Heart of Fire (19 page)

“You know, everything you’re trying
to hide I saw quite clearly when I pulled you from the pool by the
cave.”

“Hush!”

* * *

He put his hands around her slender
waist and listened as her heart beat a little faster. Like
sun-warmed seedberries, the delicate scent of desire drifted into
his senses. She fought it, but she wanted him. His hands slid up
her ribcage, settling beneath the curve of her breasts. Her soft
warmth seeped into his skin, tightening the muscles in his
thighs.

She finished tying the sash and
stepped out of his embrace. “Can you see?”

“I can see exactly what you looked
like as the sun sparkled through the water, your hair swirling
around your shoulders, the fullness of your—”

“Enough! Can you see through the
blindfold?” She clamped her hand over his mouth and he kissed it,
causing her to pull it away.

“Nay. Most unfortunate, considering
you’re about to bathe in front of me.” He did his best to sound
dejected, and stretched back on the bed, allowing his senses to
take over.

She waved a hand in front of his
face.

Never in his life had suppressing
his tongue been so difficult. He wanted to tell her the blindfold
couldn’t stop him from sensing the movement of her hand and
wouldn’t stop him from imagining her in the tub.

He settled onto the bed, listening
to Jessalyne turn. The muffled drop of fabric told him she’d
undressed. Heat traveled down his spine at the thought. The basket
of toiletries scraped across the floor. Dulcet tones of moving
water reached his ears as she stepped into the tub.

Her soft gasp revealed he’d been
right. The water had cooled. Air moved as she waved her hand. The
room warmed slightly. She’d used her magic to reheat the water.
Water sloshed. “Ohhh...this feels so good.”

“I’m sure it does.” She went still.
He could feel her staring at him. “Did you forget about
me?”

“No.”

He listened to the soft splashes and
imagined her bare, wet body only steps away. The aching need to
touch her resurfaced, lancing through him like sharpened steel. He
moaned softly, mad with distraction.

“Did you say something?”

“Nay.” Did she have any idea the
torture she put him through? He should have left.

Water splattered and something
skittered across the floor. The soap. Ertemis heard it spin to a
stop on the other side of the bed. “Lose something?”

“Yes. My soap.”

“Tell me where it is and I’ll fetch
it for you.”

“No, I’ll get it.” Water sloshed as
she started to get out.

“Jessalyne, I’m blindfolded and
you’re in the bath. Don’t be silly, you’ll get everything wet. I
told you I can’t see.”

“All right. It’s on the other side
of the bed.”

Ertemis got up and made a show of
feeling for his surroundings, arms out, feet shuffling.
“Here?”

“No, further toward the wall, over
the other way...there, yes, that’s it.”

He snatched the soap and walked
directly to the tub.

“What are you doing?”

He knelt behind her. “So many
questions. If I must be sightless, perhaps you should be soundless,
lelaya.” He pulled his shirt off and threw it back toward the bed.
“Lean forward.”

A gentle sloshing said she complied.
He dipped the soap into the water and lathered her back.

She flinched at his touch then
relaxed as his fingers massaged in slow sudsy circles. “Ohhh...,”
she sighed.

He smiled, moving her hair over her
shoulder. The warm velvet of her skin set his body aflame. Pressing
along the bow of her spine, he ran his thumbs below the water line,
stopping above the lush rounding of her backside.

“Maybe you shouldn’t—”

“Don’t like the way it
feels?”

“It feels wonderful,
but—”

“Shhh...it’s been a long day,
sweeting. Let me take care of you.”

She bent farther forward, giving him
access to more of her back. His calloused fingers drew gasps of
pleasure from her, filling him with satisfaction.

Her pulse quickened, and her scent
filled his nose. Images flooded his head; waking up to her sleepy
form curled around him, the tilt of her head when she asked him a
question. What was she doing to him? It occurred to him that
without the blindfold, the sight of her wet body would probably
finish him.

Releasing the soap, he cupped water
in his hands and rinsed her back. His lips grazed the side of her
neck and she bent her head to his kisses. Whispering her name
against her skin, he felt her shudder.

Keeping one hand on her shoulder, he
slipped the other below the water’s surface, splaying his fingers
over her the curve of her belly. What she would look like ripe with
his child? Stunned, he shook the image from his head and pulled her
tight against the back of the tub. Water sloshed onto his
trousers.

Inhaling sharply, she grabbed his
wrist. “I can’t...”

“I just want to touch you. You’re as
soft as rose petals. I promise, my hand will go no lower,
sweeting.”

Feathering kisses on her neck, he
moved higher, nipping her earlobe between his teeth. She moaned and
reached for him, weaving her fingers into his hair to draw his lips
harder against her flesh.

“Ohhh, Ertemis...”

Encouraged by her whispering his
name, he slid his hand higher, grazing the underside of her breast.
She was softer than rose petals, softer than any woman he’d touched
before; deliciously, decadently, velvety soft. And she wanted him.
The thought was almost his undoing.

She tipped her head back. “I
shouldn’t do this...”

“Don’t you like my kisses,
lelaya?”

“I think I like them too
much.”

He found her trembling lips and was
reminded of her innocence but she met his kiss with a hunger that
begged to be sated. He kissed her hard, and she moaned.

His hand swept up to cup her breast,
the fullness spilling over his fingers. She arched, pressing
further into his hands. Desire overwhelmed him. He felt powerless
to control himself.

The pad of his thumb brushed a
tender bud and she recoiled, a tremor running through her. She
pulled out of his embrace. Water spilled over the tub sides. “I
can’t,” she whispered. “I can’t do this”.

