Page 112 of Heat of the Everflame

He offered the towel out to me. I ignored it, frowning. “Luther, what’s wrong?”

“We should get back to the others.”

“Why won’t you let me touch you?”

“We just did quite a lot of touching.” He gave me a look that was surely meant to be teasing, but it came across strained.

“Youdid a lot of touching. Do you...” I slid off the counter, wrapping my hands around myself as my insecurities resurfaced. “Do you not want me to touch you?”

His hesitation said too much.

“Of course I do, but we’ve been in here long enough. Alixe and Taran are waiting.”

He held out the towel again, and again I ignored it. He sighed and set it beside me, then turned to leave.

“Wait,” I called out.

“I’ll meet you in the parlor.”

“Luther, stop.”

He continued across the room, heading for the bedchamber door.

“Your Queencommandedyou to stop,” I snapped.

He halted immediately, frozen mid-step.

I blinked a few times, shocked at my own words. Shocked that it had gone that far.

I took a deep breath and forced my voice to soften. “Look at me, Luther. Please.”

Slowly, with palpable reluctance, he spun on his heel. His face was fixed in a hard stare, jaw set and eyes cold.

I took a step toward him. “Earlier, you said there was something you wanted to tell me.”

“It was nothing. I misspoke.”

I balked. “Now you’relying?”

“I’m not—” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Can you please put on the towel?”

“Forget the gods-damned towel!”

His teeth ground together. “I cannot think straight with you standing in front of me naked.”

I rolled my eyes and walked to the washroom, snatching the towel and knotting it around me. “Better?”

His eyes fixated on the bare hip still peeking out between the folds. His hands flexed at his sides. “Not really.”

I studied his frosty expression, all its harsh angles and severe lines. All trace of the sweet contentment from moments ago was long gone.

Hurt crept its spindly fingers into my heart. How could his emotions change so quickly? Had what we just shared meant so little that he could turn away from it on the flip of a coin?

And then it hit me.

“Luther, if you... if you think... that is, if you’re not interested in...” Nausea rose in my throat. “What we just did... I don’t need to beservedthat way just because I’m Queen. You are under no oblig—”

“What did you just say?”

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