Page 43 of Ashes

“What do y?—”

He looked up at the ceiling and groaned, running a hand over his face. “Sienna, it’s a simple question. Can you undress yourself or do you require my help?” he spelled it out for me.

I contemplated both options for a moment and then went for the safest route.

“I can do it.” I didn’t think I could bear more of his touch, especially after what a simple brush of his fingers on my skin did to me earlier.

And this felt too intimate already.

He got up and turned his head sideways, holding the robe open to shield me and allowing some sort of privacy.

I hesitated for a moment, my anxiety spiking.

I’d never undressed in front of a man, but my options were limited. Jamal wouldn’t take no for an answer and the pain wasn’t subsiding like I thought it would.

I shook the tremble that rippled down my spine and took a deep breath and slowly pulled my long-sleeved cardigan over my head, wincing. I let it drop behind me andmoved to my wide-leg yoga pants. I slowly tilted my hips to get the elasticated band over my waist and tried to bend to get them off, but the pain was growing stronger.

I stifled a whimper and tried using my feet to push them down my legs, only managing to get them halfway there before I had to pause to wait for the wave of pain to ease.

But it didn’t.

“Jamal…” I whispered, the request dying on my tongue. But he must have heard the underlying plea in my tone because he chanced a look.

There was a flicker in his eyes when he noticed my state, but it quickly vanished and he kneeled in front of me, draping the robe over his shoulder.

“I’ve got you,” he promised, his words seeming to carry a weight beyond just our current circumstances. He grabbed the waistband of my bottoms and gently pulled down, his eyes roaming my face for any signs of discomfort.

Once they were off, his gaze locked with mine.

“We need to take everything off.” His tone was lower and it sent warmth spreading over my skin.

I slowly nodded, my eyes never leaving his.

Tension crackled in the air, suspending the moment in an infinite time.

He grasped at the fabric over his shoulder and wrapped the soft cotton around my body, concealing me as much as he could.

“Okay,” he muttered more to himself than to me.

His fingers brushed against my middle as he reached for the clasp at the back of my cotton bralette, deftly undoing it. Then he moved higher to slip the straps off my shoulder.

Not physically reacting to his touch was becoming harder by the second.

I tried to look away, but I feared that if we broke eye contact, the bubble we were wrapped in would burst and I would realize that he was in the process of undressing me.

As the fabric fell off my body, he wrapped the robe tighter around my body to hide it.

He muttered something in French before resting his hands on the side of my thighs. Then he tugged at my boy shorts and sucked in a sharp breath as he pulled them down my legs.

Goose bumps erupted all over my skin and my stomach clenched with a sensation I’d never felt before, my body feeling heavy with need.

A need for more of his touch.

A need for his fingers to explore somewhere no one has ever been.

A need forhim.

I thought the first time I’d be naked in front of someone, I’d be more nervous. But it was quite the opposite.