Page 114 of Dance of Madness

He grins, inhaling smoke slowly. “No one gets invited here but you, princess,” he murmurs. “You can put the claws away.”

I can feel my face heating as he eyes me.

“I’m fixing the place up here and there because I might move in one day.”

My brows arch. “Really?”

He shrugs and passes me the cigarette again.

“I know. It’s a creepy-ass haunted house. But I love this place. Always have.”

I feel a grin tug at the corners of my lips.

“So do I, actually. When we used to dare each other to run past it, I’d always slow down a bit and imagine what it would look like with lights on inside.” I shrug. “I think it’s a beautiful house—well, could be.”

Nero says nothing, just looks at me curiously with those emerald-green eyes as the smoke curls around his head like a halo.

Still without a word, he turns and picks up a washcloth and a bar of soap, dipping the former into the warm water before lathering it up.

“What—”

“Turn.”

I immediately obey, scooching around and presenting my back to him. My breath catches as I feel the wet, warm cloth start to move over my back.

“What are you?—”

“Washing you. Hold still.”

And just like that, Nero freaking De Luca, the wolfish, monstrous, possibly sociopathic lord of darkness gently starts togive me a bath.

He starts with my back. Then does my neck and arms. He even has me lift them, to get my armpits. Then he has me turn around and washes my front—always carefully avoiding the fresher bruises.

“Up.”

“Nero—”

“Princess.”

I flush, rolling my eyes before I finally stand. He cleans my legs, then my butt…then I’m shivering and biting my lip again as heruns the warm cloth higher between my legs, gingerly cleaning both my pussy and the bite he gave me on my inner thigh.

“Is Leo Debolsky still sniffing around you?”

My lips curl into a smirk.

“Uh,no.” I laugh quietly. “Uncle Levka likes the idea of our familiesjoining,” I groan, rolling my eyes. “For political reasons. Papa isn’t interested.”

“What about you?”

“Oh, he’s who I think of whenever you and I—aiiee!”

I giggle-squeal as Nero swats my ass with an open palm.

“Joking,” I laugh. “Obviously.”

He glares at me, but he’s biting back a smile of his own.

“I really don’t, you know. Bring other girls here, I mean.”

---