I raise my eyebrow at being ordered from my own bathing room. A blush rises to her face, but she stares back at me, her chin sticking out stubbornly.
“You are in pain,” I try once more. “I will help.”
“I’m fine.”
I let out a low growl, and it is her flinch that convinces me to go. “You will call me if you need help.”
She nods in relief, and I move toward the fire, where Arana has left enough food for a feast. She is well aware of a warrior’s need for fuel, especially when returning from a hunt.
I attempt to ignore the sounds of clothing dropping to the ground and sit down, focusing on the fire instead. I am not sure why this stubborn, tiny female appeals to me so much, but I will keep her near until I know the answer.
I tense at her gasp, and then I’m on my feet as a tiny, pained sound reaches me. I’m in the bathing room in a flash, coming to a stunned stop as I meet Ellie’s eyes.
She glares over her shoulder at me. “What are you doing? Don’t look!”
I raise a shaking hand to my mouth and glance away, but nothing will erase this vision from my mind. Ellie, turned away, her skin glowing in the candlelight, her lush ass naked as she attempts to remove her shirt.
It is the last part that snaps me out of my sudden daze.
“You are in pain,” I growl. “I do not know why you are so shy with me, but you will allow me to help.”
“God, what is wrong with you? I said I’m fine.”
The frustration in her shaky voice hits me, and I turn back to her, careful to keep my eyes on her face. It is flushed, her eyes filled with tears, and she is swaying with exhaustion.
“Enough,” I snap, striding forward.
She flinches away, but I slide one hand around her waist, careful to keep my attention on the knot she has been struggling with.
“You should have called for me instead of hurting yourself,” I growl. “Your stubbornness has only caused you more pain.”
She lets out a rough breath but chooses not to reply, and I have the knot free within moments. I gently remove the sling holding her arm in place, and Ellie clutches her wrist, keeping her elbow still.
“Keep holding your arm right there,” I tell her, moving around to the front of her body.
Her eyes are still filled with tears, and she glances away as I fumble with her shirt, cursing.
She lets out a tiny laugh, finally meeting my eyes. “You can rip the shirt if you want. It’s just a rag now.”
I do not want to risk jolting her arm, so I pull my knife from my belt and cut through the material. I do the same at the top so that she will not need to move her injured arm at all.
This female is incredibly shy with her body, and while I do not understand it, I must make allowances for her strange ways. I keep my eyes on hers as I take the elbow on her good arm and direct her to the bath.
I hold her and make sure she does not slip, and finally, she is sinking into the steaming water. A sigh of pleasure escapes her, and my whole body tenses. I want her to make that same sound while I bring her more pleasure than she could imagine.
“Tell me when you are almost finished, and I will help you wash your hair.”
Ellie nibbles her lip, but her desire to be completely clean must outweigh whatever concern she has about my presence because she nods, eyes once again darting away until I leave.
I have a sudden vision of joining her in the large bath, coaxing her onto my lap and watching her eyes darken as she rides me. One day, she will not fear me.
Ellie
Terex finally moves back to the fire, and I sigh. That was mortifying. He’s in such incredible shape, and knowing that he just stared at my naked, wobbly white butt is enough to make me want to cry.
I frown, confusion hitting me as I sink deeper into the warm water. I expected his touch to be clinical as he helped me, obviously too much of a gentleman to put up with a woman in pain. But his eyes were dark, muscles tense, and I didn’t miss the lust on his hard face when he first walked in.
Could he really want me?
I find it difficult to believe, but if I judge him by his actions…
He’s insisted I stay with him and helped me undress, and he seemed unwilling to put up with my pain. Then there’s the comment he made about “tumbling” me.
The thought makes my cheeks heat, but I can’t deny that the idea of Terex wanting me…
No, Ellie, you’ve made this mistake before.
The water is beginning to cool, and I clear my throat, then call Terex to help with my hair.
He instantly appears, a large jar in his hand as he moves toward the bath. “Dunk your head, tiny female.”
I keep hold of my wrist, holding my elbow steady, and take a deep breath before sliding down enough to wet all my hair. I’m overdue for a cut, but I haven’t had the time between teaching and volunteering.
Terex makes a pleased sound as I sit back up, and he reaches for my hair and squeezes it to remove some of the excess water. Then I feel something cool on my head, and he begins lathering it up, scrubbing my scalp until I’m almost purring.
“Your hair is beautiful,” he says, and I smile in pleasure. It’s the one physical trait that my sister was jealous of, her own hair thin and dry.
“When I first laid eyes on you, I imagined brushing this hair in front of my fire,” Terex continues, and I shiver as his fingers continue to work the soap through the strands. “Will you allow me to do this for you?”
I’m no dummy. Drying and brushing my hair is a nightmare, especially without a hair dryer. Not to mention, my arm isn’t likely to make the task possible.
“Sure. Um, that would be awesome. Thanks.”
He helps me rinse and then washes my hair once more until it smells clean and sweet and the water around me is a dull brown.
“Ew.” I wish I could rinse off in a shower, but I’m still a hell of a lot cleaner than I’ve been in days.
“Wait here,” Terex says. He returns almost at once with a long, wide piece of cloth and gestures for me to stand.
“Um.”
His eyes are stern. “I will not look. Are all humans so shy with their bodies?”
They are if they’ve been tormented like I was. “We’re all different, just like you guys.”
“Well, you have no need to hide your body from me. I have told you I will not tumble you until you ask me to.”
He frowns at me as if I’m doubting his honor, and I sigh. “Terex—”
His eyes darken. “I like my name on your lips, tiny female. Now, step out of the bath before the water is cold.”
I take a deep breath, but he’s true to his word, keeping his eyes on my face as I get to my feet. He holds the cloth up in front of him while I step out, and I make him look away while I take it from him, pulling it under my elbow in an attempt to wrap it around me toga-style. I quickly realize that this is impossible with one arm and blow out a frustrated breath.
“Can you—”
Terex immediately recognizes the problem and helps me wrap the cloth around me. My hair is dripping, and he wrings it out over the bath and then reaches for another piece of material, gently patting my hair and removing the excess water.
Then he drops to his knees in front of me, drawing a squeak from my throat.
“What are you doing?”