us?”
I nodded, unable to stop myself from licking my lips again. I didn’t miss how Kai’s dark eyes traced the movement of my tongue, a different hunger building on his features. “That sounds like the prudent thing to do, doesn’t it?”
Oh, the way his smile turned into a deliciously wicked smirk… “Yes. Prudent. Absolutely.”
Food forgotten, he stood up and offered me his hand. I took it, expecting to follow him to wherever the bathroom was, only for him to scoop me up entirely.
“Kai!” I blurted around the laugh bubbling up through my throat. It was crazy, it was, but the way he was holding me made me feel like a bride.
“Yes, my love?” he said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated against the side of my body.
“Nothing,” I answered back, knowing that my face had to be cherry red but not caring. “Lead the way.”
“As you wish.”
Thankfully, the bathroom was on the lower floor, so I didn’t have to worry about Kai navigating the stairs. I knew he could and that it wouldn’t even be a trial for him, but there was something unsexy about the idea of being carted up a flight of stairs, head bobbing up and down.
Kai did put me down, however, to open the bathroom door, and I was greeted by a surprisingly open room chock full of plants. They were big, leafy specimens that didn’t look much like anything I’d seen in the deciduous forests I’d grown up in.
I marveled at how so much natural beauty could be packed into a single room. The light was just pouring in from windows high enough that I didn’t have to worry about anyone catching a peek of us in a compromising situation. Not that there was anyone around, of course.
“Is Tove mega wealthy?” I asked, stepping forward to examine the tub. Like everything else in the room, it was somehow understated while also ornate. Instead of a standing shower, or even an actual bathtub, stairs led down into the stony, sandy-brown floor, the surface smooth but also comprised of smaller pebbles and larger stones that’d all been sealed under a protective lacquer. It was like a hot tub, or even a mini-pool, and on the other side was a ledge wide enough to sit on, then a large, glass-encased room with what looked like five different shower heads at different heights and angles.
“He is a merchant if I recall correctly,” Kai said, gently resting his hands on my shoulders before pressing kisses down the side of my neck. Goosebumps rose in his wake, and I enjoyed the way my stomach flipped. “But how about we don’t talk about other men, or even other people right now? Let’s just focus on us.”
“Let’s,” I agreed, turning to press my lips to his.
Although I was the one who had started our romp, I wasn’t as anxious as I was the last time I’d initiated things. Once more, that seemed like a lifetime ago, all the way back in Fort Canid when I’d given him head in his office.
I was half tempted to do that now, but the floor’s texture wasn’t conducive to it, and if I knelt in the bottom of this truly massive tub, the water would come into my nose.
“How long do you think this will take to fill?” I asked after Kai kissed me breathlessly. I didn’t want to pull away from him, not even for a second, but planning got the better of me. Normal tubs already took time to fill, and this was much, much bigger than that.
“Let’s see,” Kai said, pressing yet another kiss to me before walking over to a set of knobs in the side of the empty tub. He turned one, and suddenly water poured from several spots in the wall of the nearly pool-sized space.
“Ah, that’s a relief,” I said with a soft laugh, thankful we wouldn’t have to wait some ridiculous amount of time, like an hour or more, for it to fill up.
“I figured they’d have somehow made it at least a little practical. Not that much about this house is practical.” Kai shared my sedate laugh. “Just give me a moment to get the temperature right.”
“I’m not in a rush,” I said, though my body was beginning to ache for him, upset that he was even a few feet away. “I’m just happy to be here with you.”
He paused, and when he looked up, the depth of emotion in his eyes made my heart stutter in my chest yet again. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
