he do that? Make a sound feel like an actual physical stroke? She stood up, graceful because she had good balance and for him, she wanted to be as sensual as possible.
She tugged and removed first one boot and then the other. Before she could strip away his socks, he reached out and slipped his fingers through the tight red curls adorning her mound.
“Love the fire in these curls, ledi. You’re my little sexy kiska. We’re going to trim them down, but never get rid of them. I like them far too much.”
Absinthe stroked caresses through the red hair, and each time the pads of his fingers moved confidently over her curls, they dipped lower to her lips and clit as if he owned that part of her. Every word he spoke sent flames licking at her sensitive skin right along with his touch, as if his tongue held fire and he could turn her body into an inferno anytime he wanted.
“You make me feel sexy, Absinthe,” she blurted out without thinking and then shook her head and removed his socks.
“You are sexy, Scarlet. I’ve never found another woman more sensual.” He put one hand on her belly and eased her back a step so he could stand up, stripping his jeans off as he did. “Everything about you is sexy. Go get in the tub, babe. I’m right behind you.”
She was very conscious that he meant it. Absinthe simply tossed his clothes at a hamper and followed her to the bathtub. She could feel his eyes on her the entire way. She stepped into the bathtub and slid into the hot water. The tub was deeper than she expected, the color, teal, turning the water an incredible shade of blue.
Absinthe got into the steaming water directly behind her, his legs wide, pulling her body back into his so she was sitting between his legs. Immediately he cupped the weight of her breasts in his large hands, his thumbs gently strumming over her nipples. She let her head fall back against his chest and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of him playing with her nipples.
She loved being with him, skin to skin, close to him, the heat of the water rising around them, melting her body into his so she felt like she was sharing the same body with him. She let herself drift off for the first time in so long she couldn’t remember. She always had to be so hyperaware of everything. So vigilant. Here, with Absinthe, she felt safe. Peace settled into her as his hands moved over her body, claiming her.
Ordinarily, she didn’t like anyone touching her. She had tried using money to exchange for the needed lessons in survival training, and most of the time it had worked, until Adrik. He’d been merciless. Daunting. She’d nearly given up until she realized he was the real deal. An assassin, and he could really teach her the things she needed to know in order to get to the man who had taken his friends to her little sister’s home and beaten and raped her. This was the man who would show her what to do.
“Shh, baby, you’re safe with me,” Absinthe whispered, his fingers moving over her ear gently, his mouth brushing kisses into the messy topknot she’d made of her hair to prevent it from getting wet. “Anything either of us has done in the past stays there. The past shaped us into being who we are, why we need one another. I need you. I swear to you, Scarlet, I want you just the way you are. I hope like hell you want me the same way.”
She realized she had tears running down her face and knew just sitting in the water with Absinthe was some kind of catharsis, a purification, a cleansing. She knew Absinthe meant every word. They had a connection, a path that lay open between them, and she felt his loneliness. She’d always been alone, and she’d accepted her path. Absinthe was different. He’d been with his family, those seventeen people who still surrounded him and yet he was desperately lonely. Why?
He thought himself unlovable. That she could never love him if she knew the truth about him and what he wanted from her. His deepest need. His darkest craving. Her stomach did a slow roll as she tried to puzzle it out. Absinthe was such a gorgeous, handsome man. Intelligent. More than intelligent. He had amazing gifts. What could