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The floor is cold under my bare feet, and my heart is thundering as he watches me walk around the bed and then past him. There's a second of hesitation, and then he follows me, pausing in the doorway of the bathroom.
Inside, the air is thick with steam. My attention immediately falls on the extravagant bathtub, a separate masterpiece in the center of the room, brimming with hot water that overflows onto the marble floor. The heat calls out to me in a different way than the cold of the lake, less urgent and haunting.
I sense Tristan's gaze on my back as I make my way toward the tub. A tantalizing anticipation is brewing between us, mixed with a dizzying sense of relaxation from the warmth that fills the space between us.
I know he's watching me as I slowly unwrap the towel from my body, letting it fall to the ground at my feet. I unclasp my bra and toss it aside as well, and I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
My breathing becomes shallow as I step out of my panties. Every inch of me is aware of Tristan's gaze burning onto my skin, even with my back turned to him.
But he says nothing. He doesn't ask me to explain myself or tell me what to do. He simply stands back and watches, allowing me to take the lead.
Without a word, I lower myself into the tub, feeling the water spill over the rim as I sink down into the warmth. The water is hot, but after the first initial shock of it, it becomes a caress on my skin, soothing away the aches and pains of the day. More water spills over the rim as I slide further down and rest my back against the edge of the tub.
The heat is almost too much to bear, balancing on that edge between stinging and soothing, but as I settle into it, the stiffness in my bones and soreness in my muscles begin to melt away, and a soft sigh of satisfaction escapes my lips.
The sound seems to spur Tristan into action, and I hear him drawing near, his footsteps splashing softly across the water that spilled across the marble floor. The atmosphere is electric, charged with an undeniable longing that I'm only now beginning to understand. As I lean my head back, the water lapping at my neck, I can feel the tension between us building to a fever pitch.
He kneels behind me by the edge of the bath. From the corner of my eye, I watch his muscled arms reach around either side of me, fingers lazily dipping into the water beside me. He cups his hand and sinks it deeper beneath the surface.
Then he raises his hand over my head, letting the handful of warm water slide down the crown of my head and drip down my hair and neck.
The sensation is both soothing and startling, and my eyes flutter shut. He pours more water over me, the warm liquid trickling down my skin. I bite back a little moan as the backs of his knuckles graze the side of my neck, and I tilt my head to the side beneath his touch.
Tristan's movements are slow and deliberate as if he's savoring each moment. His actions are somehow sensual and innocent, a paradox that makes my heart race and my head spin. The warmth of the water is soothing and relaxing, the feel of his hands firm yet gentle.
I've felt vulnerable plenty of times before, but never like this. I've never felt raw and exposed and enjoyed it; I've never yearned for it like this before. But at the same time, there's a sense of safety and comfort, a feeling of being cared for by someone who will protect me no matter what.
The steam from the water envelops us, the world around us shrinking until there's only the two of us in this moment, this intimate space.
I lean my head back and open my eyes, looking up at him. The steam obscures his face, but his eyes betray his desire, and I can't help the shiver that courses through me in spite of the heat.
There's a silent understanding between us, an unspoken longing that burns in his golden eyes. His fingers hook around my jaw, gently tilting my chin toward him.
His lips come down to brush against my own, soft and taunting at first. I shift in the tub, turning my face to him as if I were a sunflower and he were daylight itself, and the kiss deeps. Everything inside me is tight and loose at the same time, and he kisses me hungrily in a way that makes me never want to stop.
But then, a sudden, piercing pain erupts across my chest, sharp as an icy dagger plunging into my heart. I gasp and pull away, trembling from the tortuous waves crashing over me.
"What the fu—"
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tristan's brows knit together in concern as I pull away from him, clawing at my chest. My breathing is ragged as the pain subsides, but I don't understand what just happened, and I have no idea how to explain it.
"I'm sorry," I pant, still shaking. "I didn't- you didn't- I don't know what—"
I look back at Tristan, worried I've pushed him away once too many times, but I find that his eyes are wide and fixed on my chest. I glance down and gasp in surprise at the crescent moon shaped birthmark under my collarbone, which seems to be radiating a faint silvery light.
As Tristan moves away to look at me, surveying me for any sign of injury, the glowing dies out, and the pain flickers down to a distant ache. "What is that?" he asks, his voice gruff.
I shake my head, my body still reeling from the strange and agonizing spasm. "I don't know. I mean, I don't understand. It's just a birthmark. I've never seen it shine like that before. At least, I've never noticed it. But this feeling... it's happened before."
First, when I woke from my nightmare to find Tristan in my bed and he brushed his lips against mine as he comforted me.
Again when I'd gone to his room, and he'd asked me what I wanted and kissed my neck.
And now...
Tristan leans forward again, his gaze set intently on the mark on my chest, but it neither glows nor stings anymore. All that's left is the lingering soreness that makes my chest feel heavy and spreads across my entire body, leaving me dizzy and winded.
