Page 50 of Shrine of Fire

Despite the large, winding size of the fort, the bathing room was on the small side. However, the tub was more than large enough, and I quickly filled it with piping hot water. Several bottles of scents oils sat on the shelves. Selecting something herbal, I added the oil to the water then sank in.

For a while I just soaked and tried to relax. My mind tried to bring me back to the painful memory of my dead pack. It was easy to distract myself in the waking hours, to push away the feelings of guilt and grief. But alone with my thoughts, despite the group of supportive men outside the door, the images of their bloodied, lifeless bodies haunted me.

I pushed myself to think of something else. I pictured the serene rolling hills around me. The calm, blue waters surrounding the Omega Sanctuary. Zara’s happy smile whenever she cooked. The simple pleasure of crochet, of weaving yarn together to produce works of art. The tapestries hung throughout the fort looked as though they were crocheted out of wool, with more intricate cabling and knot work than I’d ever seen. I would ask Cuan about it tomorrow.

Maybe I could learn new stitches while I was here.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Aki walked into the steam.

I turned my head and blinked, wondering if something was wrong.

He stood next to the counter and threw a sidelong glance at me before he began to unlace the soft leather shirt he always wore beneath his armor.

I lifted my head to stare at him. His ever-serious expression didn’t take away from how handsome he was. He lifted the shirt over his head, displaying the long, lean muscles of his shoulders, and then his strong biceps. As he turned toward the counter to put the shirt down, his back flexed, the hundreds of little scars all over his body visible in the candlelight.

Maybe someday he would feel he could share with me the pain of what happened.

His black hair caught glints of blue as he slid out of his pants. My lips parted as I watched the way the shadows played over the curves of his ass, and the way his thighs grew taut as he stepped out of his pants.

My breath came in shorter, and heat bloomed between my legs. I tried to collect my thoughts. Maybe he wanted a bath, and besides, everyone else was still in the living room.

“Taking a bath?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.

He didn’t answer, just moved toward me, then slid into the bath behind me and put his arms around my waist.

Comfort washed over me so quickly it made me dizzy. I hadn’t thought I was touch starved, but the joy of having him hold me was so great my body shuddered in response. I leaned my head back against his shoulder, letting out a deep breath.

He stroked his hands up and down my arms, slowly and methodically. I gave a hum of satisfaction, and let contentment carry me to a happier place. His peppery musk scent filled the room, along with the scented oil, and I gave a happy sigh. I hadn’t known how frayed I’d felt until his skin had touched mine; it was as though his gentle caress was soothing the burnt edges of my emotions.

I drifted, relaxed but not quite asleep, as the delta softly stroked his hands over my body, through my hair, over my hands, lacing his through mine. This time, when my mind drifted to painful memories, I reminded myself that Aki had stood with me during the battle with the Faceless One. He had been there with me through the hardest fight I’d ever faced.

Except, of course, the battle with my own grief. But I couldn’t ask him to share that burden.

We soaked until the water grew tepid, then Aki shifted himself out from behind me and stepped out onto the mat.

“Thank you, I needed that.” I smiled up at him, feeling like a sleepy cat.

Aki helped me stand up and get out of the tub, his dark hair swinging wet around his shoulders. “That’s not all you need.”

He used my momentum to pull me against him and pressed his mouth against mine.

The hot press of his lips was decadent after the long, hot soak. Aki licked his tongue over my lips, and I couldn’t help but sigh against him. He moved his hands over my body again, but the touch had changed from soothing to sensual.

Heat bloomed inside me again, wetness seeping between my legs. I remembered Stefan and Kalahar were two rooms over. If it was only Hashir, it would be part of our bedsport. But the idea of the others overhearing me, when they hadn’t shown any interest in even kissing me, was mortifying.

I broke from the kiss as Aki grabbed my ass to pull me hard against him. “We can’t. They’re in the next room.”

Aki grunted, and his semi-hard cock grew harder between our bodies. “I guess you’ll have to be quiet.”

He captured my mouth in another kiss, my body going up in flames. I wanted him. It had been weeks since I’d bedded him or Hashir. Finding a moment’s privacy on a crowded ship had all but killed my libido.

Turning him away now was impossible, even though I was shy.

I hooked my leg up on his waist, and he picked me up, then he turned and set me on the countertop. Putting one hand around me to pull my hips forward, he grabbed his cock in his other hand so he could rub his entire length against my pussy lips.

I bit back a groan, tipping my head back. The slight friction against me was enough to tease, and the way he held himself against me meant I could feel every inch of his cock without him even being inside me.

He kissed down my throat, nibbling hard enough to leave marks. I squirmed against him, trying to swallow my moans.

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