Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Chapter 20
Bath Time Is Fun Time
In a matter of minutes, I found myself standing beside the bathtub as Nylian filled it with steaming water and sweet-smelling oils. I came to my senses when he began pulling my clothes off. I smacked his hands away, which made the asshole laugh at me.
“What? I thought you would enjoy a bath,” he said.
That sounded really nice. I was sticky and damp in places that were growing uncomfortable. But I thought we had more immediate problems.
“Shouldn’t we be getting out of here?” I asked, even as I pulled my shirt over my head.
“It would be too suspicious if we attempted to leave the palace now. We don’t have a good excuse to go outside. Or would you rather we fight our way out?”
I waved a dismissive hand and turned my back to him as I shoved off my pants, which earned me a huffed laugh. Yeah, my embarrassment was silly after what we’d shared twice now, but I was still trying to wrap my brain around that.
He was right, though. Leaving now was suspicious, and there was no way we could fight our way out. Sneaking out wasn’t much better since we weren’t familiar with the castle. We were stuck until we thought of something.
With a sigh, I sank into the hot water. The heat attacked tense muscles and ate away at the knot of emotions in the center of my chest. My eyes fell shut as the fear, confusion, and surprise bubbled up to mix with unexpected bits of happiness and even pride.
So…I was bi.
There was no arguing that the first time against the door had been a fluke, not that I’d planned to. I’d enjoyed it far too much to dare stick a toe in the river of denial. It was just so unexpected.
I’d thought I was straight.
Guess not.
Of course, my first experience with a man wasn’t with some hot guy I’d stumbled across in a bar. Nope. He was an elf and a prince.
Could he be more unavailable?
Even though he claimed I was his—a statement that never failed to speed up my heart—was there any chance this could be more than a fling? I had to find a way home again, and he was a fucking prince. He probably had to marry a princess or at least another prince.
Oh, wait. I was a prince.
Could I be an option?
No. Even if I could, I had to go home.
I was out of my mind.
The water splashed, and my eyes popped open as Nylian climbed into the bathtub from the other end. My thoughts scattered to the wind as I watched his long, sleek body disappearing bit by bit into the water. Thankfully, my brain snapped on as he glided toward me.
I planted my foot in the center of his chest, stopping his progress. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Nylian’s smile grew, and those bright-green eyes sparkled like sunlight on water. “I was going to help you wash.”
“I can wash fine on my own. You stay on your side. You’re too much of a distraction.”
“I think you need a distraction. Whatever you’re contemplating is making you scowl.” His fingers slipped around my foot and lifted it from his chest, but he didn’t release it. His thumbs dug into the arch, massaging away tension. I clenched my teeth to hold in the moan of deep pleasure that tried to tumble out. My God, that was heaven. But every time he touched me felt like heaven.
“What were you thinking about?”
For a heartbeat, I considered saying “You,” but we didn’t have time to waste on my insecurities and fears. His one and only concern was finding his brother’s killer. That had to be my priority as well. Anything else could wait.
“I was thinking about what Queen Sumina said,” I lied. Nylian frowned, and I had a feeling he didn’t believe me. He allowed me to reclaim my foot.
Sitting up higher in the water, I grabbed a delicate cake of soap and started washing. The elf’s scowl shifted to the soap, and I sighed. “Am I not doing it right, or would you rather do it?”
“Yes,” he snapped. He zoomed across the tub, causing the water to slosh over the side, and snatched the soap from my hand. With pokes and prods, he moved me so that I was sitting between his legs, his soapy hands moving over my back, shoulders, and arms.
“So needy,” I teased.
He grunted, his hands massaging away dirt and tension. More than a minute of silence passed before he spoke, and even then, his voice was a rough whisper. “I never truly considered Lockeheim a likely threat. We’ve been on such good terms with them for centuries. Why would someone in the Lockeheim royal family do this?”
“How do you know Sumina isn’t wrong?”
“She could be.” His hands slid down my chest, and he leaned forward to rest his chin on my shoulder. Being wrapped up in his arms and legs was making it difficult to concentrate. It felt as though we should be murmuring tender secrets rather than discussing political intrigue and assassinations.