12. Astraea #2
“The water is heated, so it should feel good to soak after the long day we had on horseback.” He stands at the edge of the bathtub as it fills, shoulders rigid and his gaze trapped in the filling tub.
Suds already forming in the water, I can't help but smile a little at his demeanor while doing something kind.
The room is small. The bath takes up most of the space, but there is a latrine room at the back and a hand-pump water basin as well.
I didn’t realize there were that many places outside of the palace that had these amenities.
This place even has quickly heated water, something I thought was only found in Eathian too.
I knew I would have a lot to learn, but I didn't realize just how much the world was different outside of the confinement I lived in my whole life.
“How is the water heated? The forest is so cool…” I ask as I crouch down and run my fingers through the suds. It’s not only warm; it's borderline too hot. I can already feel my tense muscles relaxing, and they have yet to be submerged.
“You will come to find magick is much more widely practiced outside of your father’s reach.
” Kyros says, stopping at the door as he turns to face me.
“Take as much time as you need. I will be just outside this door. If you need anything at all. Just call for me.” His hand fists at his side before he finally grips the door handle and begins pulling it closed behind him.
“Kyros?”
“Shula?” Wings flutter in my stomach at the use of the nickname he had given me. Even if I told him not to use it, I think I have been difficult enough today, and I’m too exhausted to argue otherwise, so instead I say what I intended when I called for him.
“Thank you.” I say, and he pauses there, his lips parted as though he is going to say something, but after a long moment he just nods, his brows falling heavy over his eyes, and he closes the door between us.
The water feels just as divine as I knew it would.
Ripples move along the surface, creating waves.
The aromatic bubbles float on as I sink further into the deep tub and let every part of my body relax in its warmth.
There is so much tension in my body with all the feelings I have yet to unpack between Kyros and me.
As much as I know we still need to talk about things right now, I am only a woman.
My heart still aches for the man I think I was beginning to love.
Not only my heart; my body yearns for him too every time he is near.
I know my focus needs to be on reuniting with Colette.
I have to get her out of my father’s reach, and together we will decide what our next steps will be.
Wherever we can go from here… Regardless of whatever it is going on between Kyros and me.
I need answers, and I know he has at least some of them.
If he wants to take one night to rest before fully diving into everything, that is something I can give him.
If he is willing to give me what I want, I can at least be patient.
Taking a deep breath, I stare at the door that separates us and urge myself to try to relax further.
I know training with Kyros is going to be nothing like training with Cole and Zinya.
Especially because I seem to have no control over myself when in close proximity to him.
Just thinking about that, I press my wet fingertips to my mouth, remembering the rough desperation and anger from our last kiss.
A pulse instantly begins between my legs at the thought.
Remembering that kiss brings back the other memories where he was just as hungry and devoured me in other ways.
I roll my eyes as I allow my head to fall under the sudsy water to let out an audible groan.
Hopefully, the only sounds that surface are a muffled noise and bubbles before I breach the surface.
Trying to ignore the ache between my legs, I lather soaps and run the suds through the length of my dark hair and over my face, rinsing the filth free from the strands and scrubbing the day from my skin.
Yet the feel of my own touch does nothing to dull the need at my core.
If anything, it only intensifies with each brush.
I squeeze my eyes closed as I grit my teeth. What are you doing, Astraea?
A quick glance at the door and the candle light illuminating the crack at the wood floor reveals Kyros’ shadow as he moves around on the other side, doing who knows what.
Maybe he is cleaning himself up too. Divine.
Thinking of that is not helping anything.
My breathing quickens with the beat of my heart as I look down at how the water laps around my peaked nipples.
Each ripple in the water feels like a caress, and the ache is throbbing into a frenzy between my legs with each one.
I can take care of this feeling and be done with it.
My head falls back on the rim of the tub as my fingers trail down the center of my body, between the valley of my breasts, before sinking into the warm water, skimming past my navel.
Maybe this is all I need. Release the tension myself, and then I can ignore the constant pull I feel to the man who broke my heart.
When I close my eyes again, it’s Kyros I see.
I imagine what he could be doing on the other side of that door.
How he slowly removes his tunic. Sweat from the day making it cling to his muscles as they bunch and pull as he peels the fabric away; shadows and light from the flickering candles dance across his tanned skin and tattoos of darkness.
He tugs his fingers through his unruly hair before kicking off his boots, frustrated.
His chest rises and falls just like it did after the kiss that never should have happened and his hands ball into tight fists at his side as he stares at the same door that keeps us apart.
Shaking his head, he lays back on the only bed in the room with a heavy sigh.
I imagine he’s having the same thoughts as me.
And together we guide our hands down the same path.
The trembling movements in sync with each other.
When his hand disappears beneath the ties at his waistband, just as my fingers glide through my arousal and slide across my clit, we both rock into the motion.
I clamp down on my bottom lip with my teeth to hold back the moan that wants to escape.
It feels good imagining it is him touching me.
Imagining it’s me touching him. His chin lifts, head tilting back, and lips parted as he lets out a noise that has my whole body tensing.
Shadows dance across his face as his hand moves under the fabric of his pants.
His eyes almost seem to find mine as he pushes himself up on the pillow and he pulls himself free of the constricting fabric.
I can picture his cock gripped firmly in his hand as he stokes himself up and down in the same rhythmic movement that I work my fingers over myself.
My other hand comes out of the water, pressing against my mouth as I hold back any noises that could betray me and that he may actually hear.
My eyes roll into the back of my head as my body arches.
His movements get faster, his dark eyes intense as his breathing quickens in rhythm with my own.
My fingers work tight circles just as fast, and my eyes round, brows pinching, as I go spiraling over the edge of my release and watch as he spills come across his taut stomach.
The water sloshes over the edge of the tub as I startle myself with the moan that escapes me.
Everything next happens so fast. There is sudden movement on the other side of the door, and then it's wrenched back as Kyros storms into the room disheveled and frantic.
My cheeks are filled with heat at the thought that he heard what I was doing.
They flame even more when Kyros looks down, seeing just where my hand is.