Page 146 of The Heir's Bargain

Dani shrugged. "It was worth it. You compared this to bathing your grandmother!" She extended her leg, and I wrapped my fingers around her ankle, stilling it.

"I was only joking. You're much prettier to look at," I said with a wink. Then I leaned in closer, massaging her foot. "Plus, your skin doesn't sag like hers."

Dani's leg jerked in my grasp as she tried to kick me in the face. I tightened my grip around her ankle.

"Grandma Dahlia at least smelled better." I sniffed the air, wrinkling my nose in jest. "Although dirt and sweat are only marginally better than stale roses and an old tin can."

Dani gasped, a red tint blooming across her cheeks. "Fynn!"

"Kidding." A mischievous smirk crept up on my face. "You smell just as bad."

Dani's mouth fell open, her hazel eyes widening as she stared at me in horror. Her face flushed an even brighter shade of red, forcing laughter to tumble out of my mouth.

Water smacked my chest immediately, which only caused me to laugh more, and Dani eventually joined in.

When I recovered, I inspected my soaked shirt. Setting the cloth down, I quickly undid the buttons and stripped it off. As I did, I could feel Dani's gaze on me, watching my every move.

I gave Dani an accusatory glance. "If you wanted me out of my shirt, you could have asked, Ferrios."

Dani rolled her eyes again, chuckling. "You are the absolute worst. You do know that, right?"

I arched a brow. "The worst or the best?" I glanced at the leg in my hands and added. "After all, I am washing your feet for you."

"Well, right now, you're not doing much of that. Are you?" Dani retorted. But as she leaned against the tub, her remark lost its bitterness.

Huffing, I shook my head and focused on the task at hand. Using the washcloth, I scrubbed her feet, massaging her calf as I did so. I then ran the washcloth over her shin. At some point in the process, Dani had closed her eyes, the wrinkles in her forehead softening. I smiled to myself as I made quick work of washing her legs.

The jokes were only a distraction. The distraction had worked based on how Dani slunk back against the tub, her head tipping up to the ceiling as her muscles ever-so-slowly relaxed.

Even as I reached out, pulling on the thread connecting her thoughts to mine, I didn't feel the tension swarming the edge of her mental barricade. The dark gloom that had hovered around her mind when I had first entered the room was no longer present.

It may not have been a permanent fix, but it was a start.

Quietly, I moved toward the center of the tub. When I grabbed one of her arms, Dani peered at me through heavy eyes.

Too exhausted to make a snide comment, she shut her eyes again, and I took that as permission to continue.

I massaged the oils first into her arms, then her palms. Her palms were covered with callouses, a testament to the work she put into her training every day for the past decade. Yet, despite the callouses, her skin remained soft and silky. I couldn't help but take a minute while Dani dozed off to appreciate the woman sitting before me. She was tougher than anyone I knew. Fearless, capable, and beautiful.

A thick layer of bubbles covered most of her body. It was hard not to marvel at Dani's beauty—her toned arms, the bow of her knee, her gleaming neck, her flushed face slick with sweat from the steam?—

Dani shifted, and I shook myself from my stupor.

Not the time, I reminded myself.

I stood and placed the chair directly behind her. Gently, I brushed a piece of hair from her face, my finger sweeping across the contours of her face as my gaze latched onto the freckles peppering her nose. Carefully, I gathered Dani's curls into my hands.

Dani leaned forward slightly and tilted her head back without saying a word or even opening her eyes.

And I stood there, dumbfounded, as water dripped down her neck and over her collarbone.

After a moment that I wished I could bottle up, I poured water onto her hair with a careful, albeit shaking, hand, using my other to prevent water from spilling into her eyes.

Dani passed me one of the vials along the tub's edge. I took it and popped the top off. Notes of cinnamon wafted out of the clear container, and I smiled because one word came to mind: home.

I began massaging the oil into her scalp with meticulous care.

Yet, Dani's shoulders did not relax. They remained close to her ears as she shifted in the tub and wrapped her arms around her legs again. "I'm sorry we failed the mission. I know how much this meant to you."

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