The Other Brother (Snow and Ash Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

scary.”
    He sets his fork down. “Are you giving me attitude?”
    “A little.” I take a forkful of risotto.
    “You think I’m the one who finds love scary?”
    I pause midchew, but he doesn’t press the issue.
    “So,” he says after a few beats. “How was your bath this morning?”
    I choke on my sip of water. “My bath?”
    “Yes,” he says, not looking at me. “You like baths better than showers, I think you said once.”
    I nod like an idiot. “Uh-huh.”
    He moves on to another topic, something safe, and we finish the meal in peace. I’m so relieved that I don’t bat an eye when the cheesecake lands in front of me.
    “I don’t feel like going anywhere,” he says after the dishes are removed. “Do you mind if we just stay in and relax?”
    That ache between my shoulders eases. “I’m all for it.”
    He smiles to himself. At what? The light from the candles plays over his face, alternately hiding and emphasizing his scars.
    After dinner we climb the stairs to our suite and I ponder whether I should read a book or write a letter to my sister. The first thing I notice when I get to our room is that it’s warm. Quite warm. And there are no pj’s on the bed.
    Kent closes the door behind him and leans back against it.
    “Bianca.” His tone is soft but full of authority.
    I look at him warily.
    “Come here,” he says. He’s using his officer’s face, that commanding tone, and I move toward him as though he’s pulling me with a rope of silk.
    He smooths my hair with the back of his hand. “Turn around.”
    I lick my lips. “Why?”
    He cocks his head and frowns, so I turn. He removes the elastic that anchors my hair and begins to unravel my braid.
    My heart flutters. “Don’t.”
    When I step away, his hands encircle my waist. He draws me back to him and presses his lips to my ear. “Let me.”
    My breath halts. My world shrinks until it’s just his hands on my body and the warm breath that caresses my ear. I wear the braid as a shield. It’s an iron bar that hangs down my back like a medieval sword. It tells people I’m dangerous and that I won’t be messed with. It’s a bluff, of course, but so far no one’s seen through it. Kent slides his hands up my arms and rests them on my shoulders and waits.
    For permission.
    It’s just hair, I tell myself. Just hair. I jerk my chin in consent. His fingers resume their work, and my scalp tingles with each pull. My sister and I used to brush each other’s hair for hours. That stopped four years ago, and I’ve forgotten how good it feels. I close my eyes and enjoy the tingles and tugs. When he’s done, I’m kind of sorry.
    “It’s so soft,” he says, running his fingers through my tresses, scalp to ends. He leans in and inhales my scent as he continues stroking me. I mean, my hair. He wraps a length in his fists and gives a firm tug, pulling me back against his chest.
    I gasp at the thrill of it. I am wholly unprepared for the rush of heat to my belly, but before my mind can reject the feelings, he lets me go and moves away.
    “So this morning,” he says, shuffling through some books on his nightstand. “Did you like it?”
    My mouth goes dry. “Like what?”
    He looks up and locks his eyes on mine. “I know you were there, Bianca.”
    I suck in a breath and freeze. Hell can claim me now if it wants. Anything not to have to have this conversation.
    He drops the books back onto the table and moves closer. “You watched me. I saw you. I felt you.”
    I shake as I clap a hand over my mouth. “I’m so sorry. I was taking my bath and I heard something and I…I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.” I close my eyes. I thought hell was telling him I didn’t want sex. He just caught me watching him masturbate. “There’s no excuse. I’m so sorry.”
    When I open my eyes, he’s not three steps from me. The way he looks at me, touches me with his gaze, screams predator. He inhales through his nose. “Did you enjoy it?”
    Shit!