Savannah came to him instantly, her face lit up with some emotion he dared not name. She was in a man’s silk shirt and nothing else. The buttons were open so that the edges gaped to reveal her high, full breasts, and narrow rib cage. Another step and her tiny waist and flat stomach, the triangle of tight ebony curls, showed for an intriguing moment before the long tails of the shirt brushed back into place. Her long hair cascaded loose and moved around her like living, breathing silk. With every step she took, he caught glimpses of satin skin.
At once the dull roar started in his head. Heat exploded through his blood, and his body tightened with alarming urgency. Every good and noble intention seemed to go up in flames. She smiled up at him, her slender arms sliding around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re home,” she whispered softly, her mouth finding the pulse in his throat. He could feel the heat of her body, her soft breasts crushed against him.
Gregori closed his eyes, summoned his iron will, and shackled her wrists in an unbreakable grip. He dragged her arms down and held her away from his raging body. “No, Savannah, I cannot keep up this deception any longer. I cannot.”
Her long lashes veiled her blue-violet eyes for a moment, concealing the secrets locked in their depths. “You can’t deceive me, Gregori. It is impossible. You of all Carpathians should know that.” She twisted her wrists, a small feminine movement that accomplished her release instantly.
Gregori examined her skin for bruises, afraid that in his desperation he had used far too much physical strength. Savannah ignored him, her hands going to the buttons of his shirt. “If you wish to discuss this matter with me, fine, but maintaining the heat in this tub is taking energy I would rather spend otherwise.” The soft amusement in her voice was as effective as her fingertips brushing the bare skin of his chest. She pushed the shirt from his broad shoulders and allowed it to float to the floor.
“Savannah.” Her name was a groan for mercy. “You have to listen to me this time. I will never find the strength to make this confession again.”
“Hmm,” she mused, clearly distracted. Her fingers were working on the buttons of his trousers. “Of course I’ll listen, but I want you in the bath. Do it for me, Gregori, after all the trouble I went to for you.”
Gregori closed his eyes against the flames licking along his skin. His body raged at him, fiercely aroused. Her hands whispered over his hips as she slipped the trousers down his legs, her fingernails lightly raking his thighs. He stepped out of them, all too aware that he could not hide the demands of his body from her.
Savannah smiled that infuriating, secret smile of hers and took his hand to lead him to the tub. He stepped in and sank into the steaming waters. The sensation of heat over his skin increased his sensitivity to pleasure. Savannah stood behind him, her hands loosening the leather thong at the nape of his neck. The light, lingering touch of her hands in his hair was sending waves of fire dancing across his skin.
Savannah poured warm water over his head, soaking his hair thoroughly. She rubbed shampoo between her palms and began a slow, soothing massage of his scalp. With her fingers busy in his hair, she leaned over him, the softness of her breasts whispering against his back. “So, lifemate, what is this terrible secret that tears at you?”
It was easier to say it with her out of his sight, with the comfort of her hands on his scalp. “You are not my true lifemate. I manipulated the outcome with knowledge I had acquired over the centuries.”
“I already know you believe this, Gregori,” she acknowledged softly. “But I also know you are wrong.” There was purity and honesty in her voice.
His throat was raw and burning. “You cannot even see what I am, Savannah. I could never hide what I am from my true lifemate. I try to show you, but you cannot see reality. You have an illusion in your mind, and nothing can replace it.”