Torrent stepped out of the bath and grabbed a towel. He wrapped the piece of wool around his waist. Then he disappeared into the bedroom for a few minutes before reappearing. He grabbed something from the closet and tugged on a pair of pants.

Within a few strides he was next to the tub. Torrent crouched next to her. “Sky will be by in a bit.” He looked at her with concern. “Do you need a few more of those books you like to read?” He smiled at her.

“I’m still good.” She nodded once. “I’m still reading the first one.”

He made a humming noise. “The one about the demon king and his concubine.”

“Yup.” She nodded.

“Surely if it were any good you’d be finished by now.”

“A certain dragon king has been keeping me very busy.” She leaned forward and kissed him.

He didn’t allow her to deepen the kiss. “I’ve enjoyed every second.” He paused. “I’ll miss you.”

Her heart paused for a second. “Well then come back soon.”

He nodded. “I’ll see you a bit later.” Then he kissed her, this time sweeping his tongue into her mouth in a panty wetting kiss. He tasted of mint and smelled so good.

After a couple more kisses, he pulled away and stood. “I’d better go before I change my mind and we get stuck in bed all morning.”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.”

“Not at all.” He nibbled at her lower lip. “But duty calls.” He made a growling noise that clearly showed pent up frustration. “I’ll see you later.” He kissed the side of her mouth and left. The door clicked behind him. She waited for the sound of the key turning in the lock but it never came.

Okay. So he trusted her to stay put. The funny thing was that she didn’t feel like going anywhere. Yeah sure, she wanted out of the room but she didn’t want his people to find out that they hadn’t been intimate. She didn’t want them to think badly of their king. Of Torrent, of the man she was steadily growing feelings for. She made a groaning noise and dunked her head under the water. She realized that she was smiling. The thought wasn’t as daunting as it had been. Could she do it? Could she take that next step, become his queen?

Candy lazed in the bath for another ten minutes before getting ready for the day. She’d just read two or three pages of her book when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”