Page 28 of A Shard of Ice

At first, he is intent on getting clean, but then he catches me staring and smirks, his blue eyes glinting.

With a small gasp, I avert my gaze, feeling that same heat rise up my cheeks. My face is burning. This is so wrong on so many levels.

“I’m almost done,” Damon declares, making me turn back to watch him. He rinses off underwater and then stands, drops of water cascading down his sculpted chest and trailing along his defined abs. I swallow hard, trying to ignore the fluttering sensation in my stomach.

“I’m getting out now, Ky. You might want to avert your gaze; otherwise, it wouldn’t be proper.” He winks at me.

I force my eyes from his chest to his amused stare. I turn away, cursing him inside my head. Cursing myself even more. Against my better judgment – what judgment? – I sneak a look at him from under my lashes.

My jaw falls open as my gaze tracks his strong thighs and meaty ass. His back is muscular, too, tapering at his hips but flaring wide at his shoulders.

He has a beautiful design on his back in black and gold. At first, I think it is a star with sharp edges done in gold. Then, I realize that it is an intricate snowflake. It’s beautiful. It isn’t something I recognize. It must have appeared after he turned into a fae. There was a scar there before. Like he’d been stabbed and burned. The weirdest thing is that Taylor couldn’t quite remember how he got the scar. He said it must have happened when he was too young to remember. I always found that a bit strange. The scar is long gone, and in its place is a masterpiece.

He looks back over his shoulder and grins at me when he catches me looking at him. That tightening in my lower belly happens again; this time, I feel it between my legs as well.

I want.

I…I need…

No! Not with him. Never him.

“See something you like, Ky?”

I choke out a sound of outrage. “No!” I say too soon and with too much conviction. “Quite the opposite!”

Then I turn and grab my shift from the rock. After rinsing it out, I pull it back on. My whole body is burning up with embarrassment. He caught me looking at him. Not just looking, but…I was…I…I was looking at him like I wanted him, and it just isn’t true.

I refuse to be attracted to a fae. Especially him.

When I look back to where Damon stood just minutes earlier, I find the spot empty. In a couple of days, this will all be over. I’ll never have to see him again. I don’t feel the sense of relief I thought I would.

It’s all so confusing. I get to work cleaning my clothes. I don’t want to think about the fae anymore. The sooner I can banish him from my thoughts, the better.

9

Damon

After foraging, I return with my arms full. Kyrie is busy hanging her freshly washed clothes on a nearby tree. She turns, a scowl on her pretty face. I almost drop what I am carrying and proceed to swallow my tongue as my eyes pop out of my skull.

Kakara, save me.

I’ve seen Kyrie in her shift many times, but it’s never been soaked through before. I can make out the dark of her nipples. Her breasts are high and full. They’re fuller than I ever realized. She’s always worn loose garb. Her curved frame was always hidden. I’ve never really looked…not like this. I shouldn’t be looking now.

I swallow thickly, the sound filling the silence. May the gods help me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks in a clipped tone.

“I um…I… You’re still wet.” It’s a stupid thing to say. Of course, she’s wet; she only finished bathing not so long ago.

“What are you wearing?” Her eyes narrow, and she looks angry. “What’s wrong with you? Do fae walk around naked? Is that normal?”

“I’m not naked. I’m in my braies. My clothes are drying, too, same as you.” I point at a tree on the other side of the clearing; my clothes are all still hanging in it.

“You may as well be naked. They’re undergarments.”

It’s true. I am practically naked without pants and a tunic, but what else can I do?

I throw out a laugh. “I’m sorry to have to point this out, Ky, but you’re in your undergarments as well.”

---