The Royal bathing chamber was a temple of black marble and steam, and Aeron Valdamar intended to worship at its altar.
He lowered Kaia into the scalding, jasmine-scented water of the sunken copper tub, his hands lingering on her waist. He stepped in after her, the water rising past his muscular thighs, and pulled her directly onto his lap so she was straddling him.
"I promised to wash every inch," Aeron murmured, his voice a dark, echoing rumble in the humid room.
He didn't bother with the sea sponge. His bare, calloused hands glided over her wet skin, tracing the slope of her shoulders, the heavy curve of her breasts, and the dip of her waist. The heat of the bathwater was nothing compared to the branding heat of his palms.
Kaia gasped, her hands tangling in his damp golden hair as his fingers slid beneath the surface of the water, parting her thighs.
"Aeron," she breathed, arching her back.
