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creamy substance into his hand. “Come here.”
    An order, not a request, but one she obeyed happily. His hands were rougher this time, working through her thick hair, kneading her scalp, pulling through all of the tangles.
    “Ouch,” she said when he hit a snag, and he gentled his touch.
    “Sorry. I’m sorry. If you tip your head back, I can rinse the soap out.”
    She did, feeling curiously vulnerable. But also cared for and then...saddened by that.
    Docilely, she allowed him to lead her from the bath and bundle her into a plush length of cloth. He settled her on a stool in front of the fire and a moment later returned with a jade comb. A smaller cloth was tied to his waist, barely coming to his knees. It slung low on his hips and she fought the urge to tug at it as he passed. Without speaking, he began to work at her hair.
    “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve done this before.”
    “Perhaps I have.”
    She imagined him here with other women and pushed the jealous thought aside. Tonight was hers.
    “Ily?”
    She turned her head to look at him. His eyes were uncommonly grave, shadowed by uncertainty. “Nothing.” He set the comb aside and touched her jaw. His smile transformed his face back into the man she knew. Arrogant and self-sure, a hedonistic creature of wild and sensual delights. A pleasant ache grew between her thighs. He stood, pulling her up along with him. “Come.”
    Tugging the cloth free of her fingers, he tossed it aside. There was nothing mild about the gaze he ran over her. His face was as serious as she’d ever seen it—and as determined. “On the bed, Ily.”
    She arched one brow. “Issuing orders? I thought—”
    He swooped down and lifted her in one smooth powerful motion. For a moment she was airborne, and then she landed on the bed. She scrambled upright just in time to see him set his knee on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been properly humbled, no?”
    Her eyes narrowed and he grinned. Of course, he’d realized what she was doing. He saw far too much. “What happened to ‘you have all the power here’?”
    “You do,” he said. “You proved that by abusing it.”
    “I abused my power?”
    He nodded. “It’s not as easy as you might think, being responsible for another person.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Of all the pompous—”
    “There’s no reason for name calling. Just because you were raised in the streets, doesn’t mean—”
    “You’re an ass.”
    He laughed and she tried to calm herself. He was toying with her again, poking at her tender spots to make her squirm. Wasn’t that the reason she’d agreed? To find out what such a perceptive, ruthless man would be like to bed?
    Still, self-preservation made her grasp for control. She scooted back. “You said you’d be my servant. You can’t fault me for taking advantage of your offer.”
    “No.” He caught her ankle and hauled her closer. Her arms slipped out from under her and she landed flat on her back. Kal loomed above her, a dark curl fallen across his forehead. Gorgeous. Eyes lit with triumph. Dark skin still damp enough to glisten in the light from the fire. “I don’t fault you at all. I only wondered how far you would take it. I wondered what you might demand of me.”
    He lifted a strand of her hair, brought it to his nose and inhaled. “For an artist your imagination is sadly disappointing. You could have asked for anything. I offered myself as your servant.”
    “I’m not like you.”
    “No, you’re not.”
    “This was a trap. All of it, from the beginning.”
    “I wanted you here,” he said, as if that justified everything. In his mind it probably did. “And I wanted to show you that I can be...accommodating. But there’s no place for that in this bed. Tell me now that you don’t want me and I won’t force you. I won’t cast you into the street. Rael will find you another room—you can leave in the morning. But tell me now Ily and quickly.”
    He waited, and she was