The Haunted - Jessica Verday [116]
But I couldn’t meet his eyes. I was sure my face was completely red.
“So,” Caspian said. “How did you sleep?”
My brain was stuttering, but apparently my tongue had no such problems. “Fine. Good.” He leaned closer. I inhaled sharply at his nearness.
“I want to wake up with you every morning,” he said. “Just like this.” That familiar shivery feeling stole over me again and made my brain go all fuzzy.
“I should call you a pervert,” I finally replied. “For ogling me while I sleep.”
“It was torture. To look and not touch…”
“Hey! Just how much looking did you do?” I said indignantly.
“Not… much.” He grinned at me, his hair falling into one eye. “I’m just sorry that I don’t have my sketch pad. The real crime here was not capturing such beauty.” I shook my head at him. “That is such a come-on line.… But now I need a shower, and you’re going to have to leave the room and return when I’m done, or keep your eyes closed the entire time. And I’ll know if you’re peeking.”
“I’m staying in the room with you. And I won’t peek.”
“I’m trusting you.”
“Of course you can.”
His face was serious, and I could tell he meant what he was promising. Heading toward the bathroom, I called out, “Okay, close ’em.” He did, but I still glanced out at him to see if he was keeping his word.
He was.
I turned the water on, adjusted the temperature, and momentarily forgot all about Caspian as soon as the hot water hit me. The shower was relaxing and just what I needed. I seriously regretted it the moment I turned it off.
I dried off with a towel down from the rack, then wrapped it around me. Another glance at Caspian told me that he was turned away, watching TV.
As I opened the bathroom door, a cloud of steam escaped with me. The carpet was soft on my bare feet, and I scrunched up my toes, enjoying the feeling. The towel I’d wrapped turban-style around my head started to come undone, so I reached up to secure it.
Behind me the TV switched off.
I froze, aware that I had to be careful how much I moved, or else the towel wrapped around my body could slip.
Turning slowly, I locked eyes with Caspian, and he crooked his finger. Beckoning me to come closer.
I couldn’t resist.
He stood up from the edge of the bed and met me halfway. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.
“Your cheeks are rosy,” he observed. “And you smell good.” He let out a small groan, and I backed up a step, suddenly feeling out of my element. My suitcase was on the floor behind me, and I bumped into it.
“I’m at a disadvantage here.” I tried to laugh. Tried to distract myself from this strange moment that I didn’t know how to react to. “You’re fully dressed, and I’m only wearing a towel.” In an instant he pulled off the dark gray T-shirt he wore. The black interlocking circles of the tattoo on his left arm flashed when he moved. “Now we’re a little more even.” Desire hit me like a rock as I gazed at his bare chest, and I wondered what his skin tasted like there. He was so… male. So beautiful.
I bit my lip to keep from moaning, and Caspian let out a sigh. “You are so unbelievably sexy right now.”
A wicked little devil prodded me to be bad, and I took off the towel wrapped around my head, flipping my hair to one side so it slithered over my shoulder. Biting down harder on my lip, I whispered, “Hold on,” and disappeared into the bathroom again.
I grabbed my bottle of lotion from the counter, returned to Caspian, and sat down on top of my suitcase. This time, I was the one to beckon him.
I braced my feet on the carpet. One knee was exposed, and I hiked the towel up a little bit more until my whole thigh was showing. The thought that I was playing with fire crossed my mind, but I pushed it away. I was in the mood to get burned. Scorched, even.
The scent of vanilla wafted around us as I opened the lotion and squeezed some into my palm. Caspian watched my every move intently. I slid my hand up and down my leg, smoothing on the lotion. The sensation