Auren smiled, finally taking a deliberate step back to give her some breathing room.
Evryn watched him retreat, a teasing glint returning to her hazel eyes as she crossed her arms.
“Emmm…
interesting.
If she were a young lady, you would be stuck to me just so I would send you to her.”
Auren’s lips twitched into a thoroughly wicked, sexy smile.
“I think so.
Who would refuse to see a young naked woman?”
Evryn’s jaw dropped.
“You are an absolute pervert!
A shameless, arrogant pervert!” She rolled her eyes, trying to look disgusted despite her flaming cheeks.
“Yet…
I’ve never even seen you look at another woman since you arrived at the farm.”
Auren’s gaze deepened, turning intense and entirely captivating as he leaned down until his breath brushed her ear.
“Who could look at any other woman…
when I am completely captured by these hazel eyes?”
Evryn froze, her heart doing a violent flip.
She looked at his smug, teasing expression and realized he was doing this entirely to break her composure.
She narrowed her eyes at his smug face.
“Be honest for once and stop teasing me, Auren!
Did absolutely none of those girls at the farm take your attention?
Come on, tell me.
I can actually help you get her, if you want,” she added, giving him a mischievous wink.
“I am being entirely honest,” Auren murmured, his voice dropping an octave, losing its playful edge.
“You just refuse to believe me.
Because you are afraid, for example.”
Evryn scoffed, though her pulse spiked.
“Afraid?
Afraid of what?”
“To fall in love with me,” he whispered, his silver eyes locking onto hers with a sudden, heavy intensity.
“You still haven’t tasted real love, little bird.”
Evryn froze.
The words died in her throat.
A sudden wave of truth washed over her, because deep down, she knew he was entirely right.
She had never known that kind of consuming emotion.
But looking at his frustratingly handsome face, her defense mechanism kicked in, her tone turning sharper.
“And what about you?” she challenged, her voice dropping into a defiant whisper.
“Do you even know what love is?
Or do you just enjoy making women fall helplessly for you?
Is that your little game?
Your only enjoyment in life?”
“I don’t know what love is, no,” he admitted softly, his voice a low, rough whisper.
“But for the first time in my long life…
I am curious about it.
I want to taste it, Evryn.”
Evryn’s breath hitched, she tried to pull up her defenses, shaking her head slightly.
“Don’t…
you are fine just like this, aren’t you?
Love…
it’s just a sweet torture, Auren.
You lose your heart, you lose your mind.
You simply end up being a slave to your lover.”
Auren took a deliberate step closer, completely eliminating the remaining distance between them until his chest nearly brushed hers.
His silver eyes dropped to her lips, burning with an unyielding intensity.
“I want that,” he murmured, his voice dropping into a low, hypnotic register that sent a shiver straight down her spine.
“If losing my mind means completely losing myself to you…
then I would gladly become your slave, little bird.”
Evryn’s face flushed a brilliant crimson, the sheer romantic gravity of his gaze making it nearly impossible to breathe.
“I can’t even get a serious conversation with you for one minute straight!” she exasperatedly huffed.
She turned around quickly to hide her face, turning the heavy brass handles so steaming water began to rush into the deep basin.
She knelt by the edge, swirling her hand through the rising water.
“Come here,” she snapped, stubbornly refusing to look at him.
“See how the water needs to be.
Auren walked over but his eyes weren’t on the tub; they were fixed entirely on her profile.
“That’s not the important thing I should learn,” he said softly.
Evryn glanced at him, exasperated.
“What then?
Now you know better than me?”
“You need to teach me how to brush a woman’s back,” he murmured, low rumble in his voice.
He leaned a fraction closer, his silver eyes dark with temptation.
“You should do your work honestly and show me.”
Evryn’s hazel eyes flickered, but instead of backing away or flushing red, she closed her eyes for a brief second and inhaled deeply.
When she opened them, a sweet, entirely devastating smile graced her lips.
She stood up slowly, stepping directly into his personal space.
“Of course, Auren.
Why wouldn’t I?”
Her hands moved with agonizing slowness, her delicate fingers trailing up his chest and wrapping around the fabric of his shirt.
Auren watched her eyes, his heart giving a sudden, heavy thud.
He had been teasing her just to see the familiar fire in her gaze…he loved the way her thorns showed up, ready to pierce anyone who dared cross her lines.
But now?
What was she doing?
As her warmth pressed closer, Auren found himself completely dazed, caught entirely off guard by her sudden boldness, his mind scrambled, utterly captivated by her touch.
And that was his mistake.
With a sudden, violent burst of strength, Evryn slammed her palms into his chest, shattering his trance and sending him flying backward.
With a massive, roaring splash, Auren crashed straight into the half-filled, steaming bathtub, water flying everywhere, thoroughly soaking his clothes and his dark hair.
Evryn stood over the rim of the tub, her hands on her waist, looking down at the drenched servant with a look of pure, triumphant arrogance.
“I told you to keep your distance, even with your words, Auren.
I am done with that tongue, So, no personal training for you.”
Spinning on her heel, she gave a satisfied huff and practically floated out of the grand bathroom, leaving him behind.
Auren sat up in the tub, water dripping down his sharp jawline and soaking into his collar.
For a second, he just stared at the empty doorway.
Then, he tossed his head back, and a rich, breathless laugh tore from his chest, echoing loudly against the marble walls.
What did you think, fool?
you even let your defenses down.
he thought to himself, a wicked smirk spreading across his face as he ran a wet hand through his dark hair.
She played you perfectly.
Just the lingering thought of her touch, the scent of her skin, and the wild spark in her eyes made a sharp, sudden heat flare deep in his chest.
His desire burned hotter than the steaming water around him.
