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“In mind,” I finally breathed out the words.
Ajax tugged me closer, kissing me gently, taking his time to part my lips and steal a taste.
“It’s a surprise,” he said, grinning mischievously.
“Does it involve leaving the estate?” I asked hopefully. Not that I hated it here, I felt quite the opposite. I loved it. I just was feeling a little stir crazy.
“Sort of,” he answered, tugging me through the archives room. “Do you trust me?”
“You know I do,” I answered immediately.
His grin deepened, and anticipation flared in my chest, giving me a boost of energy I didn’t realize I was desperate for. Sleep had been harder to come by lately, the fear of falling asleep and not waking up a real deterrent to the rest I needed.
Ajax led us outside the manner, then scooped me up into his arms, cradling me against his chest. He held my gaze as he ran at vampire speeds, the motion so fast it felt like we were flying.
He slowed to a stop minutes later, the smell of fresh vegetation and citrusy flowers hanging in the air around us. The sound of bubbling water trickled nearby, and my eyes widened when I saw where he’d brought us.
“Are thosehotsprings?” I asked as he set me on my feet, but he kept me tucked against his side, supporting my weight.
“Yes,” he said, eying the pools of tranquil water with steam wafting off them a few yards away from us. The night sky was clear and the moon nearly full, casting the smooth stones surrounding the springs in a silver glow. “We’re technically still on the estate grounds,” he said, tugging me toward a little manmade wooden deck and stairs that dipped into the springs natural bubbling water. “But we’re not in the house, so, did I do good?”
“First the fountain and now this?” I grinned up at him, emotion clogging my throat. “I’m starting to think you have an obsession with seeing me wet,” I teased.
“You have no idea,” he all but growled.
“You’re beyond amazing,” I said, just because I wanted him to know that without a doubt. “Can we get in?”
Ajax smirked at me, tugging his shirt over his head in one smooth motion. Heat unfurled in my core, the reaction unavoidable whenever he took his shirt off. He was just so gloriously constructed, like he was carved out of the stone surrounding us.
“Are we alone out here?” I asked.
“Totally alone,” he said. “Besides, if I hear anyone coming this way, I’ll stop time and hold it long enough for you to get changed. No way in fuck anyone is seeing my mate’s body.”
I followed his movements, slipping out of my clothes quickly and taking his extended hand as he guided us down into the shockingly warm water. I mean, yeah, it was called a hot spring, but I didn’t realize just how hot it would be.
I nearly moaned as I sank into the water, letting it rise above my shoulders. The warmth seeped into my muscles, soothing every ache and strain that had felt near permanent lately.
Ajax pulled me across the water, tucking me against him so my spine was against his chest as he leaned against the stones around the spring. “Look up,” he whispered in my ear.
I obeyed, and my eyes widened.
Shooting stars soared across the sky, one after the other.
“I’ve never seen that many before,” I said, wonder slipping into my tone.
“It doesn’t happen very often,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.
“Did you know it was going to happen tonight?”
“Yes,” he said. “I figured the water would feel good on your body and the meteor shower would be a bonus.”
I shook my head against him. “I don’t know how I got so lucky,” I said, the words catching in my throat. Because I truly did feel like the luckiest woman on the planet to be mated to male like him. Even if…even if…
Ajax tensed beneath me. “I’m the lucky one,” he said, gently stroking my arms in languid circles.
I breathed deeply, relaxing even more into his embrace. The tension melted from my body and soul with each stroke, each graze of the warm water between us. “I’m sorry I’m so tired tonight,” I said, turning just enough to look into his eyes.
“You have nothing to apologize for, mate,” he said. “Never. Not with me.”
