Page 44 of Esperance

She followed his gaze to the array of bottles that sat on the countertop. As much as she wanted to simply run away from this whole situation, her skinwasburning. So she forced herself to step into the washroom, even though it put her closer to him. If only she could be as nonchalant and confident as she’d felt yesterday on that training field with him.

She found the aloe with a little searching, and then she sidestepped toward the door. “Sorry again for the intrusion.”

“It’s fine, really.” He gestured to the looking glass. “Do you need the mirror?”

“There’s one in the bedroom.”

His eyebrows tugged together as his gaze narrowed on her neck. “That’s quite the burn. Do you need help applying the salve?”

“I . . .” It would be so easy to say no.

But this truly would go easier with help. And though she didn’t have her orders from the Rising yet, she knew the rebels wouldn’t want her to miss an opportunity to get closer to Carver.

She lifted the ointment. “If you’re sure?”

“Of course. Can I finish shaving, first? I’m nearly done.”

She nodded and stepped back into the doorway, allowing him the space to finish.

Other than their breaths, the low rasp of the blade against his skin was the only sound. He angled his chin in the mirror, moving the blade deftly but with precise strokes. Each movement was controlled and practiced, and watching him was strangely fascinating.

When he finished, he rinsed the razor in the shallow basin on the counter and dragged a towel over his face, wiping away any residual cream. Then he faced her and held out a hand.

She passed him the jar, and her pulse jumped when their fingers brushed.

As he twisted the jar open, she slipped into the space in front of him, so she could stand in the light coming in from the small window. She turned her back to him and gathered her loose braid over one shoulder.

Her voice seemed especially loud in the silence. “If you’d rather just do the back of my neck, I can do the rest.”

In the mirror, she caught the corner of his mouth lifting. “I really don’t mind. I have younger siblings, remember? I’ve been putting aloe on sunburns my whole life.”

The images that leapt to mind made something low in her belly curl. Carver, kneeling before a child and tending their sunburn. Dabbing blood from a scraped knee. Drying tears.

Her pulse skittered, and she lowered her head, partly to give him better access to her neck, but mostly to avoid seeing him in the glass.

He stepped closer, and she could feel the heat that radiated from his larger body. Even though he didn’t touch her, she was wholly aware of the fact that he stood directly behind her, bare to the waist.

His warm breath teased the nape of her neck before she felt the cool salve of the aloe mixture. Every hair on her body lifted as he brushed the salve carefully over her burned skin. She could feel the rough callouses on the pads of his fingers, but his touch was infinitely gentle.

Ahmi had applied this salve last night, but it had feltnothinglike this.

“Sorry,” he murmured. His voice was so low and deep, it resonated throughout her entire body.

Her fingers tightened on the end of her braid, which she still held. “Sorry?”

“I had no idea you were getting sunburned yesterday. If I’d realized, I wouldn’t have kept you so long in the yard.”

She forced herself to speak past the tightness in her throat. “Unfortunately, sunburns are common for me. My pale skin can burn in Ferradin, even on a cloudy day.”

His short laugh brought a sharp exhale against her neck. With the ointment covering her skin, the sensation was heightened, making her shiver.

His fingers lifted, only to return a moment later with more aloe. His touch started just below her ear and slid down the side of her neck, to the edge of her nightgown’s wide collar. Her skin tingled.

She peeked into the mirror just as his eyes flicked up, and their gazes locked.

The air was charged, and nothing in her experience had prepared her for a moment like this. The surge of attraction they both felt made her lungs tighten. Her toes curled against the stone floor.

His throat rolled as he swallowed. He eased back a half-step, still keeping her stare in the mirror. “Can you turn?”

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