He stared at the empty space she had just occupied, his silver eyes darkening with a predatory promise.
Damn how badly I want to taste her.
Evryn and Brinna were summoned early.
The lady stood before her large mirror, examining fabrics and jewels while giving instructions without pause.
Evryn adjusted the fall of silk along her shoulders, while Brinna secured delicate clasps behind her neck.
Auren followed them quietly to the chamber but did not enter.
He remained outside the door, leaning against the wall, his arms folded.
From inside, he could hear Evryn’s softer voice as she spoke to the lady.
She sounded different in that tone, respectful, calm, almost gentle.
She was soft when she chose to be.
The door opened suddenly.
Evryn stepped out first and nearly walked into him.
“Auren,” she said with a faint frown, “you are my assistant, not my guard.
You could have waited downstairs.”
He straightened slightly but did not move far.
Before he could answer, the lady stepped into the hallway.
Auren inclined his head politely in greeting.
Evryn’s expression did not change much, though she felt Auren’s presence beside her more sharply now.
The lady studied Auren briefly, her gaze lingering a second too long on his sharp jawline before a subtle smile played on her lips.
“I didn’t know someone so refined served under my roof.”
“You have more, my lady,” Evryn replied quickly, forcing a perfectly polite, flawless smile as she stepped slightly between them.
The lady laughed softly, a low sound that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
She turned her sharp gaze back to Evryn.
“Have you finished his training yet, Evryn?”
“Not yet, my lady,” Evryn answered smoothly, though she shot a lethal, warning glare toward Auren.
“He still has a great deal to learn.
His hands are far too rough for delicate work.”
“Does he know them?”
“No, my lady.
Not at all,” Evryn said instantly, her tone clipping the words short.
“He is utterly clueless when it comes to personal service.”
The lady’s expression cooled, a shadow of aristocratic displeasure crossing her face.
“Then what exactly are you doing?
Focus on your job, Evryn.”
“I apologize, my lady.
It won’t happen again,” Evryn said, bowing her head slightly.
Standing just a step behind her, Auren dipped his head as well, pretending to look subservient.
He held his breath, desperately forcing down the amused smile that threatened to break across his lips.
Yet beneath his silent entertainment, something deeper stirred.
His silver eyes remained fixed on the floor, completely captivated by the sharp, protective way Evryn had just jumped to his defense.
With a faint, dismissive hum, the lady turned on her heel and moved down the corridor, her heavy skirts rustling against the stone.
The moment the lady was out of sight, Evryn’s polite facade shattered.
She whirled around and aggressively slammed her shoulder into Auren’s chest.
“This is all because of your pretty face,” she hissed, her hazel eyes flashing with an angry heat.
“I just saved you.
But if she insists on taking you as a personal servant next time, I will throw you straight to her and shield my own dignity.
I won’t take the fall for you.”
Auren barely budged from the impact, a dark, amused glint dancing in his silver eyes.
“Lucky him,” he murmured, as his mind secretly drifted to a dark, calculating thought…already wondering if he should just kill Ray to clear the path for himself.
Evryn frowned, momentarily caught off guard.
“What?
Lucky who?”
“I said Lucky you…
who said you saved me?
I’m the one who saved you.
You wouldn’t survive a single day in this farm without me.
I’m the one doing all your heavy work.”
Evryn’s jaw dropped in sheer disbelief.
“I’m the one doing all your heavy work,” she mimicked in a high-pitched, mocking whisper, throwing his own words back at him with an exasperated roll of her eyes.
Auren only smiled, a slow, devastating expression.
He loved the sharp, fierce thorns she bared whenever he managed to completely fluster her.
“Why should I bother breaking my back?” Evryn grumbled, crossing her arms and tilting her chin up defiantly.
“What you supposed to do with these strong muscles, it’s your duty as a man standing beside me?
You should do whatever I say.”
The tease hung in the air for a fraction of a second before Auren closed the remaining distance between them.
He leaned in, closing the distance until the heat of his body trapped her against the wall, his silver eyes dark with an absolute, terrifying devotion.
“You are the only soul in existence who could ever break me to your will,” he whispered, his gaze dropping to her mouth.
“Whatever those beautiful lips demand of me…
it will be done.
Even if it ruins us both.”
He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, waiting to see exactly how she would handle him.
Evryn stared at him for a long, quiet second.
“What did I do so wrong in my past life to deserve this?” she muttered, rolling her eyes as she took a firm step back, completely breaking his spell.
“Seriously, Auren, who sent you to me?
You are a walking headache.”
With a dignified huff, she turned on her heel and marched down the corridor, leaving him standing there alone with his wicked smirk.
The evening arrived with music and light.
Auren stayed in the shadows, he clung to the outer corridors and the deep, arched recesses where the light of the chandeliers couldn’t reach.
From his position behind a marble column, he scanned the room, his gaze instinctively tracking the back of Evryn’s head.
That was when he saw him.
Ray was tucked into a side alcove, partially shielded from the main floor by heavy velvet curtains.
He wasn’t alone.
A woman in a gown of shimmering emerald stood pressed against him, her jewelry catching the stray light.
Ray’s hand was at her waist, fingers digging into the fabric with a familiarity that was practiced and easy.
Then, he leaned down and kissed her…a slow, lingering move that showed no fear of being caught.
Auren’s jaw tightened until it ached, he dragged his hand down his face, his fingernails nearly scratching his skin as he forced his body to remain still.
“Where are you, Abby,” he murmured, his voice a ghost of a sound beneath the music.
He needed the spell broken; he needed it gone before his restraint snapped entirely.
Because the more he stood in the dark, watching Evryn work herself to exhaustion for a future with a man who didn’t deserve her shadow, the more he wanted to step into the light and end it.