Page 5 of Bitter Confessions

“What are you doing here, Roth?”

Obsidian eyes coasted over her naked body. She refused to cover up or be embarrassed. What was the point?

“You had a rough night,” he said.

Her cheeks flushed and then almost immediately cooled. “I’ve had many rough nights.”

“We’re going to fix that.”

She frowned. “Fix what?”

“Your rough nights.”

“Those nights are because of you!”

“I know.”

His unapologetic acknowledgment rekindled the dying embers of her temper. Before she could put him in check, he reached for her. She held up a hand in silent refusal, but he ignored that and scooped her up. When he lowered her into the water, Jasmine immediately lurched for the taps, slapping his hand away when he tried to interfere.

“Why are you constantly trying to give me second-degree burns?” she snapped.

“The water needs to be hot enough to?—”

“Melt my skin off?” she finished testily as she broke out in goose pimples. She stood next to the faucet as cold water gushed into the tub. When the temperature was bearable, she adjusted the taps again and sank cautiously into the waist-deep water.

To her dismay, Roth crouched beside the tub, arms braced on the edge, eyeing her with an unblinking stare that unnerved her. She moved as far from him as she could and swished her hands through the water.

When she couldn’t take the silence any longer, she reminded him, “You have meetings to attend.”

“They’ve been rescheduled.”

That brought her wary, bloodshot hazel gaze back to him. “Why?”

“We didn’t finish our discussion last night.”

She looked away. “There’s nothing more to say.”

“I don’t agree.”

“I don’t want to fight anymore!”

“No fighting,” he said mildly as his fingers glided over the choppy surface of the rising water. “At least not on my part.”

Jasmine’s spine snapped as she straightened. “Oh, so I’m the problem.”

His eyes gleamed, but his expression remained neutral. “I have a bruise on my shin.”

Her mouth dropped. “I can barely walk this morning, and you have the balls to bitch about a bruise from a kick?”

She gave into her temper. A second later, Roth shot to his feet with a large wet spot on his chest, making his shirt transparent. He wiped Jasmine’s bathwater from his face and looked down at her. She glared back. He fucking deserved that and more...

Her vengeful thoughts slammed to a halt when he began to undo his buttons.

“What the hell are you doing?” she demanded.

“If you wanted me to join you, all you had to do was ask.”

“I don’t want you to join me. I want you to leave me alone!”

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