Page 74 of Light the Fire

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Haina

“Oh…my…God!” I sank down into the warm water of the enormous bathtub, the soft white bubbles reaching my chin and hiding the rest of my body completely. While I’d gone to get Rix and Jorik from the boat, Zane had located a generator powered by solar panels, and the battery was fully juiced, so we had power, heat and running water.

And even more brilliant was that the generator was silent.

He’d said if it made a peep, we weren’t using it, as it could draw attention. But it was as quiet as a field mouse, so we let that baby run and heat up the hot water tank.

If a revolution wasn’t waiting for me and we weren’t still being hunted by government soldiers, I could easily stay in this cabin forever.

We could hunt for our food, and Rix and Jorik and I could have mind-blowing sex all day every day while Zane and his grumpy penis went off to recite poetry to bored squirrels.

A gentle knock at the door had me opening my eyes. “Hey,” Jorik said softly.

I smiled at him, almost sleepily. Whatever the scent of this bubble bath was, it was decadent but also made me sleepy. I grabbed the bottle off the edge of the tub and read it.Lavender.

“Come to join me, Big Man?” I asked, hopeful and eyeing up the growing bulge at the front of his pants.

“Wasn’t trying to impose, but I was hoping you’d ask,” he said with a shy smile, quickly stripping out of his own clothes and stepping over the edge into the tub.

I thought he’d go sit at the other end since there was more than enough room for two, but he gently nudged me forward and slid in behind me, settling my back against his rock-hard chest, just like how we’d stood at the helm last night and the first way that he’d slid his cock into me. This was becomingourposition, and I loved it.

As if we’d been doing it for years, he slid his hands along my arms as they rested above the water on either side of the tub ledge and linked his fingers through mine. He pressed a kiss to the side of my neck. “I cannot remember the last time I had a bath,” he said, his breath warm against my neck.

I chuckled, marveling at how his large forearms completely covered mine. They were veiny and lightly dusted with blond hair. And for some reason, they made my entire core clench and grow warm. “Icanremember the last time I had a bath,” I said, “and I’m still relishing this one. It was one of theveryfew ‘luxuries,’ if you can even call it that, that I was allowed at the compound. Though I didn’t have any of this delicious bubble bath, and the tub wasn’t nearly as big. It was just hot water and a bar of soap that dried out my skin. But it was really great to have a soak after a hard day of training.”

Jorik kissed my shoulder. “When did they start training you?”

“When I was two. You guys?”

“Two as well. First kill was when we turned ten. It was ourbirthdaypresent.”

“Disgusting, isn’t it? The same is for the Hellcats, but I think they celebrate that on their eighth birthday.”

“Not you, though.”

“No, not me. While other eight-year-old Hellcats were out slitting throats, I was locked up in my cage with a blood bag rocking beside me and a needle in my arm.”

“Not anymore though, Angel. You’re free. You’re nobody’s blood bag anymore. Nobody’s source.”

With a sigh that made me practically boneless, I leaned back against his shoulder and turned to kiss his cheek. “Does it always happen this fast and this easily?” I asked, after a few moments of companionable silence passed between us.

“Does what?”

I lifted up one of our intertwined hands. “This. Whatever we are. You and me. Me and Rix. You meandRix. It feels so … right, so meant to be. But I can’t help wondering if it’s because I’veneverexperienced any of…this…before, that it’s all happening really fast, or if this is the way it usually goes.” I shrugged, attempting to slough off that creeping toxic vine of embarrassment that tried to choke the joy out of me every time my ignorance and naivete about the world came through.

“I don’t know,” he said plainly and with zero judgment in his tone. “I’ve never had a girlfriend, if that’s what you mean. Never been in a relationship or in love. I’ve worked as a super soldier, as an assassin my entire life. The intimacy I’ve had has always been for the job. Sure, I didn’thatethat part of the job—all the time—but this is the first time I’vechosento be intimate with someone because I wanted to, not because I had to. And I know Rix will say the same.”

“So it’s not happening too fast?”

“It’s happening at the speed it’s supposed to for us. The fact that you’re just experiencing this sexual awakening now has somewhat expedited a few things—like having sex with both of us at the same time—but I think the rest is just following the path it’s supposed to take. We were meant to all come together. Your blood runs through our veins. There was a reason your escape happened when all three of us were in the compound and not out on an assignment.”

“You think so?”

He cupped my chin. “No. But I feel it.” He tapped his heart. “Right here. That we’re meant to be.”

I smiled at his heartrending candor and kissed his jawline. “Can I ask you something else?”

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