Consciousness returned to me slowly, like wading through thick fog. My eyes fluttered open, immediately met with the strange sensation of being submerged in water. Cold water. I gasped, the shock of it bringing me fully awake as I tried to make sense of my surroundings.
I was in a bathtub. Not my bathtub.
My gaze darted around frantically before landing on the figure seated beside me—Adrian Valois. Shirtless. His powerful chest and sculpted abs on full display as he leaned forward, concern etched across his perfect face.
"You're awake," he said, his voice low and gentle. "How are you feeling?"
I opened my mouth to answer but found my throat dry and raw. What had happened? Why was I naked in a tub of cold water with Adrian Valois watching over me?
Then it hit me. Memories flooded back in a humiliating rush.