Page 92 of Sinful Escape

Movement out of the corner of my eye made me spin to face a stranger who’d emerged from the shadows. “Who are you?” The low light made it impossible to see his face.

He spoke in German and I had no idea what he’d said. “Do you speak English?”

He stepped forward into the golden candlelight. His high cheekbones and goatee beard were prominent, but his eyes were still difficult to see.

“I said, who are you?” He spoke softly, whispering.

“I asked you first.”

He shuffled closer, scrubbing a hand over his beard and squeezing the goatee below his chin. “My name is Frederik.”

“What’re you doing here?” I flicked my hand, then quickly re-covered my chest, splashing water onto my cheek.

“I could ask you the same thing.” His accent was strong.

I’d never seen him before. “Are you new here?”

His deep chuckle bounced off the stone walls. “Quite the contrary.”

“Do you work here?”

Again, he chuckled.

“Look, Frederik, I don’t know who you are, but?—”

“I’m the owner of this castle.”

It was my turn to chuckle. “You seem to be a little confused. How about you head off and leave me to my bath?”

He tilted his head and stepped forward, allowing me to see his face more clearly. His eyes were an interesting shade of green, like freshly podded peas. He looked older than he sounded. His scruffy goatee was tinged with gray hair and the lines around his eyes made me estimate his age as early fifties.

“It seems we have an issue.” His deep voice was amplified in the tiny room.

Adjusting my hand over my chest, I wrestled my irritation to a simmer and offered a pleading smile. “Please. Could you come back later?” I fluttered my eyes like I’d seen some of the ladies do to Roman.

The muscles along Frederik’s chin bulged, confirming he was clamping his jaw.

The guy seemed confused, torn between pissing off and staying to ruin my bath. He still hadn’t explained why he was there. “Are you with another tour group?”

He fiddled with the bottom button of his shirt. “No.”

It annoyed me that he didn’t elaborate. “Why are you here then?”

“I told you. I own the castle.”

He was lying, but he seemed so sure of himself that I didn’t know what to say.

He didn’t look at me; he looked at the water instead, like he was longing to get into the hot tub. The silence between us was excruciating.

Biting my tongue to avoid unleashing a nasty rant, I waited for his next move, ready to scoop a giant wave of my precious, scented bathwater over him if he took another step forward.

It seemed an eternity before he heaved a sigh. “I go this time. But not next.”

He turned and disappeared into the shadows.

I leaned forward, staring at the darkness as the door creaked open and thudded closed.

I spent ten minutes peering into the blackness, searching for the mysterious stranger, before I was confident enough to slip my shoulders below the water and close my eyes. My body pulsed like I’d run a marathon.