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“Thanks,” I said before I picked up a piece and took a small bite from the corner. It melted almost instantly, and the taste was rich and fantastic. It was a darker chocolate, which was great because that normally had less sugar anyway. It meant it was easier to hide the sugar substitute after taste that often came with such treats. “It’s good.”
Tor nodded, then reached across the tub and turned off the faucet, the water having reached near the top edge.
He rose, his stance telling me he was going to leave. Before I knew what I was doing, I reached out and caught his pant leg.
He frowned, staring down at where I held him, the line between his eyebrows adorable.
Embarrassment overcame my wants. What was I doing? Wet spots remained on his pants when I released him, reminding me of how stupid I was acting. “Sorry,” I whispered, sinking back into the water. “It’s fine.”
Tor let out a long sigh before walking out. His absence hit me hard, the room incredibly silent without even the water running.
Just as I considered getting out—it didn’t feel nearly as relaxing anymore—the door opened again and Tor walked back in. He held a cushion in his hand, which he tossed on the floor beside the tub. He huffed softly as he sat, the action making it almost feel as though we were in the bath together.
Was this what that would feel like?
My mind went off on its own, aided by the atmosphere and heat and Tor’s closeness. I pictured candles all over the room, the flickering light romantic. I pictured Tor not on the floor, but in the water, his dark skin bare to me. I’d seen him shirtless, when we sparred, but what would it be like to see all of him?
There was no question that he was strong, but he was lean. When I’d touched him, when we’d worked out together, I’d felt just how firm his body was.
“You’re sure better at this than they are,” I said. “It surprised me. You’re so quiet, I figured you’d have no idea how to deal with women. Why is that?” As soon as I asked, I regretted my choice.
I didn’t have my phone, which meant he had no way of answering. It was like asking someone in a wheelchair to follow you up the stairs.
“Sorry,” I whispered, embarrassed by the mistake.
Tor snorted softly, then leaned over to where the box still was. He took out a set of crayons.
“Is it arts and crafts time?”
He offered me a look that said he got the joke but wasn’t all that impressed before opening the set of five colors. He shifted the pillow toward the other side of the tub, then took the blue crayon and wrote on the white tile that made up the surround of the large tub.Bath crayons.
I smiled when the words appeared on the tile. “Did you get those expecting to get into the bath with me?” I lifted my eyebrow to mock Tor about it.
He pressed his lips together, then wrote more.I might have considered that…
And just like that, he’d turned the tables. Instead of me teasing him, he’d managed to embarrass me. It always seemed that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep the upper hand with these men for long before they took it right back.
“Not funny,” I whispered. “It’s rude to tease me like that after rejecting me, you know?”
He took a washcloth and dipped it into the water. My body reacted, as if thinking he were reaching for me, my breath catching in my lungs and my hopes rising. However, he only used the now wet cloth to clear away the words from the tile before adding more.
I’m not teasing. Just being honest.
And just like that, it was impossible to be mad at him. He was just too honest.
So instead, I went back to my previous question. “So how is it you know how to take care of girls on their periods? Are you secretly a playboy and I just don’t know it?”
My sister.
“You have a sister?” Him telling me about himself, about his life, had me sitting up before remembering about the entire naked thing and sinking back into the water to hide.
He chuckled and nodded.She’s four years younger. Our mother worked a lot, so it was mostly just the two of us. I took care of her.
I thought about that, surprised by how normal that seemed.
At first, when I’d met Tor, I’d thought him closed off. He was so silent that it felt like he didn’t give a damn about anyone else.
He was a far cry from Hayden, who hovered over others constantly.
