Even though Tess had proclaimed to be tired, she was wide awake. She knew from their time already spent here that Mo and Pierce wouldn’t be calling it a night anytime soon, so her normal stress reliever of chatting with Mo when she was fired up would have to wait until later.

Filled with nervous energy, she decided that a soak in the hot springs Mo had raved about was exactly what she needed to decompress. After donning her bathing suit and a flowing light linen cover-up, she grabbed an enormous, fluffy towel from her bathroom and emerged into the hallway.

She was startled to see Sebastian pacing outside of her room. He looked just as surprised to see her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him at the same time as he said, “Where are you going?”

She was a little miffed that she wasn’t even allowed to emerge from her room without explaining herself, but she knew from her earlier training that the over-protectiveness was for her own safety.

Lifting her chin and ready to be a bit defiant, if necessary, she said, “I’m going down to the hot spring for a relaxing bath.”

His eyes darkened and traversed the length of her, taking in her flimsy cover-up and pausing on her curves. When they made their way back up to her eyes, he swallowed audibly. “I’ll go with you,” he offered, his voice sounded a bit huskier than normal. When she remained silent, he justified inviting himself by reminding her again, “It’s not safe for you to be out on the grounds alone at night.”

“I was planning to take one of the guards with me. That’s what they’re paid for, right?” At his nod of agreement, she told him, “Go out and have fun. You don’t have to watch over me all the time.”

“What if I want to spend time with you?” He asked her, making her mouth fall slightly open. Raising his dark, slashing brows and gracing her with a dazzling, flirtatious expression, he asked, “What if there’s no place else I’d rather be than by your side?”

Her tummy went warm at his insinuations. He hadn’t exactly said that he wanted to spend time with her, but he had definitely hinted that she was more than just a job duty. She liked how their flirtatious banter made her heart flutter with excitement, so she put on her best seductive purr and said, “I suppose I won’t stop you.”

She hoped that it sounded sexy and inviting, but she feared that her attempt at flirting had fallen flat when he said, “Very well, then,” and formally presented his elbow to escort her downstairs.

As they walked along the perfectly manicured, well-lit path, curiosity got the better of her. “Why were you standing outside my room?” It might have been considered crass to ask, but she was desperate to know.

“It seemed like you were upset about something earlier, so I was coming to see if you wanted to sneak down to the kitchen for a sweet treat.”

She was surprised by his high degrees of intuition and thoughtfulness. Even though she was still rather full from dinner, she decided that she liked his idea. “Let’s plan on doing that after our dip in the hot spring,” she suggested.

“It’s a date,” he agreed, grinning down at her.

She still wasn’t entirely sure if he was intentionally flirting with her, or if he was simply being a friendly distraction so the prince could be alone with Mo. In either case, she was glad he was here.

“The slate path circling the spring is already wet, so it might be slippery. You’ll need to hold on tightly to my arm,” Sebastian warned her as they approached the churning water.

Tess’s hackles were immediately raised. “I’m not some helpless female, and I don’t require a keeper,” she informed him crisply.

“I was hoping you would keep me from falling,” Sebastian quirked a brow at her. His dimple was peeking out, which immediately dissolved her irritation.

They held hands and helped each other climb down the rock steps that led to the natural spring. The path was bordered by lush vegetation that gave off an earthy and fresh aroma.

As soon as she caught sight of the natural wonder, Tess gasped with delight. “Oh my, it’s absolutely breathtaking!” She leaned down to dip her fingers into the bubbling aquamarine water. “And so warm!”

The large and deep natural pool featured man-made handrails and stone steps to make climbing into the swirling liquid easier. Tess whipped her cover-up over her head, tossed it into a chair, and hurried to the water’s edge. She was pleased to see that Sebastian was openly perusing her demure, black one-piece suit. By the sparkling look in his eyes, it was obvious that he liked what he saw.

Smiling to herself, she stepped down into the water. The delightfully warm, soothing bath swirled around her as she eased her way in. Sebastian stood at the edge and pointed out to her where the seats were located. She swam over to one and relaxed back into it.

“Oh my,” she groaned. “I would come down here every night, if I lived here.”

“It’s tempting,” Sebastian smiled down at her. “The water is very pure because it bubbles up from deep within the earth. Many locals believe that the high concentration of salt and other natural minerals gives the water healing properties.”

Tess’s head was leaned back when she murmured, “Mm-hmm.” She relaxed and let the spa’s water cleanse and massage her.

Unable to resist, Sebastian went on. “Of course, some people won’t come near the water because ancient island legends proclaim it to be fiery liquid lava from the volcano that sits directly opposite us.”

Tess smiled as the water beat at her lower back. “Lava or not, it’s marvelous,” she weighed in.

When Sebastian scooted a wicker chair near the edge of the spring, Tess opened one eye. “Aren’t you getting in?” she asked him.

“I don’t want to crowd you.” His chocolate brown eyes lit with mischief as he gazed down at her.

Lifting her head, she looked around the area. There was room for at least twenty people in the massive bubbling crevice. “Umm, I think there’s room for both of us.” She lifted a hand out of the water to indicate the large space. Teasing him, she added, “Unless you’re scared the lava will get you.”

He rested his chin on his hand and grinned down at her. His lone dimple had once again appeared to charm her. “I’m not wearing a bathing suit.”

Her eyes opened wide at where that thought immediately took her mind. “Oh,” she said quietly, her mouth staying in the shape of the letter for a long moment as she thought about what to say.

Daring to be bold, she suggested, “You could wear your underwear.” When he simply continued smiling down at her, she put a hand over her eyes. “I won’t look… I promise.”

When he noticed that she was peeking out between her fingers, he tipped his head back and laughed with abandon. The echoes of his amusement wafted all the way back to the castle.

Seeming to weigh his options, he finally stood and unbuckled his belt. “Well, since you promised not to peek…”