Titans of Chaos

I tried to do that nonchalantly, too, but all I remember is a painful feeling of embarrassment. Iwiped some of the foam off my breasts, stomach, and hips, and bent over to wipe it from mythighs and legs.

I am sure Mata Hari could have done it in a more sensuous and less awkward way. I don't know ifit actually had the distracting effect I wanted, because I could not bring myself to stare atanything other than his kneecaps.

I felt the water dripping from my breasts and hips, little rivulets snaking down my thighs. I couldfeel heat in my face. I must have been blushing like a beet.

Boreas suppressed a smile, and his gaze now did travel, up and down and up again, Colin-like. Henodded, a connoisseur expressing admiration for a fine work of art. Again he raised his hand. Hesaid, "Well... ahem... Very nice. Please come quietly."

I didn't move.

He reached out a hand toward my nude shoulder.

At that moment, I felt nothing but his presence. As if the air around him were filled with nothingbut him, huge, immense, masculine, masterful. It was not what I was expecting to feel.

There was a heartbeat in my throat, but I swallowed it down, and spoke before his hand touchedme. I wondered if it would feel cold, or warm.

"Are you expendable?" I said.

My voice came out cool and nonchalant Perfect. I sounded like the woman in control now, regaland mature. If only I could have brought myself to meet his eyes, I would have seen his reaction tothat.

"Aha. Now we come to it," he muttered in a light drawl, drawing his hand back.

No matter how hard I stared at his kneecap, I could not read his expression. I still wasn't able toraise my eyes to him, at the moment.

"Come to what?" I said to his kneecap.

"The speech you practiced in the mirror."

I licked my lips, and summoned up the cool, nonchalant voice again. The voice of grown-upAmelia.

Again, it came out of my mouth perfectly naturally:

"You are trying to provoke a response, aren't you, Boreas? You could have walked up to me onthe street, or at the store, or in the park. You waited until I was in the bath. You didn't botherinsulting Victor. He wouldn't react. But you pulled out all the stops when talking about Colin. Theboy you think has no self-control. You think he is listening to us, don't you? You want to draw theothers out of wherever they are hiding. Well, it won't work."

Now I did look up at him. That was natural, too.

I was startled, even speechless, by the look of kindness and admiration in his eyes.