Page 68 of The Cerise

A sheer glisten of sweat coats his back as he walks to the bathroom. I hear him draw the bath and the clink of scented oils as he picks the bottles up, reads the labels, and then sets them back down.

I lean to the side, mentally preparing for the mess, debating how I’ll explain the blood to Sasha, but there is none. The skirt of my dress is wet with a gooey white blob comprising most of the mess, and not a single drop of blood.

“What are you doing?” Riot asks, his brow arched.

“Nothing,” I say simply and stand. I hug myself, not sure what to do now. The curse has left my body having been satisfied and I feel…exposed.

Riot crosses the room and touches my chin with his thumb. He tilts my head up to where I have to look into his eyes and says. “Stop whatever thoughts are going through your mind. You are beautiful.” He presses a quick kiss to my lips. “What happened between us was beautiful. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now, come take a bath with me before the water gets cold.” He takes my hand and leads me into the bathroom. He lets me step into the water first, then climbs in and settles behind me, spreading his knees so I can sit between them.

Riot dips a washcloth into the water and rubs it along my shoulders and back. I close my eyes, falling into the relaxing movements of his hands. We stay like this until the water grows cold, in a comfortable silence.

I summon a small ball of warmth in my palm, not ready to let this moment slip away, and heat the water. “Bash said we could go to Ezra’s cell tomorrow.”

“Did he now?” Riot kisses my neck, his touch just as soft yet demanding as when we were in bed.

I drop my head back, falling into the pleasure that comes from his lips. “When can we leave?

“When do you want to leave?”

Never. The thought is jarring because I can’t blame it on Ezra’s love spell or even my magic. It’s mine. I enjoyed sleeping with Riot and I like spending time with him. I stand, needing to free myself from his touch, and step out of the tub. “Right after breakfast?”

“I’ll be here early.” Riot stands and reaches for two towels. He hands me the first and then dries himself with the other.

“Okay,” I say awkwardly. I don’t want Riot to leave but I know we can’t drag our goodbye out. Greg probably thinks I’ve lost my mind. Stars above, I hope he couldn’t hear me through the walls.

Riot dries and dresses quickly. I watch him, still standing in my towel. A part of me hopes he will ask to stay even though the logical side of me knows he can’t.

“Thank you,” I blurt as he heads toward the door, and a blush covers my cheeks as soon as the words leave my lips.

“Anytime,” he says, shaking his head, then adds, “Although, I probably shouldn’t make that offer. This thing between us…”

“I know,” I say, cutting him off and feeling the sting of something happening between us. I don’t know why but this was more than just a love spell finally breaking. That would’ve been a release. This sensation I have feels like something had been set in motion, pieces of a puzzle I didn’t know were missingfinally found.

“I should go before people start to wonder why there’s no one outside your door.” He walks over and kisses me one more time, and my heart races. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See you in themorning.”

I'm already awake, nervousness coursing through my veins, before Riot even knocks on my door. I sense him approaching down the hall, my heart racing in tandem with the dance of my magic, and I swing the door open before he has a chance to knock.

“Hi,” he says with an infectious grin on his face.

“Hi.” My gaze trails over Riot’s body, and I bite my lip.

He looks good this morning. Has he always looked this good?

I feel crazy, but not like magic has done something to me crazy. More like I finally understand why the village girls giggled when they saw Karter swimming in the lake or helping chop wood. It's a strange revelation and I can't shake the thought, even though I find it gross, considering he was my brother. Yet, looking at Riot, his biceps taut from the angle he holds the breakfast he made me, I get it.

“Hungry?”

I nod and step aside. I peek down the hallway, guilt and nervousness mixing into a strange cocktail of sensation, then close the door behind him. “Is Greg off duty?”

“Yeah, it’s officially my shift.” Riot sets the food down and then rocks on his heels, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“This doesn’t have to be awkward,” I tell him.

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