Page 82 of Ruthless Oath

“You should take a shower.” He moved away from me, leaving me with an empty sensation. I wanted us to be more than sex and aggression. I wanted passion and love.

He turned on the faucets in the stall and adjusted them to spray in several directions. In seconds, the glass enclosure filled with steam.

I stepped toward him and bit my bottom lip, contemplating my next move. It didn’t always have to be a battle between us, but it was as if we couldn’t help ourselves. We fed off one another’s conflict.

He lowered his face to mine and covered my mouth with his, kissing me slowly, sending powerful tingles through me. I wanted him again.

“Join me.” I tugged on the bottom of his shirt and raised it over his head. He sighed when I ran my fingers along his chest. “Please.”

He removed his shoes and socks before shedding his pants and boxer briefs. His taut muscles bulged over his impressive body, leaving me in awe of his beauty.

Taking my hand, he brought me into the shower stall and guided me under the steady warmth of the water. I stood close to him, wanting the heat of his flesh, but if I was being completely honest, I wanted to be near him. I wanted to matter to him.

“You’re a goddess.” He traced his finger along my bottom lip. “Too perfect for any man.”

“I don’t want just any man.” I pressed my palm to his cheek. “I want you.”

“Why?” He closed his eyes for a second and leaned into my touch.

“I wish I knew.” I smiled at him.

He pushed my wet hair from my cheeks, then took my face between his hands. The intensity in his gaze excited me. Knowing that I could hold the attention of a man like him gave me a sense of power I had never possessed.

“My father doesn’t make allowances for mistakes.” He caressed my cheeks with his thumbs. “He doesn’t tolerate incompetence.”

“Am I a mistake?”

“One of the biggest mistakes I could have made.”

I gazed down at the floor, wishing I could disappear as easily as the water swirling down the drain.

He tilted my head up and looked into my eyes. “Not all mistakes are wrong or meant to be regretted.”

He released my face and wrapped his arms around my waist, bringing me close to him.

“If we were different people.” He shook his head and backed me against the tiled wall. “If we came from a different place and time, maybe… There are things that I have to do to protect what’s mine. I can’t expect you to understand them or forgive me for them.”

“It isn’t like I don’t come from the same world you do. Shouldn’t that make me understand you better?”

“I don’t think you fully understand where you come from, because if you did, you wouldn’t be here with me now. You wouldn’t be so clueless to the things this life expects of me. You would know why we’re a mistake.”

Was I just his bargaining chip? A means to an end? A way to get his father home?

If the answer to those questions was yes, why did I feel such an intense bond with him? Had nothing we shared these past few days meant anything to him?

“I know you don’t like me all the time,” I said. “But we do have a physical connection, and that means something to me.”

I wouldn’t push him, but the torment in his voice haunted me. What happened to make him so guarded? So miserable?

“Do you like me?” he asked.

“More than I should, I’m afraid.”

I slipped my hand down his chest and along his stomach. My hand trembled as I took his length in it. If I didn’t mean anything to him, would he be this conflicted?

“Princess.” He moaned when I tightened my grip on his growing shaft. “Can you handle more?”

Is he talking about sex or more of a life with him?

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