Amara.
Steam thickened around us, wrapping the bathroom in warmth and muted light.
The water traced down Lucien’s face and shoulders in steady streams, and for a moment neither of us moved. The air between us felt charged, suspended in a tension that had nothing to do with the temperature.
His hand remained loosely around my wrist.
“You are very bold this morning,” he said quietly.
“I learned from you.”
A faint smile touched his mouth, but there was something darker beneath it. Anticipation. The awareness that I had stepped forward of my own accord.
I let my gaze travel slowly down his body again, deliberately this time. There was no hiding what I wanted. No pretending I had wandered in here by accident.
His breathing shifted almost imperceptibly.
“Amara,” he warned softly, thoug
