Page 103 of The Howl
“And we’ve already established that I’m mostly immune to you.”
“Mostly?”
“I didn’t want it to sound like a challenge if I said I was fully immune to you.”
I grinned, considering him. He’d proven I could trust him. Sure, he did some things that worried me occasionally, but he respected my wishes whenever I voiced them. And, he was right. He did seem to be mostly immune to me.
“What if you’re not?” I asked, tempted but still too worried to risk him.
“What if getting into this water is just the thing you need to melt away everything troubling you? What if this is the soak that changes your life for the better?”
I snorted a laugh at his hopeful thinking. He was right, though, about the “what ifs.” There were so many possibilities it was impossible to know what might be. Fearing the unknown was holding me back from what I really wanted in this moment. And that was relaxing in the pool.
Taking a calming breath, I stepped to the edge of the pool and stuck my foot in the water. It was hot. Almost uncomfortably so. But once the sting faded, it felt wonderful.
Fenris watched me lower myself into the water, a crooked grin tugging his lips.
Settling with a sigh, I let my legs float in the vacant space beneath me and leaned my head against the ledge to anchor myself.
“This is amazing,” I said, feeling all of my tension melt away.
With the humidity and heavy minerals, it was hard to smell Fenris’s typical lust-laced scent. Which meant no temptation. I closed my eyes and just relaxed.
Everything from the last few days faded. My mind didn’t wander, it just went blank.
“I love this place,” I said.
“Me, too.”
Fenris’s tone stroked the hunger in my stomach.
“No talking,” I said.
He chuckled. My hunger still stirred, and I wrinkled my nose. Instead of saying anything, I lifted a foot to poke him in the ribs with a toe.
He caught my foot and started rubbing it. I groaned, feeling real bliss. I never wanted to leave. I wanted to live in the hot springs forever. If I stayed long enough, maybe everyone would think I was a cave troll and not a succubus. Then, they would leave me alone.
I smiled at the thought.
“I like it when you smile,” Fenris said. “Give me the other foot.”
I willingly surrendered it.
“I like it when you’re relaxed, too,” he added.
His fingers kneaded the arch of my foot then worked their way to the ankle. When he started in on my calf, I sighed contentedly.
“I think we might need to take a break,” he said, rubbing behind my knee.
I made a sad face without opening my eyes.
“You need to stop thinking so much,” I said.
He chuckled, and his fingers touched my cheek.
“Now I know you’ve had enough. Come on, linguine, let’s get you out of the water before you go past al dente.”
I snickered at his joke and wrapped my arms around his neck when he picked me up.
