Page 71 of A Lick of Flame

Perhaps because he invited me to. He said he didn’t care either way. I found myself rooted to the spot and unable to leave. Unable to look away. I don’t think he meant for me to watch that, something so intimate and private.

I put a hand over my mouth, trying hard to still my breathing and my racing heart.

The fae is beautiful. I’ll give him that. From his stubbled jaw to his broad shoulders, right down to his tapered waist. Even that part of him is beautiful. The part he stroked with such fervor.

The noises he made… Kakara help me. The way his face pinched in…in sheer pleasure. My sex throbs harder.

No!

I squeeze my thighs together, but it does nothing to stop the raging need. If anything, the friction makes it worse.

That deep groan he made…and then there was his seed. The way it spurted from him in thick rivulets. His belly tightened, his muscles rippled, his hand worked faster and faster. I should have been disgusted, but I wasn’t. I was mesmerized. Enthralled to my core.

I want to watch him some more. I am a voyeur. A peeping Tom.

I start walking away as he wades deeper into the water. I need to try to clear my head. I know not to go too far. I try to take in the beauty of my surroundings, but I am too stuck inside my own head to do it. I fan myself with my hands. Only when I feel halfway to normal, do I go back to the clearing.

I sigh with relief when I find Orion fully dressed. His hair is still wet, reminding me of… No! I must forget it ever happened. This isn’t me at all.

He is preparing a fire for later. I note that our bedrolls are ready, too.

“There are no biting creatures,” he says, looking tense.

I can barely look at him. I’m a terrible person. How could I have done such a thing? To have spied on him like that.

“Good news,” I mutter.

“I will leave you to wash.”

“Thank you.” I glance his way but don’t hold his gaze. I can’t. I don’t think that I will ever be able to look at him the same way again. Does he know? Can he see it on my face?

No, that’s silly.

I push out a breath I didn’t know I was holding when Orion walks away. For a moment, I picture him hiding and watching, just like I hid and watched him. I find that the thought makes me feel warm instead of abhorrent like it should.

I remove my dress and then my shift. There is something freeing about being naked out in the open air.

My nipples are tight. They throb in time with my sex. It is like there is an unseen cord that binds them. I look down, seeing the patch of dark hair between my legs.

I shake my head, wading into the cold water. Goosebumps break out on my arms. Once I am in the cool depths, I start to wash off. I wish I had tallow. I dip my head under the water a couple of times, rubbing at my scalp.

Despite the cool water, I still feel like I am burning up. I want to be touched so badly. I cup my sex in my hand. I even push a finger into myself, but I feel…nothing.

How can it be so good?

Perhaps it is different for a woman. It must be. My cheeks are hot. My neck, too. I need to stop these wayward thoughts. I will stop them and right now.

I dunk back down under the cool water, staying under for as long as my lungs will allow, and then I emerge and walk from the pool.

I have a clean shift and dress in my saddlebag. I am dressed and washing my other pieces of clothing when Orion returns with two dead rabbits dangling from his hand.

“Dinner,” he says, holding them up by the back legs.

“Oh…that’s excellent,” I say, trying hard to sound normal. I look up at the dead creatures instead of at him. All I see is his face while he was… I need to forget!

“Did you enjoy your bath?” he asks.

I make a noise of confirmation, keeping my attention on the job at hand. Only when all the garments are as clean as I can get them do I hang them up on a nearby branch.

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