As Sure as the Dawn(31)

“Where is he?”

“In the gymnasium, but—”

She swung around and left.

When she entered the gymnasium, she found Atretes, stripped down to a loincloth, his arms draped across a beam on his shoulders as he did knee bends. His eyes were fixed on her as though he had heard her coming along the outer corridor and had been expecting her.

Drawing a calming breath, she walked over to him. He didn’t pause from his exercises, though his powerful body streamed sweat. “Please have my things moved back downstairs.”

“You said the room was lovely.”

“It is, but that doesn’t mean I want to live in it.”

He shrugged off the beam. It banged loudly on the marble floor, the sound echoing around the walls. Startled from his sleep, Caleb made a soft mewling cry. Rizpah drew the shawl more securely around him as the beam bounced noisily and rolled against the wall. She rubbed Caleb’s back to comfort him.

“I prefer to be downstairs where I was,” she said with more calm than she felt.

“I don’t care what you prefer.” Atretes took a towel and wiped the sweat from his face. “You’ll be upstairs in the room next to mine.”

Her stomach tightened in alarm. “If I’m in such close proximity to you, the servants will assume—”

Atretes tossed the towel angrily onto the floor. “I don’t care what anyone assumes!”

“I care! It’s my reputation that’s being bandied about.”

“As it has been from the first day you arrived.”

“For reasons other than the situation you’re creating!”

“Do you think anyone really cares what goes on between us?”

She almost blurted out that Pilia obviously did, but stopped herself. She didn’t want to get the girl in additional difficulty. She wanted to get herself out of it. “It is not proper.”

“But it is convenient,” he said with a decided gleam in his eyes.

Her face went hot. “Anytime you wish to see your son, you’ve only to snap your fingers and I’ll bring him to you,” she said, pretending to misunderstand.

Smiling faintly, he approached her. He put his hand over hers on his son’s back. She withdrew hers, heart thudding. He rubbed Caleb’s back slowly, staring into her eyes. She felt the baby relax against her. Atretes lifted his hand and put it lightly around her throat, forcing her chin up with his thumb. “And if it’s you I want, have I also only to snap my fingers and you’ll come to me as well?”

She stepped back and swallowed convulsively, her heart racing. She could still feel the heat where he had touched her. “No!” she said firmly.

His mouth curved. “You think not?” He had felt the pulse hammering in her throat. It matched his own. A few nights with her and the fire in him would burn itself out. “It would be easy to convince you otherwise.”

She stiffened, ashamed of her own response to him. “I’m not one of your amoratae, my lord.”

He walked back and picked up another towel. “I’m not looking for someone to love me,” he said. Grinning wryly, he rubbed the perspiration from his chest.

“I asked you not to play with me, Atretes, and this is the sort of playing I meant.”

“You said the other day I needed to play.”

“With your son. Not with me.”

“I think you’d be more fun.”

She would take care of moving her things herself. Turning, she started for the doorway with that intention.

Atretes caught her arm and yanked her around to face him again. “Don’t turn your back on me.”

Caleb awakened and started to cry.

Atretes gritted his teeth. “I didn’t call you in here,” he said. “I didn’t summon you.”

“My apologies. If you let go of me, I’ll leave.”

His fingers tightened painfully. “Now that you’re here, you’ll leave when I dismiss you.” His blue eyes were ablaze. “You’re moved into Julia’s room whether you like it or not.” Seeing her wince, he released her.

“I don’t like it,” she said succinctly, holding Caleb instinctively closer while stepping back from his father.

“You’ll stay where I put you. Willingly or not, your choice. But stay, you will!” His smile turned contemptuous. “And you needn’t look at me like that. I’ve never raped a woman in my life and I don’t intend to start now.” His gaze moved down over her disdainfully. “If you’re as chaste as you claim, you won’t have a problem, will you?”

She clenched her teeth.

He walked back to the beam and hefted it onto to his shoulders. Turning, he saw she was still standing in the middle of the room, her eyes fixed on the distant wall. He sensed her discomfort and the reason for it.