Esme returned to her chamber and soaked herself in the tub for a night bath.
The water lapped at her, soothing but doing little to quell the heat that still smoldered inside her.
She had never experienced such a fire, one that refused to die down no matter how long she lingered in the bath.
And there was no wolf to blame this intensity on. If she had a wolf, she couldn't imagine how she would have felt then.
As the night deepened, her thoughts wandered back to him, to the moment that ignited this blaze within her. The memory of his touch, his smoldering eyes, his entire presence, stirred something unfamiliar, something reckless.
Before she knew it, her hand moved with a mind of its own, exploring places she had never dared before.
For a fleeting moment, she let herself indulge in the forbidden sensation, a soft moan escaping her before abruptly pulling away, her heart racing.