The towel dropped soundlessly to the floor, pooling at Emerald's feet.
For a moment, silence pressed in between them, heavy and charged. Kieran's sharp intake of breath cut through it, his eyes raking over her with undisguised hunger.
"Em…" His voice came low, rough, as though it scraped out of his throat.
Emerald's heart thundered, her chest heaving as her bare skin prickled under the weight of his gaze. She should have snatched the towel back, covered herself, done something. But instead, her body betrayed her, frozen in place yet leaning toward him in a way she couldn't control.
"Kieran," she whispered, though she wasn't sure if it was a plea to stop… or to continue.
His hand lifted slowly, almost hesitant, brushing along her arm before sliding down to her waist. The heat of his palm burned into her fevered skin, grounding and inflaming her all at once.
"You're trembling," he murmured, his breath fanning across her cheek.
"I told you," Emerald said weakly, "I'm not fine."
