"Come inside and wash my back..."
The order curled around her as Emira walked into the bathroom that was already filled with steam. She tightened the bathrobe around her, her hands trembling, as she walked towards the shower.
Her heart pounded, and for a second, she couldn’t even look up, so all she could see was the white tiled floor and a reflection... But soon,her gaze rose anyway.
Prince Zen stood under the shower, his back to her, water cascading down his bare, muscled frame. The heat made droplets shimmer on his skin, tracing the cut of his shoulders, the ridges of his spine.
It was impossible for her not to stare. She knew she shouldn’t-knew that to linger even a second longer would only feed his arrogance and bring about her own downfall, but her eyes betrayed her just like her body had before.
A quiet, sharp inhale escaped her before she jerked her head away, even as she walked closer to her, her cheeks burning. How was she supposed to wash his back..."
"Really?" His voice echoed off the tiles, and even though he had not turned his head around, he seemed to know everything as he said, "You’re acting like you’ve never seen a naked man before."
She said nothing. She hadn’t seen a naked man before. Yes, nudity meant little in the Packs. Bodies were bodies-flesh, fur, bone. But she had always avoided the others, never dared to be close. Not in this way. Not in any way. That was the rule her aunt had set for her. That she would live with the pack, but only on the periphery. She was not to be allowed any pack runs, or be a part of any ceremonies. Her only duty was to be the lowest servant until she could come of age, when she would be given to the wolves... literally.
She hesitated for a heartbeat, then stepped closer, her fingers moving stiffly as she picked up the washcloth from the small tray near the edge of the shower. The steam clung to her skin, and the bathrobe was already beginning to dampen, the fabric growing heavy as water droplets soaked through in patches.
Her hands trembled as she reached up, pressing the cloth gently to the back of his neck. It felt wrong, somehow. As if she should not be doing this... But she did it. Carefully, she slid the washcloth lower, towards his shoulders when he suddenly spoke, "Use the soap. Lather it well. Then rub it on me."
Emira froze and her throat tightened.
Still, without a word, she obeyed. She reached for the bar of soap, and hurriedly rubbed it between her hands until the lather foamed between her palms. Then, she carefully, pressed it against his shoulders... It made her hands feel foreign.
The contact jolted her.
The first thing she felt was heat, not from the steam or the shower water, but from him. His skin radiated it as if he was an inferno. She pulled back her hand hurriedly, only to freeze again, as he said," I do not have all night, Omega. Move faster."
Muscle shifted faintly as he stood still, and her hand wavered before continuing-slow, uncertain strokes across his back.
The ridges of his spine. The slope of his shoulder blades. The faint dip where his ribs began. He caught her hand just when she was about to rub lower and said, "Where did you plan to run off to, Little Omega, when you escaped from the pack? You planned to go rogue?"
Emira shivered at the question and tried to escape, but his hand kept her captured against his hip.
When she didn’t answer, his hand that held her wrist moved and with a sharp tug, he pulled. Her breath escaped her as her nose was buried into his shoulder while her hand was now pressed flat against his abdomen.
Her fingers spread out slightly from the pressure.
His skin was slick with water and soap, but she could still feel the hardness underneath. His abs were firm. Each muscle distinct beneath her touch. The heat from his body seeped into her hand.
She didn’t move.
Her chest rose sharply as she tried to breathe.
The soaked robe clung to her. Water had seeped through it completely. The fabric stuck to her thighs and arms, pulling at her movements.
Then he dragged her hand lower. An inch. Then another. She tried to pull away, curled her fingers, but his hand was unstoppable.
Her arm shook from the force of trying to pull away from him, when he growled," If you won’t satisfy my curiosity, little fire, then you can... satisfy something else..."
With that, he continued to glide her hand over his abs, lower towards his...