loosening her muscles. Her skin felt tight over her face, arms, and shoulders. She pulled down the red loofah and squirted the bodywash onto it. It soaped up into a generous lather. Even her breasts were tight. Tight. Swollen. Aching.
Tight and aching for Helcyon?
Cassie groaned at the thought. The voice wasn’t her conscience.
It was the devil.
Cassie ducked her head under the spray and rinsed the soap off. She found her shampoo and squirted a dollop into her hand before beginning to work it into her tangled mess of hair. She smelled the faint odor of burned hair. The sweet scent of citrus did little to cover that up.
Scrubbing her hair, she rinsed out the first wash and reached for another handful of shampoo. Her stylist would probably kill her for the abuse her hair was taking, but Cassie blocked that thought. Clean hair was the first goal, followed by clean skin, clean teeth, and a cup of coffee. Cassie focused on the mundane needs of her body.
The overtight skin, a byproduct of her Fae healing, was soothed by the water and soap. The second scrubbing of her hair removed the last traces of burned-hair odor, and the generous amount of fresh strawberry conditioner smelled heavenly. Sighing, Cassie worked the conditioner through every inch of her hair. She turned her face up into the spray and let the water glide over her face and into her scalp. The dry, matted mess of her hair turned satiny soft, eliciting a genuine sigh of pleasure.
Cassie allowed herself a few more minutes luxuriating under the spray before getting down to business and running the razor over her legs and under her arms. Another good rinse and she shut off the jets with a sigh.
She turned her attention to the closet, choosing black. Black jeans, black tank top, black sweater tied around her waist. Even her jewelry favored the onyx, choker and bracelet. Her damp hair was pulled back with a black scrunchie.
By the time Cassie was dressed, she could smell the coffee drifting from the vicinity of the kitchen. She followed the scent like a bloodhound, padding on bare feet across the vanity-white carpet into the stellar-blue kitchen. The startling palette of colors annoyed her decorator to no end, but Cassie enjoyed the endless variety of shocking change when she went from room to room.
Standing in front of her coffeepot, studying the microwave with intensity, was her tall, lean, and brooding guest. She studied his profile from her vantage point at the door, enjoying the sensuous curve of his mouth, the patrician nose, and the gently upswept look of his ears. Thick black hair that fell past his broad, warrior shoulders didn’t hurt. She ignored his lack of shirt and loose black britches that hugged his sinfully artful hips.
“Good afternoon, m’lady.”
“Good afternoon. You should get dressed. I’d offer to make something to eat, but I know you prefer fresh fruit.”
“I found the generous offering in your breakfast room. The variety is plentiful. Will you eat?”
“Coffee is good.”
Helcyon betrayed no sign of being disturbed by her curt manner. “You should eat.”
“I hate eating this early in the day.”
“We don’t know when we will be able to eat again. It’s been more than twenty-four hours since your last meal.”
“Thanks for the newsflash, Mother. Anything else you’d like to share?”
Helcyon gave her a patient smile before sliding the cup of coffee toward her. “Drink your morning elixir and we’ll talk when you’re done.”
Cassie resisted a snort, all the while grasping the coffee cup gratefully. It smelled like nirvana. She took a deep whiff of the ground Colombian beans. It was from her private stock. She didn’t know how he knew about the coffee grinder, the beans, or how to put just the right amount on to brew with a dash of cinnamon and cayenne, but it was pure heaven.
She ignored the long, brooding look he favored her with and walked over to the picture window overlooking the rocky cliff wall and beach
Tight and aching for Helcyon?
Cassie groaned at the thought. The voice wasn’t her conscience.
It was the devil.
Cassie ducked her head under the spray and rinsed the soap off. She found her shampoo and squirted a dollop into her hand before beginning to work it into her tangled mess of hair. She smelled the faint odor of burned hair. The sweet scent of citrus did little to cover that up.
Scrubbing her hair, she rinsed out the first wash and reached for another handful of shampoo. Her stylist would probably kill her for the abuse her hair was taking, but Cassie blocked that thought. Clean hair was the first goal, followed by clean skin, clean teeth, and a cup of coffee. Cassie focused on the mundane needs of her body.
The overtight skin, a byproduct of her Fae healing, was soothed by the water and soap. The second scrubbing of her hair removed the last traces of burned-hair odor, and the generous amount of fresh strawberry conditioner smelled heavenly. Sighing, Cassie worked the conditioner through every inch of her hair. She turned her face up into the spray and let the water glide over her face and into her scalp. The dry, matted mess of her hair turned satiny soft, eliciting a genuine sigh of pleasure.
Cassie allowed herself a few more minutes luxuriating under the spray before getting down to business and running the razor over her legs and under her arms. Another good rinse and she shut off the jets with a sigh.
She turned her attention to the closet, choosing black. Black jeans, black tank top, black sweater tied around her waist. Even her jewelry favored the onyx, choker and bracelet. Her damp hair was pulled back with a black scrunchie.
By the time Cassie was dressed, she could smell the coffee drifting from the vicinity of the kitchen. She followed the scent like a bloodhound, padding on bare feet across the vanity-white carpet into the stellar-blue kitchen. The startling palette of colors annoyed her decorator to no end, but Cassie enjoyed the endless variety of shocking change when she went from room to room.
Standing in front of her coffeepot, studying the microwave with intensity, was her tall, lean, and brooding guest. She studied his profile from her vantage point at the door, enjoying the sensuous curve of his mouth, the patrician nose, and the gently upswept look of his ears. Thick black hair that fell past his broad, warrior shoulders didn’t hurt. She ignored his lack of shirt and loose black britches that hugged his sinfully artful hips.
“Good afternoon, m’lady.”
“Good afternoon. You should get dressed. I’d offer to make something to eat, but I know you prefer fresh fruit.”
“I found the generous offering in your breakfast room. The variety is plentiful. Will you eat?”
“Coffee is good.”
Helcyon betrayed no sign of being disturbed by her curt manner. “You should eat.”
“I hate eating this early in the day.”
“We don’t know when we will be able to eat again. It’s been more than twenty-four hours since your last meal.”
“Thanks for the newsflash, Mother. Anything else you’d like to share?”
Helcyon gave her a patient smile before sliding the cup of coffee toward her. “Drink your morning elixir and we’ll talk when you’re done.”
Cassie resisted a snort, all the while grasping the coffee cup gratefully. It smelled like nirvana. She took a deep whiff of the ground Colombian beans. It was from her private stock. She didn’t know how he knew about the coffee grinder, the beans, or how to put just the right amount on to brew with a dash of cinnamon and cayenne, but it was pure heaven.
She ignored the long, brooding look he favored her with and walked over to the picture window overlooking the rocky cliff wall and beach
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