28. The Stolen Bride
Ireturned from a long day of working in the greenhouses with the sun setting at my back. My muscles ached, and dirt was caked beneath the tips of my fingernails.
When I reached my bedroom, Rosie was waiting with a large glass of water infused with fae berries and herbs. I accepted it gratefully, sucking half of it down in one gulp. ”Thank you.”
”You know what would do wonders for your sore muscles? The king’s private hot springs.”
”Hot springs?” I echoed hopefully.
”Oh yes, the royal hot springs are filled with minerals for healing and anti-aging.”
I didn’t need convincing. A hot soak sounded perfect. Any anti-aging was a delightful bonus. I had seen the fae walking around with their flawless skin and assumed they were all glamoured, but perhaps not. Perhaps, there was something in the water. ”How do I get there?” I asked.
”Simply walk toward your bathroom with the intention of the hot springs. The faerie circles will do the rest,” Rosie said.
”Should I bring a towel?”
”No need. You’ll find everything you need there,” she replied.
I nodded my head. ”Thanks, Rosie.”
She beamed. ”Anything for you and our king.”
If I had been paying more attention, I might have noticed a glint in her pink eyes or her nose twitching in excitement.
I followed her instructions and soon found myself swept away to a magnificent place I had never visited before. It was as if I had entered a sea cave–the walls were made of coral, massive shells adorned a sandy floor, and in the center was a massive porcelain pool with bubbling, steaming water.
At my immediate left a free fall of water fell into a large clamshell basin. I supposed I should rinse off before entering the main tub, so I quickly stripped out of my gardening clothes and hopped in. I rubbed my hands together under the water, loosening the dried soil and watching the water turn black. Then I ran my hands along my body, giving myself a quick rinse. I lingered on my sore neck and shoulders, massaging.
I exited but didn’t see any towels. No matter. The room was warm enough, and I saw a large pool of water in the center of the room. I made a quick dash for it.
Gentle steam rose from the pool, and little white and pink blossoms floated along the top of the water. I sat on the edge of the pool and slid into the water. The water was perfect, absolute bliss. It was just deep enough that if I stood, the water came just above my navel, exposing my bare breasts. I could practically feel my worries fading away.
I sank under the water and let it work on my sore neck and shoulders. Then I floated serenely on the top of the water with my eyes closed. Not a worry in the world. This was amazing.
Until I knocked into something warm and hard. My eyes flicked open. Still floating on my back, I looked up into a set of brilliant green eyes, sparkling with mirth. ”Hello, little sparrow.”
The warm, hard object was Forrest’s bare chest. I screamed then pulled my entire body underwater.
Just above me, I could hear him chuckling. ”It’s a bit too late for that, don’t you think? Come back up.”
With horror, I realized he was right. How long had I been blissfully floating naked? Minutes. Definitely minutes. He had seen… everything.
I was so embarrassed I could die. I would have to stay underwater forever. I couldn’t possibly face him. I would rather drown than see his smug face. Except I really did like breathing. So, regretfully, I surfaced and shrieked, ”What are you doing in here?”
His smile grew broader. ”I should be asking you that. You see, I was here first. Didn’t you see me?”
No, I had been in a state of hot water bliss. The pool was large and curved with alcoves, and the rising steam obscured my view once I was in the water. But mostly, I just hadn’t looked. It never occurred to me that someone else might already be here.
He waded toward me, letting his hand trail idly along the edge of the pool. Everywhere his fingertip touched crystalized salt and seashells formed. He was powerful. He was magnificent. He was… looking at me like a cat about to eat a bird.
Finally, he reached me and tipped my chin up to look into his eyes. ”Do you see me now?”
I nodded. I could feel my cheeks and chest coloring pink.
Oh, I saw him. Above the water, I could see his hard bare chest. He had some sort of tattoo over his heart, and I longed to reach out and trace it. From there, his abdominal muscles traveled down to his strong, narrowed hips. The skin there looked delicate. I could even see that dip of muscles leading toward his… Oh stars, I was staring.
I was going to kill that rabbit.
”You seem tense,” he purred, placing one hand on each side of the tub caging me. ”What have you been up to, little sparrow?”
I couldn’t think of anything but the proximity of his body to mine. Finally, I mumbled, ”Just a bit of gardening.”
He leaned forward until his lips were just inches from my ear, and he breathed, ”Mm, gardening is such difficult work.”
As his warm breath caressed my ear, my breath caught.
And when he whispered, ”Would you like a massage?” my traitorous head nodded yes. After all, he had already seen everything there was to see, and the muscle to the left of my neck felt tight and painful.
To my surprise, he lifted his body out of the water and sat bare-assed on the side of the pool. He pulled me gently backward until I stood between his legs. He began to trace his hands from my bare shoulder to my collarbone.
I shivered, imagining where he might run his hands next.
He delicately traced the space between my collarbones, teasingly lowering his fingers until they trailed at the tops of my breasts. I sucked in an audible breath.
He moved his hands back to my neck and massaged in earnest. I moaned softly.
He let out a low chuckle.
On impulse, I turned to frown at him, forgetting he was completely naked. My mouth was at the height of his naval, and I was greeted by the sudden sight of his bare skin just inches away.
My eyes lowered ever so slightly and widened at his hardness. He gave me a confident smirk and cocked his head, waiting to see what I would do.
Annoyed and drunk on the sight of his warm skin and the heat of the tub, I leaned forward and bit the sensitive flesh just to the right of his hip bone.
When he groaned with pleasure, something ignited in me as well.
I watched him harden before my eyes, and following that same hot, driving need, I reached out and stroked him curiously. I had only touched one other man before. It had been a brief summer fling with a young sailor when I was seventeen and he eighteen. The things we had done had been hidden and hurried. I had never really seen anything. It had felt fast, exhilarating, and maybe a little shameful. I had known we had no future.
But I didn’t feel that way now. The man before me, every last inch of him, was to be mine, my husband. And for once, I found I didn’t mind, not one bit.
I ran my hand up and down his length hesitantly, and he let me explore for a minute or so.
His pupils were dark as he wrapped his hand around mine. ”Not so gentle.” He tugged my hand upward again and again, showing me just how he liked to be touched.
I mimicked the motion, and he moaned, leaning back on his hands.
A wicked grin spread across my lips as I lowered my mouth and gave small kitten licks along the top of his shaft.
”Georgia,” he groaned.
My name on his lips felt intimate. More than the physical act we were engaging in.
I started to reply in kind but then I paused. Forrest was not his real name. It was what everyone called him, and the fae did not give out their true names so easily. If everyone knew him as Forrest, he was not Forrest.
I froze.
Suddenly everything felt wrong. The water was too hot. The air was stuffy. My head felt fuzzy, and my pulse was erratic. I needed to get out of here.
What had I been thinking? This was no fairy tale romance. I was a stolen bride who didn’t even know her own betrothed’s name.