Page 62 of Born of Starlight
“What do youwantfrom me, Asterie?”
There was a pause as though she was thinking, and the water went still. “I want you to look at me.”
I stilled, losing the ability to draw breath. “Is this a figurative request, or are you asking me to look at you right now?”
The water shifted.
Torturous, tempting sound.
“Now.” Her voice was soft but sure.
My torso pivoted. My eyes met hers, and I didn’t dare let my gaze wander further down.Not yet.The lamplight danced over her face, and every captivating feature radiated in its glow.
“Now, I want you to tell me what you did with her.” It was a quiet rasp.
“Who?” No one existed but her.
“The woman earlier.” She tried to suppress a wounded tone. Guilt settled in my chest again—toying with her had truly hurt her. “I’d like to know what you did together. Explain it to me.”
“As much as I would like to say that I maintained my reputation as a rogue, I have to admit that I did nothing with her.”
“Why?”
“Because she wasn’t you.”
There it was, bare, flat in front of her, to stomp on if she pleased.
“And I’m not too much of a ‘dallying asshole’ or ‘half-wit’ to accept that I wantyou.”
She contemplated that momentarily, only a hint of curiosity shining in those darkly alluring eyes.So hard to read.“Then tell me what you would have done? If it were me.” She captured her bottom lip with her teeth.
It was a challenge. She was flipping my games back on me, and I would happily play along. I answered, “If it had been you…I wouldn’t have been able to keep my hands off you. For starters.”
Her head tilted, lips parting in thought before she spoke again. “Then why are your hands not on me now?”
I swallowed my last ounce of doubt. Asterie did want me, regardless of how unworthy I was of her desire. “You want me to touch you, Asterie?” At my drawl, the corners of her mouth upturned slightly, and she nodded.
Look at her. Touch her.Oh, the places I could let my mind wander to.
I lifted myself onto a footstool that was topped with soap. The sweet-scented blocks tumbled to the ground with a clatter. It was a better angle to see her from,to touch herfrom. Water droplets hung from her still-parted lips—I longed to kiss them away. Instead, my thumb wiped them gently, and her eyes fluttered closed at the simple touch.
As I took her in, nothing was obstructing my view of where her body met the water. The peaks of her breasts were just above the surface—nipples taught. A lump grew in my throat, and my breath sucked in when I saw where one of her hands had wandered. She palmed herself with delicate fingers between her thighs—how long had she been touching herself?The corners of my mouth twisted upward.
“Now, I’m going to need you tosay it…tell me what you want from me, my strange beauty.”
All the reasons to leave tumbled through my head.Starting with the power that burned in her—I recognized it. No good could come from me touching her except the satisfaction of seeing pleasure wrung from her body.
But that seemed like enough reason to stay because Iwasa “dallying asshole” and a “half-wit,” after all.
“I want you to touch me.” Her breathy plea was all it took to break my resistance—it broke all reason and logic.You can touch her. It wouldn’t mean anything more than it would have with that brunette from the pub.
I let my hand trail down her chin. Her lips parted, and her gaze softened—how could she want me?I didn’t feel remotely worthy of putting my hands on her. Her head relaxed against the tub’s edge, and she looked at me expectantly.
My finger trailed further down the soft skin of her neck and chest. She gasped quietly when I cupped a breast in my hand. Her rapid heartbeat beneath my palm betrayed that infuriating calm she showed the world.
I gently rolled her nipple between my thumb and index finger. She arched toward my touch in response and released a torturous whimper. It made me want to do it again and again. She moved to brace her hands on the sides of the tub.
“No, no. Keep touching yourself for me.” It came out as a purred demand. When she complied, it took all my restraint not to intervene.
