Page 98 of A Court Bright and Broken

“I’ll be right back.”

Stellon strode quickly toward the door then turned back with a cheeky grin. “For the record, you donotoffend. You still smell as good as the night I brought you up here.”

“Which was following a stay in the dungeon,” I said. “I most definitely need a bath.”

About twenty minutes later he returned and scooped me off of the sofa as usual. Carrying me into the bathing room, he set me on the edge of the bathtub.

Deep and wide, the marble vessel was flanked by a fireplace where a vigorous fire crackled and cast a warm orange glow throughout the room.

Fragrant steam rose from the water’s surface, and it was covered in flower petals.

“What is this?” I asked.

“A flower bath. I thought you might enjoy it.”

“I reallydosmell, don’t I?”

His eyes were bright with merriment. “Maybe just a tiny bit.”

I’d expected Stellon to leave the room, but he just stood there.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I thought maybe… well, I wondered if you want to uh… take that off before getting in?”

He gestured toward the shift I wore.

“I do, but I don’t need your help to do it,” I said in a sharp tone. “I’m not a child.”

Stellon let out a strangled sounding laugh. “Believe me… I do not see you as a child.”

Then he picked me up again.

“What are you doing?” I shrieked.

Was he going to deprive me of bathing because I wouldn’t agree to disrobe in front of him?

Now that I’d seen and smelled the lovely water, I craved a flower bath almost more than I treasured my modesty. Almost.

“Lowering you into the water,” he said as he did exactly that.

“The tub is deep, and your ankle is unsteady,” he explained. “I wouldn’t want you to slip and injure yourself further.”

For a moment, I was robbed of all speech. The hot water felt so good. Even with the slip on, it soothed and pleasured every inch of my skin. I’d never felt anything like it.

And then I looked down at myself in the clear water—and found my voice.

“Get out.”

Ordering a prince about was bold, but I was in a panic.

My white slip, which had covered me decently for the past few days, had become transparent in the water, revealing the intimate details of my anatomy.

Glaring at Stellon, I crossed my arms over my chest and pulled my legs up until my knees poked out of the water.

The look in his eyes told me it was too late. He’d already seen more than any man other than a husband should ever see.

And no… he didnotview me as a child. I was mortified.

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