Hermi's hands shot out, her fingers locking around Cassian's wrists.
"What are you—!" Her voice rose in a startled peak, but she clamped her jaw shut, pressing the sound down before it could carry through the heavy oak doors.
Cassian's face remained lit with a blatant smirk. He looked as though he were savoring every flicker of fright that crossed her features.
She bit her lip, a wave of heat rising from her neck. It was irrational to feel such a surge of shyness now. He had seen her body countless times in the dim firelight of the Black Fortress.
Her fingers gradually loosened their hold on his skin. She let her hands fall to the silk laces, deliberately pulling them free until the bodice slackened against her gown.
"I must remind you that I have not washed for the entirety of our journey," she mumbled. "Whatever it is you wish to do, at least let me have a bath first."
