CHAPTER 17

        The bathroom was so thick with steam that her dress was damp and her hair heavy with moisture. Blaze stood and used her hand to clean condensation from the mirror. The face staring back at her was tight with confusion and so much guilt.

“Don’t push me away,” she murmured again, thinking of Fabien. “Don’t leave me alone…”

          Blaze pulled off her dress, letting it drop to the floor. She stepped under the shower and thrust her head beneath it, lifting her face into the flow. For long seconds, she let the water sluice over her.

          Then, Blaze reached for the soap and began to wash her body. Her breasts tightened as she smoothed her hands filled with soap across them and she remembered Fabien’s touch on her skin.

          She washed the