Page 97 of King of Ruin

But becausehewants to, just like I want him to.

I open my mouth to finally thank him, to tell him the things I should have said a long time ago, but he turns, ushering me inside the wide tub.

The moment the warm water hits my back, everything melts. I lean back under the tall faucet, letting the water cascade over me, pelting into my muscles so hard I nearly groan.

My head lolls to the side as I watch the water turn a deep crimson, splashing into the empty tub before swirling down the drain. I lay like this for a while, watching as the color lightens to a pale pink until I shift, letting the water run over a new part of me, and repeating the cycle.

Kane and I sit in silence, the calm from his presence doing strange things to my heart.

After a few minutes, he stands, grabbing a washcloth, soap, shampoo, and conditioner. At first I think he’s being courteous, but then he reclaims his seat on the edge of the tub. He places the things down in a row before grabbing my body wash.

“Kane.” My voice is laced in warning, but he ignores me.

“Sit there and be quiet, Onyx.”

My eyes narrow at his command as he squeezes the soap on the small cloth, rubbing it together to make thick suds. Almost immediately, the citrus scent fills the room, enveloping us in a smell that I know reminds him of our first time in the shower.

A time when things shifted between us and became so much more deeper than him simply being my guard.

A heaviness moves between my thighs, but I force it away, focusing on what he just said. “You have washed me one time too many, I can do it myself.”

I hold my hand out expectantly, but he ignores me again. “I’m well aware of what you can and can’t do.”

“So then hand me the soap.”

“No.”

“You’re acting like a child.”

He shrugs. “Well, you haven’t kicked me out yet, and considering you threatened to kill me the next time you saw me, I think I’ll keep pushing my luck.”

“Because I don’t want to kill you.” The admission slips out without my permission, but I don’t bother denying the truth anymore.

He smirks, moving down the side of the tub and grabbing one of my legs. “I know that too.”

A spark of irritation flickers through me. “And what else do you know, Kane? Please, enlighten me.”

I watch with a straight face as Kane washes my calf with such a delicate touch, I have to fight the urge to tell him he’s cleaning nothing with the little pressure he’s applying. He slides the cloth up my thigh, moving faster when he reaches close to my cunt, almost as if he doesn’t want to touch it.

Kane the gentleman, through and through.

When he doesn’t answer and moves to the next leg, I sigh impatiently. “I don’t like waiting.”

“Another thing I know.”

I huff. “I’m starting to reconsider a few things.”

“You’re not. If anything, you’re learning more and more about how you like being transparent with someone. How you like knowing that you can be vulnerable.”

He blows out a deep breath and works the cloth up my stomach, around my breasts, and over my thumping heart. He stops when he gets to my throat, caressing the column with his thumb.

Every nerve in my body is vibrating, a war erupting inside of me on whether to deny or accept his claims.

Would it be so bad to trust again? To give whatever we have a chance?

My heart knows the answer seconds before my mind does, and Kane must read it across my face because he leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my nose. “And if we’re being completely honest, you like knowing you’re mine.”

“Yours,” I repeat, breathing in his faint woodsy smell before he draws back.

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