No Escape

Jade heard the faint creak of the bathhouse doors open. She turned her head, wondering if the servant was back—and froze.

Standing just inside the doorway, half-silhouetted by the golden light spilling through the arches behind him, was Pharaoh Rameses himself.

He hadn't announced his presence. No guards, no fanfare. Just silence and the soft rustle of his robes as he stepped inside. His gaze locked with hers—intense, unreadable.

Speak of the devil…

Jade blinked, startled. Of all the times for him to show up—She instinctively straightened in the water, heart suddenly racing.

Her eyes widened.

"W-What are you doing here? This is a private bath!" she shouted, sinking deeper into the water and trying to cover herself—though it was utterly useless.

Rameses didn't flinch. In fact, he chuckled—low and amused, the sound echoing off the walls like a taunt.

"There's no such thing as private here," he said smoothly, his gaze drifting lazily around the room.

"Look around you. Do you really think a bathhouse this large was built for just one person?"

Jade glanced around and felt her stomach drop.

She had wondered why it was so massive. The towering pillars, the rows of golden basins, the multiple lounging steps carved into the pool's sides—it did look more like a public luxury than a private retreat.

Still, everything about the place felt intimate. The warm light, the silence, the soft petals floating on the surface…

She turned back to him, eyes narrowing sharply.

"That doesn't mean you can just barge in like you own me."

Rameses tilted his head, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips.

"I own everything in this kingdom, remember?" he said, stepping forward. 

"Oh, give me a break," Jade muttered, backing up instinctively. 

"You think being Pharaoh gives you the right to stalk into a woman's bath like it's your personal stage?"

"If you truly feared me, you would've screamed," he said calmly, eyes still locked on hers. "But you didn't. Why?"

Her breath caught. Her mind scrambled for a retort, but the way he said it—like a quiet dare—rattled her.

"I didn't scream," she said, "because I thought you had the decency to leave before doing anything—stupid."

Rameses gave a slow, deliberate smile.

Then, without breaking eye contact, he reached for the clasp of his robe and let it fall.

The fabric slipped to the floor in a soft whisper, pooling at his feet like silk.

Jade's breath hitched. Her gaze darted up—too late. Her entire face flushed a deep red, and she whipped her head to the side.

"Oh my god—are you serious right now?!" she sputtered, staring hard at the tile like it held the secrets of the universe.

Rameses stepped into the pool, unbothered. The water rippled gently as he approached, the steam curling around his form like it bowed to him.

"You said you wanted to speak with me, didn't you?" he murmured, voice dipped in amusement.

Jade bit her lip, hands clenched underwater, face still burning. Her body wanted to shrink away—or reach for him.

Neither felt like a safe option.

This man is going to be the death of me.

"You couldn't have sent someone?" she snapped, trying to regain control. "Or waited until we had the dinner you planned tonight?"

Jade took more steps back. Her bare shoulder brushed against the curve of the pool wall—trapping her.

"Why would I wait," he said, voice lower now, "when I've already seen you a hundred times… in my dreams?"

She froze.

Rameses stopped just a few steps away, water lapping gently at his hips.

"I didn't believe them at first. Thought I was going mad," he continued, tone shifting—softer now, almost reverent. "A woman with your silhouette, your voice, always just out of reach. Calling me. Then vanishing."

He moved another step closer, the water shimmering between them like lightning waiting to strike.

"And when we were traveling together…" His voice dropped into something darker. "Those two days beside you felt like walking a tightrope above fire. I've been trying to control myself. To be patient. But the way you look at me. The way you run from what's between us…"

His gaze seared into hers. 

"I'm done pretending I don't feel it."

Jade's mouth parted slightly, words caught on her tongue.

"I tried to forget. I slept with a lot of women just to forget the ghost in my dreams," he said, stepping closer. 

"But each time I closed my eyes… you were still there, beckoning me to come to you. And now you're here, flesh and blood, and I could not quite believe it. The ghostly woman now standing before ready to finally be devoured" he said huskily.

"W-What? You don't know me. I barely know you!" she whispered, the heat of him creeping through the steam, curling around her skin.

"Lies," he said softly but with an edge on his tone. "Then why do I feel like I've waited centuries for you?"

She backed up again, but the wall behind her gave no escape.

What is happening??

Rameses reached her slowly, the space between them disappearing with maddening grace.

 "You don't have to fear me, Jade," he said, voice so quiet now it nearly vanished into the sound of the water.

"But I will have the truth. Whatever this is between us—it's not coincidence."

"Pharaoh, I think you're quite mistaken. What do you mean by dreams—?"

Before she could say anything more, he reached out. One hand slid beneath the water, finding her waist. His fingers burned against her bare skin, strong and possessive.

She gasped, frozen, her eyes searching his. 

"Rameses—"

"What?" she murmured. 

"I told you to call me Rameses, didn't I… little one?"

He could not hold back anymore. He pulled her into him, their bodies colliding beneath the surface. Every inch of her skin met the searing heat of his, and she could feel everything.

Her breath caught in her throat as his other hand tangled in her hair.

"Tell me you don't feel it," he growled, voice raw now. "Tell me you feel this connection between us."

She didn't get the chance.

Rameses crushed his mouth to hers.

It wasn't gentle. It wasn't tentative.

It was a kiss that devoured—hungry, desperate, claiming.

The kind of kiss that threatened to pull her under, steal her breath, and make her forget every single reason she wanted to go home.