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“I have four siblings.”

“Five of you?”

“Yes.” Her arm came around him again, and he caught that spicy scent with a hint of citrus. “I have an older sister named Jessamine. She’s my mother’s apprentice. And two younger sisters, Brinna and Aurielle. And a younger brother, Mattias. There’s also my dad.”

“A big family.”

She continued removing the binding, alleviating the pressure holding his torso together. “You don’t have a large family?”

“Not quite as big as yours. I have two younger siblings. A sister and a brother.” He didn’t say their names. “And my parents.”

“The oldest then.”

The binding dropped away, and Lachlan tried to take a deep breath; it hurt, but it was also freeing in a way. He heard the water behind him slosh, and he imagined her wetting the cloth. Next, he felt the warmth of the water skimming over his skin from his neck across his shoulders and down his back, the water slipping between his bare ass.

“Soap now,” she murmured. “Okay?”

He nodded, unable to find his voice for some reason.

The soap slid over his skin, and a refreshing scent—rosemary, lavender, and a touch of citrus—hit him. She’d used this soap. She worked the bar over his skin, then with the cloth, continued her ministrations. His heart beat wildly in his chest, moving his breath quickly through his lungs. For some reason, this was one of the most erotic things he’d encountered. He couldn’t help these physical responses, just like he couldn’t help the fact he grew hard again and didn’t want her to see.

As she rinsed his back, he worried she would notice that he’d become a walking erection around her.

“I can take the used cloth. If you want,” she said, standing just behind him.

“Oh, stars no.” There was a beat of silence at his swearing. “I mean, I’ve got it,” he stammered when he realized what he’d said. “I’ll bring it out when I’m done.”

“Okay,” she replied, draping the wet cloth over his shoulder. He didn’t turn around to look at her, afraid of it, of her for some reason. “I’ll be out at the fire,” she added.

He nodded and listened to her leave, closing the flap behind her. He listened to her beyond the tent, the sound fading the further she moved away. Then he let out a relieved breath.

“Fuck,” he muttered as he grabbed the cloth and looked at the hardest erection he could remember since he’d been an untried youth.

This—whatever it was—wouldn’t do; he was a prince. He had responsibilities.

He looked up at the flap of the tent where Tarley had disappeared.

Except you aren’t a prince right now, his brain reminded him.You’re just Ollie, a regular guy.Which made him watch the tent opening as he slid soap over his skin, pondering the possibilities.

He shook his head to right his thoughts and looked away. Pursuing Tarley for pleasure wasn’t right, especially when he needed her.

He glanced back at the closed tent flap.

What had Ollie said?Intentions don’t matter if your behavior doesn’t match.

A woman like Tarley—one who had saved his life—deserved more than a temporary tup in a tent by a lying, scheming royal, even if he was interested in fucking her. He might have done something like that last week, but this week… well, he’d nearly died. That alone was enough to make him take notice of who he’d been, and he hated to admit it, but he wasn’t so sure his father had been wrong.

7

Ollie’s demeanor sent up a red flag, so the moment she was clear of the tent, she wondered if she should run. How had he changed from cajoling her so charmingly to being so antagonistic in a matter of hours? She’d gotten too comfortable, believing he wasn’t a collector. Her eyes darted around, looking for what she might grab in a hurry to bolt, but most of it was in the tent where he was now bathing.

She could make it back to Sevens by morning if she walked through the night, though it was dangerous with the nocturnal creatures she might encounter. The only complication was if the priest was still looking for her in Sevens. She expected Mattias any day now to give her the all-clear, but what if she couldn’t wait for him?

Her eyes flitted back to the tent.

She could return home, skipping Sevens altogether. But she knew what came with that return. Isolation with Auri behind the hedge. Her mother wouldn’t gamble on Tarley’s safety if there was any question. While she appreciated that about her mother, Tarley didn’t really want to be trapped behind the hedge either.

There was another option.