Titan somehow finds the strength to crawl to my side and pull me into his arms.
“You’re…” Titan says to the male on the screen, but I cut him off with a kiss. It will just get us both shocked again, and there’s only so much either of us can take.
“The studio provided you with a basin of water, washcloths, towels, and hairbrushes. You’ve got ten minutes to clean up and get presentable before showtime. I always knew you were good for something, Titan. It used to be fighting. Now it must be fucking.”
The screen goes black, but the red light is still on.
I ease to my knees, then stand and wobble to the basin and towels. It’s near the champagne, so I grab the bottle, wondering what it will do on top of the painkillers the bot just shot me up with.
I’ll never know, because the bottle is empty. It’s just a prop.
I dip a washcloth into the lukewarm water and squeeze it out as I watch by the light of the drones as the droplets fall back into the basin.
“Titan, come here. Let me get your back.”
Even though I just had a long talk with my snarky inner self about the fact this titanic blue male is no Prince Charming, now that we’re safe in this cave, I can’t ignore my attraction.
Before he approaches me, he kicks off his boots and shimmies out of his clothes. He was distracted when he pulled his shirt over his head, but by the time he pulls his pants off, his blue eyes are focused on me. Maybe he felt the heat of my stare beckon from across the room.
There’s the tiniest smile lifting the corners of his lips, which is absurd and unexpected considering the shitshow we’re immersed in.
“Rowdy’s getting a drink,” he says as he points with his rugged chin to the lizard perched on the lip of the steel basin.
“How many times do I have to tell you his name is Red? We’re going for obvious,” I scold since it’s apparent we’re turning the tables on our earlier argument.
“You’re obstinate,” he says as he approaches, then kneels in front of me. Holy shit. I knew I was attracted to him, but there is something about this position, with him kneeling between my feet that makes my pulse pound between my legs.
Despite being in a cave and slated for death, lust slams through me, reminding me I am a woman and he is all male.
His face is at boob height, and my nipples prick into hard points with him so close. He feels it too. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows while his blue gaze travels from my breasts to my eyes.
I wash him with the cloth. Wash? Is that what I’m doing? I’m adoring him with every motion. Instead of cleaning him, it’s more like a caress.
He’s filthy. We both are. We’ve been bathed in blood and then the river and then marched through dusty trails.
Wetting the cloth, I wring it out over his head. The water sluices down his face in glistening rivulets, then falls on the floor. Wiping him from forehead to chin, I somehow manage not to lose eye contact.
Heat is arcing between us. He’s naked. I’m not. But the electricity we’re feeling has nothing to do with his lack of clothing. It’s deeper than that. Bigger.
I’ve tried to deny it. I’ve fought myself. I’ve blamed forced proximity and endorphins and the very real threats of death. But when you wipe all that away, it’s still Titan I’m attracted to. And by the blazing look of heat in his eyes, the feeling is mutual.
