Chapter 15: Quince, Part 2

Lips brushed his ear again, the touch so soft, but he felt it all the way to his bones. "You taste sweet, Master," Ruthven murmured, making Aubrey shiver again, though he could not say quite why. Not the words themselves...something in Ruthven's voice, his tone.

He forced his eyes open, but doing so forced him to meet Ruthven's gaze, and he was drugged anew on the dark eyes. "What..."

Ruthven smiled, more than a little fang in it, and opened his mouth to reply - but a sharp and sudden knock on the door made them both jerk.

As suddenly as it had fallen over him, the strange lethargy vanished, and Aubrey abruptly felt more like his usual self. Face hot, he swallowed and stumbled back. His legs collided with the tub, and he let out a startled yelp before Ruthven reached out and snatched him back.

The knock came again. Aubrey pushed away from Ruthven and struggled to display a calm he did not feel as he walked toward the door and opened it.