Ertemis knelt at the end of the tub.
His empty hands ached to feel her silk again. “Please, I need you.”
He dropped his head, stunned by the raw urgency coursing through
him. Never had a woman made him beg.

He heard her rapid breathing, the
staccato rhythm of her heart. He was too filled with his own desire
to read her feelings but her silence sounded like refusal. Maybe
she didn’t want him after all. “You can’t cast your spell over me,
then leave me unsated. I am not a toy to be played
with.”

Wet footstep squeaked across the
floor. “I wasn’t toying with you. And I certainly didn’t mean to
upset you. I just can’t do this. I’m sorry.”

He stood and ripped the blindfold
off. “If you deny you want me, you’re lying.” She had wrapped
herself in a towel.

“I’m sorry.” She gripped the towel
so hard her knuckles were white.

“Sorry?” Rejection overwhelmed his
aching need. Furious for pushing her, he stood, clenching his fists
at his sides. He should have taken things slower. He growled a
curse, unable to temper the pain of her refusal. He was such a
fool.

Her gaze fixed on the bulge in his
trousers. Her eyes widened. “Does that hurt?”

He stared at her in disbelief. “Your
ignorance does not amuse me.” Jaw set, he grabbed his shirt and
pulled it over his head before tugging his boots on. He sensed her
fear. He needed to leave before he frightened her
further.

“Ertemis, please...”

He grabbed his sword belt. “I know
I’m low born, but this is the first time you’ve truly made me feel
it. You needn’t worry about me touching you again.”

Her eyes glittered angrily. She
clutched the bath sheet around her.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he
snapped. “This is who I am. The cold hearted assassin. You’ve made
it clear you think me a beast, don’t be surprised when I act like
one.”

He finished buckling the belt and
gave her one last look. “Would it have been the worst thing in the
realm to give yourself to me? To be with a man who truly...” He
leashed his tongue, unwilling to finish. What black magic did she
possess to fill his head with such thoughts? He cared for no
one.

“My mother’s letter said I must
remain chaste or lose my powers.”

“If you believe that, you’re a
foolish child. I know one thing. The men of Shaldar’s court will
make short work of your precious chastity. Magewoman? Try
mistress.” He yanked the door open.

“Go ahead, leave. I’m used to being
left. Why should you be any different?” Jessalyne said.

Snarling, he slammed the door behind
him.

Jessalyne melted to the floor,
unsure if crying or screaming would make her feel better. How dare
he say those things to her? A deep, shuddering sob racked her body.
What if he spoke the truth about the king’s court? She shook her
head. It couldn’t be.

Her hand went to the pendant around
her neck. There was such heartache in his eyes. She realized
suddenly what he had been about to say and her throat constricted.
No. She would not cry over that wretched creature another
time.

Instead, she dressed in her tunic. A
knock rang out and her first thought was of Ertemis. She answered,
expecting an apology, but instead found the valets come to remove
the tub and serve dinner.

It took them a few trips to carry
away the bathwater and Jessalyne sat looking out the window while
she waited. She kept hearing his voice in her head. The more she
thought about what he’d said, the more her blood rose.

“My lady?” The steward called to
her.

Jessalyne turned. “Yes?”

“Shall I serve dinner now or will
you be waiting for your husband?”

“You may serve me now.” Ignoring the
raised eyebrows, she sat at the small table with her head high. The
time had come for more than just a change of clothes. Her future
lay in Shaldar City, not with some temperamental ex-assassin. Her
mother would cringe that she’d felt affection for such a
man.

Making a concerted effort not to
think about him, she ate her meal with great concentration, every
bite studied and tasted thoroughly. She nibbled one of the
chocolate cakes but her appetite for such things had
disappeared.

After dinner, she practiced her
magic and discovered she could make both hot and cold spheres of
flame. Still, no Ertemis.

Exhausted from the day’s events and
the knockdown with him, she got into bed. She was almost asleep
when a raucous thumping on the door startled her. She opened it to
find Ertemis, eyes glazed. He smelled like a tavern, ale and smoke
and horses.

“Miss me, princess?” He stumbled
into the room, pulling at his shirt.

She wrinkled her nose, backing away.
“You’re sotted!”

“Sotted with the softness of your
skin...” He reached for her, just as he saw the remainders of
dinner on the table. “Food! Fine idea. What have we?” He rummaged
through the leftovers.

“I’m going to bed.” She turned down
the coverlet, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

He whirled around, almost tripping
himself. “That’s a wonderful idea.” He yawned, tugging at his shirt
again but it caught in his belt and held tight. After some
struggling, he realized the problem and unbuckled his belt, letting
both sword and belt clatter to the floor.

“What’s a wonderful
idea?”

He winked at her. “That innocent
country act is very charming, lelaya.” He dropped into one of the
dining chairs, causing it to scrape across the floor. Yanking his
boots off, he set one in the middle of the table.

“What are you rambling about? And
why won’t you tell me what that word means?” She climbed under the
covers, keeping an eye on him.

Standing, he mumbled something she
could not understand.

“What did you say?”

“Lelaya means heart of my
heart.”

Heart of my heart. The words echoed
in her head. Even in his current state, she couldn’t take her eyes
off him. His hair spilled over his bare chest as he fumbled with
the fastening on his trousers. Soused or not, he was a stunning
sight.

“What are you doing?” She watched
him teeter backwards.

In his attempt to undress, he fell
back into the chair, nearly splintering it. At last, he drew his
trousers off and stood up.

Jessalyne’s eyes went wide. “Put
your trousers back on, you sotted beast!”

“Pet names for me already?” He
flashed her a grin, clearly pleased with his own wickedness.
“Better than Black Death, I s’pose.”