Page 25 of Seducing the Knave

Elle frowned. She hadn’t thought of that. The young boy had looked rather tired and she truly had no desire to add to his burden. But it also wasn’t the point. “You can’t seriously think to bathe while I’m in the room.”

An irreverent smile curved his lips and the challenge was back in his eyes. “Why not?”

Elle spun around just as he began to tug his shirt off over his head. Keeping her back to him, she stared into the fireplace with a fierce frown.

“You have no shame,” she muttered as she struggled to retain her composure.

“A fact that’s been established.”

“At least move behind the screen,” she insisted.

He laughed but she did hear the sound of the screen being pulled back around to conceal the bathing corner.

She was trapped.

She couldn’t exactly leave the room in her current state. And she couldn’t dress while he was present. All she could do was stand stiffly in place while heat flooded her body and a wild fluttering invaded her core.

She wanted to growl her frustration.

“Just hurry up,” she grumbled.

Doing her best to distract herself, she added a couple of pieces of wood to the fire and tried really hard not to imagine what he was doing behind her—not to mention what he might look like while doing it. But her mind had a rebellious nature and she often had little control of it. Mental images of what he might look like nude swirled about unheeded, but having never seen a naked man before, her imagination failed to come up with proper details.

And then she heard a shift in the sounds behind her. Instead of sliding cloth, she heard moving water.

He was getting into the tub.

Her belly performed a reckless cartwheel and she had to force a deep inhale to dispel a rush of light-headedness.

“All right, princess?”

His obvious amusement grated over her sensitized nerves. No doubt he was loving this whole situation.

“Fine,” she replied in a clipped voice.

He started to hum a rather jaunty tune in accompaniment to the sound of increased splashing.

Stiffening, Elle realized that she needed to take advantage of his distraction. Risking a quick peek over her shoulder, she noted that the tub and he in it were fully blocked by the screen. If she couldn’t see him, then he couldn’t see her.

She likely only had a handful of minutes to redress. It was now or never.

She reached for her light chemise—a thin, nearly transparent garment that fell only to mid-thigh. Thankfully, it was mostly dry.

She hesitated.

Was she really going to do this?

Did she have a choice?

Before she could talk herself out of it, she took a breath then released the blanket, allowing it to fall to the floor.

#

BLOODY EVERLASTING ’ell!

Max’s cock shot hard as a rock as he gripped the rim of the tub so tight his knuckles went white.

He’d been stunned nearly speechless when she’d removed her cloak earlier and revealed all those luscious curves he’d only gotten a hint of as he’d held her in his lap. But now...he could barely breathe.

---