PAIGE
The water shuts off, and the sudden quiet is louder than any noise. He wraps a thick, impossibly soft towel around me, his hands brisk, efficient.
My face is flaming, and it has nothing to do with the heat of the shower. It's from how he washed me. How it didn't feel like an invasion, but a claiming. How right it felt, and how terrifying that is.
I need space. I need my armor.
I spot my clothes in a heap on the cool marble floor. I bend to pick them up, my mind already racing towards the guest wing, towards a door I can close.
A hand darts out, snatching the silk blouse from my grip. I look up, startled. Reomen doesn't say a word. He just walks to a woven hamper and tucks my clothes inside, out of sight, out of reach.
"What are you doing?" I ask, my voice still a little unsteady. "I need to get dressed. I'm going to my room."
