It hadn’t been Caspian’s intention to make Iris flustered, but her reaction to seeing him without a shirt on was a pleasant stroke to his ego. He bit the tip of his tongue to stifle the smile that threatened to take over his lips. At home, he was used to walking around shirtless when he had nowhere to be, especially after he’d just gotten out of the shower. Since his family had servants of both sexes, he didn’t think much of it when there were others around to see him either. The only reason he’d been more conscious at Maisie’s place was because he’d felt a bit more out of his element there. Sharing a room at the pub with Iris, with no one else around, he was relaxed enough that his mindless habits had started to resurface.

In retrospect, he supposed he should have thought it through before he’d stepped out of the bathroom half naked. After all, Iris wasn’t a servant; she was a woman who had professed to have feelings for him. It wasn’t the same, and it had been impulsive of him to assume she would be unaffected by the sight he presented her with. However, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. The color that flooded her cheeks and the stammer in her voice were just too gratifying. Aside from the dark bruises on his midriff, he was proud of his physique. He’d taken after his father in his sturdy frame, and he was toned from his workout routine. Knowing that someone he found attractive thought he was too was a satisfying feeling.

[color=#b97703]“Thanks,”[/color] he said as evenly as he could, sitting down next to her and handing her the supplies to redress his arm. When she set to work, he took a steady breath to brace himself. It had only been a couple of days since Regis had stabbed him, so the process of treating the injury was still painful. In general, his soreness was starting to fade, and when he had something else to occupy his thoughts, he hardly noticed the persistent ache, but the unbinding of the old bandages brought the wound back to the forefront of his mind.

He bit his lip and curled his fingers into fists at his sides, wincing faintly as she patched him up. Although he was far from stoic, he was getting better at hiding his discomfort during the procedure. He managed not to make any noise until she was done. [color=#b97703]“Yeah, it feels snug,”[/color] he answered her question, shifting his arm slightly to make sure the bandages didn’t slip with the motion. In the next moment, the feeling of her hand on his chest made him pause, and he looked up to find that she was staring back at him. He fell quiet, studying her bright eyes. Her touch was warm against his skin, and his heart fluttered in belated response to their proximity. He even noticed that she smelled good up close. Everything about her was both comforting and enticing at the same time.

Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself leaning toward her. His eyes drifted shut and his right arm crossed over her lap to wrap around her waist as he met her lips in a tender kiss.