Steam curled thickly through the bathing chamber, clinging to stone and skin alike, turning the air heavy and intimate.
Rhea stood at the threshold for a heartbeat watching him with a heated gaze.
She had followed him into the bathing area, even though her presence wasn't required.
Her gaze traced the familiar lines of him—strong, commanding, impossibly composed even in moments of vulnerability. The way the water slid over his skin made something coil tight and restless inside her. Neris has always been beautiful, the whole of north could attest to that. She couldn't restrain herself from going to him, just watching him was already a torture for her.
Rhea stripped and stepped into the bath without hesitation, the intent behind her movement unmistakable.
Neris was already seated in the wide marble basin, the water rising to his waist, his broad shoulders bare and damp, his icy blue hair slicked back from his face.
