Page 75 of A Trial of Fate

“Bathing. Thisisa bathhouse, isn’t it?” I heard a deep chuckle of amusement, which only infuriated me more.

“That ismybath! You can’t just stroll in and steal it from me!”

Silence.

“Daxton!” I roared.

“I won’t steal your bath. I promise.”

I didn’t believe him. “You’re damn right. You’re not stealing it!” There was no way I was going to let all my hard work go to waste and give up that deliciously soothing tub for anyone.

I removed my dirty clothes and quickly rinsed them off in the river before hanging them to dry near the heat of the hearth. I splashed the heated river rocks with a douse of fresh water to create a plume of steam inside, grabbing a towel to drape myself with. I was comfortable with my body and nudity, but this male wasn’t going to get a free show today. Opening the door, I hurried inside, closing it quickly behind me to eliminate any excess steam from escaping the bathhouse.

I could barely see anything through the thick clouds as his voice drifted through the space. “As promised, your bath is untouched, Spitfire.”

I could just make out the outline of his body through the fog. He was reclining on the wooden bench on the opposite side of the bathhouse. His head was tilted against the wall while his thick, muscular legs were casually stretched out in front of him.

Wait… Hisnakedlegs.

I quickly spun my head to the side and saw his black and silver training leathers hanging on the hook by the door. Gods. Above… Daxton was naked. My cheeks flushed as I hurried over toward the bath that was filled to the brim with hot steaming water.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Daxton murmured. “I added oilsfrom the corner shelf to your bath. They should help you relax.”

I approached the tub and smelled the sweet scent of lavender infused into the water. “Thank you,” I answered with a bite to my voice. I was about to drop my towel, but an unnatural shyness forced me to freeze.

Shifters were used to nudity. Half the time, our people walked around naked, either from just shifting or preparing to shift. We wore loose clothing that could easily be taken off or repaired if they ripped from our animal shifts. But right now, I was very, very aware that Daxton was sprawled out naked across the room from me.

“No peeking,” I shouted, clutching the towel around me.

Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed Daxton move to rest his forearms on his strong thighs that carried the weight of his sculpted physique. I gulped a very loud and noticeable breath. My animal seemed to perk up, her curiosity spinning like a top in my chest. The steam was thick enough, combined with the dim lighting, to conceal certain areas I was taught not to stare at from a very young age. I didn’t dare allow my gaze to linger, but I couldn’t curb my wildly inappropriate imagination from picturing what lay beneath the obscure layer of steam.

Fucking hell. I couldn’t let myself imagine or even think about going down this road. No matter how riled up I still was from last night,hewas simply not an option for me.Thiswas one of those horrible ideas that I never should or would get to play out.

Daxton was off limits, I told myself. However, I wasn’t sure if I believed it.

“From my studies… I understood that shifters were comfortable with nudity. Was I wrong?” Daxton asked as he shifted forward and tilted his head to the side to give me a playful, narrowed glance. “But even through this steam… I can see you blushing, Spitfire.” His deep voice had a kind of sing-song tease to it, adding to my already rising embarrassment.

“You… are not a shifter,” I scolded him. “And this isnota normal situation.” I paused for a second to purse my lips in frustration as I watched his grin widen. “Just close your eyes until I get into the tub, please. No peeking!”

Daxton leaned back with a mischievous gleam in his expression as he spread his toned muscular arms across the back of the bench. A devilish grin spread across his firm jawline as he closed his eyes and covered his face with one hand. “Not peeking.”

I didn’t want to wait and test him, so I dropped my cover andquickly slid into the depths of the bath. The warm waters washed over my skin, relieving me of the dirt and grime I had accumulated during the night. Choosing to ignore Daxton’s presence for the moment, I grabbed the bar of soap and scrubbed every inch of myself clean. I wanted to wash away the memories. I wanted to scrub each of them away in the steaming waters of this tub. Once I was satisfied with my cleanliness, I sank below the surface to disappear from the world. Hitting the bottom of the tub, the silence of the water calmed my mind. I drifted into a peaceful bliss, forgetting everything around me aside from the steady beating of my heart. Unable to hold my breath any longer, I sprang up from below the surface.

I held back a startled yelp as I faced a very naked Daxton hovering over the lip of the tub. “Refreshing dip?” he casually asked as he stood at the edge of the bathing pool, the rim hitting just below his lower abdomen.

“I said no peeking!” I exclaimed as I splashed him with a wave of water. He laughed and took a step back, unfazed by my reaction. “Move back over to your side!”

He held up his hands and stepped back toward his bench, steam swallowing his figure once more. “Sorry, I was only checking to make sure you would bob back up to the surface.”

“Itwasrelaxing,” I shot back at him.

He sat closer to the tub this time, reclining the bench directly adjacent to me. “I’m still relaxed…” he answered. “Does my mere presence upset you or cause you distress?”

“No,” I answered quickly. “No… you don’t bother me.”

Daxton flashed me a half-smile, satisfied, it seemed, with my response. The truth of the matter was that I was relaxed when I was with him. I felt safe when Daxton was around, and most of all, I believe I trusted him.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Daxton said.

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