“Concerns?” she asked, closing her eyes when his hands shifted to the front of her, cupping her breasts.
“Yes. You said raising children was expensive, that there were personnel and security issues to handle, and that cats shouldn’t be banished to the kitchens.”
She looked into his dark eyes that were heated with that same intent that she was starting to recognize. “You heard me?”
“Of course I heard you,” he replied, but bent lower to nibble on her neck. “Were you finished?”
Shantra looked at his rough features, but there wasn’t any indication that he agreed or disagreed with her concerns. And then she remembered the other part. “I…um…” she stood up, cringing when their bodies separated.
She didn’t have a chance to tell him her confession because he stood up at that moment as well and lifted her into his arms. “What are you doing?” she asked, grabbing onto his neck.
“Shower,” was all he said and carried her into the bathroom, setting her feet down on the cool stone floor. “Take off the rest of your clothes,” he told her as he whipped his own clothes off, laying them across one of the stools.
Shantra was stunned that he was ready for another round, but why should that surprise her? She’d spent three days in bed with the man. She knew that he had a sexual appetite that should shock her, but…well, it actually turned her on, made her anxious to be with him.
“I have a confession to make,” she blurted out.
Those words stilled his hands. He was reaching for her bra prepared to hurry along the stripping process. “A confession?” he asked, his tone harsh.
Shantra lifted her hands, wanting to touch him but just moments before her open hand touched his muscular chest; she curled her fingers into a ball and pulled back. “Yes. And I hope you’ll understand my reasoning, and won’t get angry with me.”
One strong arm reached behind her head, bracing himself against the wall. “Spill it, Shantra,” he growled, his teeth gnashing together as images of her in another man’s arms popped into his head. “Now!”
The last word wasn’t a yell, but softly spoken although with lethal force. She might have preferred that he yell instead of using that tone because it terrified her even more than yelling ever could.
“I’m on birth control,” she finally blurted out. “I know that you said you wanted to start a family, but I didn’t know that you meant immediately,” she told him quickly, the words falling from her lips as fast as they could. “And then I realized that you weren’t using any protection and, well, I just…” she sighed and looked down. “I’m just not ready to get pregnant yet. I wish I could just ignore my concerns and move forward, but I can’t,” she said as her fingers moved behind her, trying to find some comfort in the cool tiles.
Laithir waited, bracing himself for her confession. But when she stopped talking, looked like she’d just admitted a heinous crime, he shook his head. “That’s it? You’re on birth control? That’s your big confession?”
She nodded her head, still looking down.
“I knew that,” he told her and pulled her against his chest. His fingers dove into her thick hair, tangling in the tresses as relief surged through him. Images of his first wife shot through his brain, tangled in another man’s arms, several other men’s arms, and he almost shuddered with relief. He’d thought Shantra was going to confess that she’d been with another man, and his body had reacted with a violence that he hadn’t thought possible.
Shantra heard his words and froze. For a long moment, she thought she’d misheard him, but then she pulled back and looked up into his dark eyes. “You knew I was on birth control?”
He couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of him; his relief was so intense. “Yes. I knew. Now can we please shower?” he asked and pulled her forward. “If you don’t strip off that dress, it is going to get wet,” he said and wouldn’t release her fingers as he tugged her gently but unmercifully into the shower area.
Shantra heard the water start and looked into his eyes. She saw the look in his eyes and knew that he wasn’t going to relent. “Laithir!” she gasped and whipped her hand out of his, but since he was now behind her and she couldn’t escape, she pulled her dress off over her head and tossed it to the floor outside the shower area only moments before he pulled her under the stream of warm water. She was still wearing her bra, but at least the silk dress was saved. Sort of. It would be a wrinkled mess by the time they got out of this shower.