Anew: Book One: Awakened by Josie Litton Page B

spasms.
    Her pain stabs through me.
Between yesterday’s flight into the wilderness, the long hours at the piano and
now this, she’s pushed herself too far too fast. Worse yet, I let her do it.
    Through gritted teeth, I tell
her, “Just because you know how to do something doesn’t mean that your body is
prepared to do it.”
    To my horror, her eyes fill with
tears. She blinks them away but not before I realize how exhausted and
vulnerable she is. Cursing under my breath, I stretch her leg out and begin to
carefully massage the tightened muscles. For several long moments, she remains
tense with pain but gradually her discomfort begins to ease.
    When I’m sure that the spasmshave stopped, I look her over carefully. She’s pale
and there are dark shadows under her eyes. I blame myself for giving in to her
need to know herself at the expense of her physical well-being.
    “Did you sleep at all last
night?” I ask.
    “A few hours.” She looks away
from me. “I’m fine. You can let me go now.” With perfect if misplaced courtesy,
she says, “Thank you for your help.”
    I scarcely hear her. So little
separates us skin from skin that I can feel the rapid rise and fall of her
breathing. She twists slightly but toward, not away from me. The full curve of
her breast brushes against my arm.
    Instantly, she stills but not
before I have to remind myself in the most forceful terms that she’s injured.
She needs care before and above anything else.
    I stand, holding her in my arms,
and ignoring her murmur of surprise, carry her from the studio. The spa is a
short distance away along the arcade. As we enter, the air fills with the
scents of eucalyptus and lavender. Diffuse lighting glows softly. Water
splashes down a wall opposite the entrance. I’ve always stuck to the gym but
right now I’m glad that the spa exists.
    “You’ve been pushing yourself
too hard,” I say, aware that my voice is suddenly thick. “Let’s undo the
damage.”
    At the far end of the spa is an
area overlooking a secluded garden shielded from the rest of the palazzo by a
high stone wall. The glass panels separating the interior from the garden are
closed but on warmer days they can pivot to create a very private outdoor
retreat. At the center of it is a large tub that is filling as we approach. Steam
rises from the water frothing from dozens of whirlpool jets.
    My thought is that a good long
soak should ease her cramped muscles but before I get any closer, Amelia
stiffens in my arms, her hands pushing against my chest.
    “No!” she says. “Not there!”
    She is suddenly, fiercely
resistant.
    “Whoa! What’s wrong? It’s just a
whirlpool bath. It will make you feel better.”
    “No!”
    I gaze down at her, seeing her
luminous eyes filled with fear. She is so unexpected, so courageous, so
challenging… What could possibly frighten her like this?
    I’m tempted to ask but I can
sense that she’s right on the knife edge of panic. This isn’t the time to push
her.
    “All right. If you don’t want
that, it’s fine.”
    She calms as I carry her away
from the whirlpool into a quiet, windowless area of the spa equipped with a
massage table and shelves filled with scented oils. At the touch of a button, a
sound system fills the air with the whisper of surf and the far off call of
gulls.
    Amelia exhales in relief but her
eyes never leave me as I set her down on a padded bench. I kneel in front of
her and stroke my hands down along her calves to her ankles where I encounter
the silk bindings that hold her toe shoes in place.
    My fingers linger on the taut
ribbons twined around her limbs before I recall what it is I’m supposed to be
doing. Untying them takes concentration but they finally give way, releasing
the shoes with them.
    Looking up, I find her watching
me. Her eyes darken as I press my thumbs into the balls of her feet and rotate
them slowly, keeping at it until her toes curl and she makes a sound deep in
her throat.
    Satisfied for the