His mind spun with possibilities too wicked to put into words. She lifted the other leg so he sank deeper into the vee between her thighs. Heat gathered there, pressing against his lower back, shooting erotic flames from her body to his until blood pooled hard in his groin.
He closed his eyes, tried to slow his breathing. It had always been like this with her. This instant arousal whenever she was close. Would it be so horrible to act on it here and now? Once he was bound to Isadora, that was it. Her forever and no one else. He intended to live up to his vows, which meant once the ceremony was complete he’d never again have the opportunity to feel Callia’s body pressed up against his like this, never again get to marvel at the softness of his soul mate’s skin sliding against his or taste the sweetness of her on his tongue.
And oh, yeah, he could still remember that honey-sweet taste sliding down his throat…
His eyes popped open. Screw remembering. He could have that now. She was here. He was hard. And judging from the way she continued to rub his chest and arms, she wanted him too.
One night. No strings. He was strong enough for sex, that he knew for sure. His cock jerked as erotic images of the two of them together flashed in his brain. His erection grew even harder. He sucked in a breath even as a little voice deep inside cautioned, You’re playing with fire.
Her hands stilled against his chest. “Are you still cold?”
His throat was so thick he couldn’t answer. No, he was hot. Burning, just for her.
She lifted her hand, ran it across his brow. “Your skin is clammy. Skata.”
She pushed him up quickly and slid out from beneath him before he could protest. And he was just opening his mouth to tell her he was fine and convince her to come back when he caught sight of what she was doing.
She gripped the bottom of her T-shirt and tugged it up, revealing the nearly sheer cami underneath. He sucked in a breath and held it while she yanked the T-shirt up and over her head as she had in his fantasy, then tossed it on the ground. She toed off her shoes and quickly reached for the button on her pants.
“Wh-what are you doing?” Holy Hades, was that his voice? He sounded like he had when he’d first come to, all wasted to hell and back. Belatedly he realized he was braced on his elbows, watching her with rapt attention. Like a man starved. Unable to look away if his life depended on it.
“I’m taking you into the hot spring,” she said matter-of-factly as she popped the button on her jeans and pushed them down her long, luscious legs. And oh, shit. If he thought he’d been hard before, he was seriously mistaken. His cock throbbed.
“Callia—”
“We have to get you warmed up now,” she said firmly. The fabric hit the ground around her ankles, and then she was wiggling out of the jeans, kicking them to the side and standing over him wearing only the cami and panties that made his mouth water, looking like a sex goddess come to offer herself as a sacrifice.
There she was. His soul mate. Practically naked and his for the taking. He’d have to be a fool to refuse her now.
She eased down, wrapped both her bare arms around his chest and eased him up to sitting. And the scent of her…it broke through his last defense.
“Come with me, Zander. This will feel good. I promise.”
He had no doubt about that. What little blood was left in his limbs shot right into his cock as she helped him to his feet. And with it, every protest he’d ever had where she was concerned slipped right out of his head.
Chapter Eleven
Callia hauled Zander to his feet. He swayed, but she caught him and managed to brace her feet on the rocks to keep them both from going down. Didn’t need her help? Bullshit.
“Hold on to me,” she said. She wrapped her arms up under his and around his back, supporting his weight. And holy cow, he weighed a lot.
He perched his palms on her shoulders. “I got it.” But he didn’t. Not even close.
She shifted under his left arm, slid her hand around his waist and grabbed his on her opposite shoulder to steady him. The blanket she’d tucked around him earlier slid to the ground and in the dim light she saw a flash of very male, very naked skin.
Ignore it.
She would. She was a professional. She’d seen plenty of naked bodies over the course of her career. And none—not even the really gorgeous ones—had ever turned her on.
None were Zander.
She shook off the thought, gripped his hand tighter at her shoulder. “Just a few feet to the pool. It’ll be hot.”
He didn’t say much as they moved slowly toward the water, and she was grateful for that. Even though the temperature in this section of the cave was like a sauna and perspiration slicked her skin, she was very much aware that she was wearing nothing more than underwear right now. But what were her options? She was obviously going to have to get in the water with him to hold him up, and she hadn’t brought a change of clothes. Wet undergarments were a small price to pay for making sure her patient lived and she didn’t freeze to death in the process.
They made it to the edge of the first pool. As she eased him down to sit on the rock ledge, she wished she’d thought to bring the lantern. It was darker on this side of the room. Shadows played across his skin as he dipped one toe into the water and pulled it back quickly.
“Skata.”
“I told you it was hot.”
She’d tested it earlier, just to make sure, and knew it was right around a hundred and four degrees, which wasn’t that bad except when you were already freezing. While he was preoccupied with trying to ease his feet into the steaming liquid, she slid into the pool and sucked in a breath as the hot water surrounded her legs and torso.
The bite was a shock to the system, but after a few seconds, her muscles began to relax. The water hit just below her breasts, the bottom of this part of the pool one continuous long flat rock that was smooth beneath her bare feet. She walked to where Zander was sitting on the edge of the pool, his feet now submersed in the water, his hands in his lap as he acclimated himself to the temperature.
Gods, he was really beautiful. For a moment, the look of him there, totally naked with the light from the lamp across the room highlighting the angles and planes of his very chiseled body, stole her breath. She’d seen him naked before, many times, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever stopped to appreciate his body aesthetically. Now she did.
His shoulders were broad, his chest muscular and defined, the play of muscle over bone so smooth it was as if he’d been carved from marble. His abs were taut and ripped, his arms as thick as her legs. And that thin line of hair that ran from his chest to his navel, then lower, was like a blinking arrow, urging her to keep looking.
She drew in a breath and told herself to wise up. He was her patient, she was his healer. Their past was so over and done with it wasn’t even funny.
Refusing to look down, she leaned into him and once again wrapped her arms under his and around his torso. His legs immediately opened, and within seconds she found his bare chest pressed up tight against hers. And other things. Most definitely where she didn’t need them.
Her heart rate kicked up being this close to him, just as it had in the king’s study, just as it had when she’d worked on him earlier. She had to grind her teeth together to keep her voice even. “Come on. We’ll go slow. It’ll feel good once you get used to it.”