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The tickling of the hair against my cheek and the slight brushing of his fingers just below my temple sent a ripple of excitement through my chest.

Or was it an alarm?

I couldn’t tell when it came to my feelings with him being this close, but I didn’t shrink away.

I realized what Salas was doing. First, he’d gotten me to accept his touch by massaging my feet. Now, he was getting me accustomed to his close proximity.

He treated me like a skittish animal in the wild, with care and patience. But maybe that was what I needed all along? Patience and care. I certainly had never found even a drop of that in any man who’d touched me before.

“I already washed my hair this morning,” I exhaled slowly, pulled into an odd trance when this close to him.

He smelled nice, after all the grooming they had put him through today. But it was the warm scent of his skin under all the musky perfumes that made me swoon a little.

“How about scrubbing your back then?” He smiled, gently placing a hand on my shoulder. “And maybe some other difficult-to-reach places?”

I should let him. After all, that was what he’d come here for—to take my clothes off, to put his hands on my body, to show me what happened between a man and a woman during sex.

I’d had no problem dealing with Salas in a businesslike manner. I’d found it easy to be friendly with him too. I enjoyed talking to him. But these tiny sexy sparks that he’d now brought into our interaction proved to be the roadblocks for me.

He shifted a tiny bit closer, speaking just above my ear.

“Let me take this dress off you, Princess.”

His fresh breath fanned over the side of my face. My skin prickled with tiny ripples of ice and fire. His warm, potent male scent made my head spin and my knees buckle. It also made me wish to bury my face in his neck and breathe him in for eternity.

“Oh, gods...”

I staggered back, grabbing the edge of the stand behind me. The candles on it shook. I found one by touch, blew the flame out, and thrust it toward him.

“Here. Take it. Light it in the sitting room, for mood and such. Have some dinner, you’re probably hungry. It must take a lot of food to maintain all ofthis.” I waved my hand in front of his broad-as-a-wall chest. “I need a bath. I smell like a horse.”

“Not the worst smell, believe me.”

I ventured a glance up at his face again. His smile somehow had the ability to loosen the tight knot of anxiety in my chest.

“Please, let me take a quick bath on my own. I promise, it won’t take long.”

“As you wish, Princess.” He accepted the candle from me, then left, closing the door behind him.

I dropped my shoulders, propping my butt against the edge of the tub.

What was happening with me?

Maybe I was coming down with something? The flushes of heat and cold. My racing heart. My heightened scent sensitivity. Were they symptoms of a sickness? It would be such a nice and easy explanation if I’d just caught a cold and Salas had nothing to do with it.

I took my clothes off and got into the tub. The water was just a degree above lukewarm, which proved perfectly fine for a quick refreshing bath after a hot day.

Only after I finished bathing, I realized I hadn’t brought any clothes to change into. All I had was my silk robe, printed with cherry blossoms and nightingales, that hung on a hook in a corner. I dried myself with a towel then put the robe on, making sure it overlapped tightly in the front before tying the belt around my waist.

With my hand on the door handle, I paused to collect myself.

It felt like armies of butterflies led an incessant battle in my stomach. But I had no reason to feel this way. I’d been holding my own in front of foreign dignitaries, seasoned politicians, and army generals since my first council meeting that I attended at eighteen. All of them had been smart, experienced women who’d mastered poker faces and were ready to use my every weakness to their advantage. Yet I survived and even thrived among them.

I could certainly stand to spend a night with a handsome man.

Turning the handle, I shoved the door open and entered the bedroom.

Salas sat on the floor by the table with food. At the sound of the door opening, he took the teapot from its stand and filled two cups.