was visible above the dissipating layer of bubbles, not to mention one shapely leg.
He grabbed a stack of towels and piled them within reach of the tub. “I’m going to start a fire. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Thank you, Lazz.”
She’d switched back to English, and when she glanced up, she managed to regard him with the sort of regal poise that must have been drummed into her from infancy. And yet, he could feel the want sizzling behind the facade.
Something had changed as a result of what they’d gone through during the storm. They’d come out the other side and everything had been different. There’d always been a strong, sexual awareness between them—not The Inferno. Not a chance. But definitely an awareness. Now, that awareness had sharpened to a keen edge. One that was going to cut them if they didn’t do something to blunt it.
“Call me if you need help getting out.” He paused at the door and shot her a wicked grin, one he hoped disguised how he really felt. “Looks like I should have used more bubble bath, not less.”
Ariana glanced down and gasped. Embarrassing gaps had appeared in the bubbles. The tips of her breasts peeked through one of those gaps, while the curve of her hip and belly could clearly be seen through another.
She shivered despite the warmth of the water. Humorous remarks aside, she’d never seen that look in Lazz’s eyes before. Sure, she’d seen awareness. Desire. But not to this extent. Not that bone-deep hunger that had turned his eyes to jade. He wanted her. Badly. It showed in the tautness of his face and the ferocity of his gaze, as well as the rigid play of muscles across his impressive chest. It suggested a man hovering on the edge, clawing to hold himself in check.
This time she shivered for real. The bathwater had gone from toasty to cool, and the bubbles were little more than a delicious memory. Even the bag of frozen corn had turned warm and soggy.
Levering herself onto the edge of the platform surrounding the tub, she grabbed a towel for her hair and wrapped a second one around herself. Her ankle felt better, at least enough for her to hobble out of the bathroom in search of clean clothes. The central portion of the cabin remained in darkness with only the flickering light from the fireplace to pierce the shadows.
Lazz stood as she limped into the room. “You should have called me.”
“I managed.”
“Do you need help dressing?”
Absolutely not. “I don’t think so, thanks.”
He moved from his stance by the fireplace, and she lost him in the darkness, tracking him by voice alone. “I’ll go top off the generator while you change. Feel free to turn on a light if you want. I left them off to conserve fuel so we could keep the refrigerator and freezer running.”
She offered a self-conscious smile. “Not to mention the hot water heater.”
There was a stillness about him that unnerved her. A purposefulness. And she could practically taste the tension thickening the air. “That, too.”
She clung to the edges of her damp towel. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this awkward. Lazz must have sensed as much because he left the cabin without another word. Ariana didn’t waste any time. She limped to the dresser as quickly as her ankle would allow and dug through the drawers. She yanked out clothing at random, anything that would give her adequate coverage.
She’d just finished dressing when an unearthly screech split the air, followed by a boom so violent it jolted the cabin right down to its foundations and literally knocked her off her feet. She lay on the floor, fighting for breath, not daring to move. Whatever just happened, it had killed the generator.
The instant the thought entered her mind, she bolted upright and shrieked, “Lazz!”
She scrambled to her feet and hobbled to the back door of the cabin. Turning the knob, she attempted to open it, but it wouldn’t budge no matter how hard she shoved. She threw her
He grabbed a stack of towels and piled them within reach of the tub. “I’m going to start a fire. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Thank you, Lazz.”
She’d switched back to English, and when she glanced up, she managed to regard him with the sort of regal poise that must have been drummed into her from infancy. And yet, he could feel the want sizzling behind the facade.
Something had changed as a result of what they’d gone through during the storm. They’d come out the other side and everything had been different. There’d always been a strong, sexual awareness between them—not The Inferno. Not a chance. But definitely an awareness. Now, that awareness had sharpened to a keen edge. One that was going to cut them if they didn’t do something to blunt it.
“Call me if you need help getting out.” He paused at the door and shot her a wicked grin, one he hoped disguised how he really felt. “Looks like I should have used more bubble bath, not less.”
Ariana glanced down and gasped. Embarrassing gaps had appeared in the bubbles. The tips of her breasts peeked through one of those gaps, while the curve of her hip and belly could clearly be seen through another.
She shivered despite the warmth of the water. Humorous remarks aside, she’d never seen that look in Lazz’s eyes before. Sure, she’d seen awareness. Desire. But not to this extent. Not that bone-deep hunger that had turned his eyes to jade. He wanted her. Badly. It showed in the tautness of his face and the ferocity of his gaze, as well as the rigid play of muscles across his impressive chest. It suggested a man hovering on the edge, clawing to hold himself in check.
This time she shivered for real. The bathwater had gone from toasty to cool, and the bubbles were little more than a delicious memory. Even the bag of frozen corn had turned warm and soggy.
Levering herself onto the edge of the platform surrounding the tub, she grabbed a towel for her hair and wrapped a second one around herself. Her ankle felt better, at least enough for her to hobble out of the bathroom in search of clean clothes. The central portion of the cabin remained in darkness with only the flickering light from the fireplace to pierce the shadows.
Lazz stood as she limped into the room. “You should have called me.”
“I managed.”
“Do you need help dressing?”
Absolutely not. “I don’t think so, thanks.”
He moved from his stance by the fireplace, and she lost him in the darkness, tracking him by voice alone. “I’ll go top off the generator while you change. Feel free to turn on a light if you want. I left them off to conserve fuel so we could keep the refrigerator and freezer running.”
She offered a self-conscious smile. “Not to mention the hot water heater.”
There was a stillness about him that unnerved her. A purposefulness. And she could practically taste the tension thickening the air. “That, too.”
She clung to the edges of her damp towel. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this awkward. Lazz must have sensed as much because he left the cabin without another word. Ariana didn’t waste any time. She limped to the dresser as quickly as her ankle would allow and dug through the drawers. She yanked out clothing at random, anything that would give her adequate coverage.
She’d just finished dressing when an unearthly screech split the air, followed by a boom so violent it jolted the cabin right down to its foundations and literally knocked her off her feet. She lay on the floor, fighting for breath, not daring to move. Whatever just happened, it had killed the generator.
The instant the thought entered her mind, she bolted upright and shrieked, “Lazz!”
She scrambled to her feet and hobbled to the back door of the cabin. Turning the knob, she attempted to open it, but it wouldn’t budge no matter how hard she shoved. She threw her
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