Amoan escaped my lips as my body hit the warm water. The calming scent of eucalyptus and lavender wafted from the surface, and I sucked in a breath before diving beneath, running my hands through my hair and ridding it of spider guts.
A cool tingle kissed my skin as my face breached the surface, and I opened my eyes to find Kellan studying my face. His dark gaze didn’t wander as I inched closer.
“Turn around,” I murmured, twirling my finger.
The corner of his lip tugged up, and he rotated, facing away from me as I slid closer and propped my ass on the submerged stone ledge beside him.
Shallow muscles rippled over his back as he shifted, causing little lines of blood to twirl like smoke beneath the water. His shoulders slumped as the tips of my fingers slid to the center of his back and gently up the line of his spine. I drew small circles with the pads of my thumbs, pressing lightly as I massaged the tensed muscle beneath, freeing his beautiful tan skin from the layers of grime and blood.
Kellan’s body relaxed as I worked the muscles of his back, my fingers lightening their touch as I neared the brutal gashes on his sides. I moved to his shoulders, tracing the twirling tattoos. My palms made long, slow sweeps over the muscled mounds before sliding down the tops of his biceps.
I inched closer, and the tips of my breasts grazed his back as I brushed my fingernails over his forearms and slid the pads of my fingers down the center of his palms before clasping our hands.
He groaned, and I blew out a slow breath before planting a kiss in the crook of his neck. I released his hands and straightened.
“Head back,” I murmured, bringing my hands to the back of his head and gently tugging the thin strap of leather free, letting his hair fall loose and pool before me. I tugged my fingers through some of the thick braids, the water loosening the crimped lines. Kellan leaned his head back in the water, closing his eyes as I gently ran my nails along his scalp, marveling as the water shifted the dark auburn of his hair to the exact shade of black cherry wine.
Kellan sucked in a breath after a minute of this, dunking his head beneath the surface and running his hands over his face as he popped back up.
“You’re going to put me to sleep, Bonscaíh,” he purred, turning slowly to face me.
“Good.” I smiled, pressing my thighs together as I scanned his chest.
He shook his head, his eyes darkening as he inched closer.
“I’m not ready to sleep,” he murmured, jerking his chin toward me. “And it’s your turn.”
“I’m not injured,” I countered, raising a brow and crossing my arms in front of my breasts.
Kellan ignored me, closing the space between us and capturing my next breath with his mouth. The kiss was soft, but less tender and restrained than our first. A desperation hid behind his lips as he forced them to slow their movements. I slid my tongue against them, smiling and knowing his control was soon to slip its leash. And we were utterly alone.The crystal chamber was ours.
“I don’t care,” he whispered as he pulled away an inch.
My breath hitched as his arms rotated my shoulders away from him, and he ran his calloused hands over my back. The wide pads of his thumbs drew a firm line up the sides of my neck.
I groaned as they made little sweeping motions on the tiny, tightened muscles, each one melting beneath his touch. My head bobbed forward as I closed my eyes and let him loosen the strained muscles, my body somehow relaxed and awakened at the same time.
He shifted, and something hard and smooth brushed against my lower back. A surge of heat siphoned to the center of my core. Warm water swirled as Kellan put distance between us, and I sucked my lips into my mouth.
“Behave back there, Astraeus,” I scolded, grinning as my teeth pressed into my lips.
Kellan’s hand paused at my neck, his thumb and forefinger sliding to either side of it and pressing down. His other slid over the edge of my ribs, stopping just beneath my breast, and he leaned forward. His breath tickled the edge of my pointed ear.
“I’m not very good at that,” he purred, his thumb running a line along my rib.
I willed my breathing to calm as his fingers slipped to the side of my neck, and my pulse banged in desperation against them. I blew a slow breath between my lips and forced my eyes open, scanning the vast chamber. The crystals lining the far wall shifted from teal to green as I looked up at the altar.
“Who do you think they worshipped here?” I asked, changing the subject as I eyed the altar at the top of the winding steps, urging my body to calm the fuck down. “Do the Votruvians worship the same false gods as the rest of the realm?”
He nodded in confirmation, and his nose brushed against the side of my face as he inched closer.
“You worshipped them?” I breathed, unable to stop myself from leaning my back against his chest.
A guttural sound escaped his lips as his hard cock slid against my lower back, and his fingers clenched around my outer ribs.
He took a slow, deep breath that gently pressed me away from him.
“I never believed in them,” he murmured, dipping his head and placing a kiss on my jawline. The hand at the back of my neck squeezed gently. “And there is only one goddess I’d worship at that altar.”
