Page 54 of First Offense

It made my heart hammer inside my chest, turning my thoughts to ash.

Auric’s grip tightened, his fingers sliding into my hair as he closed his eyes and exhaled. “Sorry, Lay,” he said, surprising me. “You were never supposed to see that.”

It took me a moment to realize what he meant.

Novak and Auric.

I shivered again, my thighs clenching, causing him to growl. “Don’t,” he warned. “Don’t do that.”

“She can’t help it,” Novak replied, shutting off the water and yanking the towel from Auric’s hips.

My eyes widened as I realized what that meant.

Naked Auric.

Holding me.

His manhood… is… oh, my, gods… there… right there…

Auric didn’t release me. Instead, he kept his forehead against mine and reminded me to breathe. “I need you to relax, Lay,” he said in a far too gentle tone. “I need you to turn it off.”

I started to shake, unsure of what he meant.

He’s touching me,I thought, sensing his hardness against my lower belly. Mybarelower belly. “Au-Auric,” I managed to say, my throat resembling sandpaper.

He hushed me, being uncharacteristically gentle as he steered me toward a bed. My eyebrows lifted, my heart thudding wildly in my chest, but rather than push me onto the mattress, he released me to grab his pants and yank them over his still-damp thighs.

Novak merely smiled in amusement while he used the towel to dry himself.

I tried to shake myself out of this daze but found myself unable to focus on anything other than their mingling scents.

Auric cupped my cheek to force my gaze to his blown pupils. “Go up in your bunk. Don’t come back down, no matter what you hear.”

I gaped at him. “What?”

“Do it now,” he said, his tone a touch stronger than before.

When I didn’t immediately obey, he pushed me toward the ladder. Not roughly, but sternly.

Rather than watch me comply, he turned to face Novak.

The two of them squared off.

Then Auric slammed his fist into Novak’s jaw.

I scurried up the ladder to get out of their way just as the two began to spar.

Oh gods…

Light and dark danced through the room, their wings a tangle of feathers that seemed to bleed into the other. My legs clamped closed, my body on fire all over again at the sight below.

How the hell could I reform under these circumstances when all I wanted to do was jump down and engage in the ultimate sin?

I bit my lip.

My mother had once warned me to avoid temptations, stating it could lead to potential heartbreak. Because, unlike most Nora, I wasn’t afforded the option of a choice.

Oh, I had my courting season—which I should be attending now rather than suffering in a cell with two virile males—but everyone knew my father would be the one to ultimately choose my mate. And try as I might, I couldn’t deviate from the path set out before me.