The Charmer

38

Keilor slammed his sheathed blade down on his scarred and slightly dusty table, scattering stray papers with the slight breeze. “Bath!” he snarled, unbuckling his belt. The sound of splashing water immediately filled the room. He stalked towards the enormous tub, leaving a trail of clothes in his wake, and sank deeply into the steaming water.

Little witch! Custom of her country or not, there had been no call to show such favoritism to a mere cadet. Now the fool was in love with her, and all the true suitors for her hand seethed with jealousy. Tomorrow might well degenerate into a blood bath, with all the warriors expecting to receive the prize of her lips.

Certainly, the crowd had loved it. The Haunt were a highly sensual people, often given to strong emotion. With one touch of her mouth, Jasmine had elevated a lowly soldier–clearly not the match of any of the ten!—to the status of a hero. It would be a wonder if Seris didn’t develop an insufferable ego.

Keilor’s eyes narrowed. Perhaps he ought to make time to give Seris a little personal training.

He’d just dunked his hair, savoring the thought of taking Seris through some particularly punishing drills, when a knock sounded at his door. “Who is it?” Unless it was Jayems himself...

“Jasmine,” came the answer, causing his brows to shoot up in surprise. Could the little innocent be foolish enough to brave his den?

“Can I come in?”

He debated. There was still one day of the tournament left, and much as he wanted the woman, word would travel quickly of their mating, and the rest of the suitors would surely be enraged. Blood would be a certainty then, and if tempers flared hot enough, entire clans might get involved.

He snarled in frustration. For the sake of peace, he dare not risk it. “No,” he called with reluctance.

There was a suspicious pause. “Is someone in there with you?”

A c***k of laughter escaped him. As if! It soothed his temper enormously, though, to hear the note of jealousy in her voice. “No.” There was a pause. He knew she hadn’t left. He could practically hear her thinking.

“I have to talk to you,” she told him, annoyance plain in her tone. “I don’t think you want to discuss this through a door.”

Very well, he thought fatalistically. If she was foolish enough, he was game. Settling back with his arms on the rim of the tub, he called, “It’s unlocked.”

***

Jasmine gasped. Keilor was immersed in steaming water, his long, dark hair slicked back. His eyes glowed in the dim light.

“I didn’t know you were… I’ll leave,” she croaked out, reaching for the door she now realized she’d closed much too fast. Trust the arrogant jerk not to warn her! Arrogant, discourteous and gorgeous, a traitorous inner voice insisted gleefully.

He was out of the water and at her side so quickly, she barely had time to be shocked with the unprecedented view. She quickly averted her eyes, but six feet of prime n***d warrior standing directly in front of her, dripping water, was not a sight any healthy young woman was able to block with ease. The point became moot, though, when said n***d man reached out and whisked off her dress with business-like efficiency.

“What are you doing?” she gasped in alarm. She tried to snatch it back, but he’d already tossed it over her shoulder and reached for the hem of her chemise.

“I need someone to wash my back,” he explained, as if it were of no consequence that he’d stripped her to her underwear. Her chemise sailed past her head to join the dress and she squealed as her lacy panties slid down her legs with frightening efficiency.

“Not me! Stop!” she squeaked, shocked at the speed of her disrobing.

“I’m not hurting you,” he said calmly. He picked her up without effort and carried her to the bath. He released her the moment they were immersed and settled on one of the low seats built into the tub. She scrambled to the far end and sunk to her neck as she watched him. It was clear she was not the one in charge.

His lips twitched with amusement. “I’m not going to r**e you, woman. If that was what I wanted, better to have taken you on the floor.”

“You are vile!” she hissed. “I’m going to tell Jayems what you did.” It sounded pitiful and childish, but what other defense did she have? He was too strong to fight, and she certainly couldn’t drown him, much as she’d like to.

Keilor chuckled. He captured her wrist and plunked a bar of soap in it. “Scrub.”

She glared at him, but she didn’t have much choice. For all of his humor, there was a chilling hint of steel in his command, and she didn’t have the guts to disobey. He propped one leg expectantly up on her knees, ignoring her embarrassment. She made quick work of it, stopping at mid-thigh. When she’d done both, he flashed her a smile and dunked his hair. He knelt in the bottom of the tub so she could lather it.

Desperate to take her mind off of the long, silky mass, she brought up the reason for her visit. “What did you mean when you said you got permission from Jayems to ‘win’ me?”

Keilor hummed and relaxed into her hands, enjoying the rare sensation of being pampered. “I bed you, I get to keep you,” he explained, not mincing words. No sense in her not having a perfect understanding the first time.

Jasmine’s fist tightened around a hank of his hair and she yanked, hard. Keilor’s head disappeared under the water before he tore himself lose and surfaced. He whisked the water from his face and slicked back his hair, giving her a warning look through water-spiked lashes. It said clearly that once would be dismissed as funning, but twice would bring consequences.

“I’m not a slave,” she told him, displeased, and not the least bit cowed. “I’m not going to be passed around like one.”

“I had a wife in mind, not a slave,” he assured her. Far too easily, he grasped her waist and lifted her, setting her down to straddle his thighs. The position raised the tops of her breasts out of the water. She struggled, but he held her waist firmly. “Be still. You haven’t washed my chest. This will make it easier for you,” he explained. Slowly he took his hands away from her and put them on the rim of the tub, holding her with his incredible black eyes.