"Lavinia!"
Karl's deep, commanding voice sliced through the heavy silence like a razor-sharp knife, causing my heart to immediately start pounding rapidly in my chest.
A slight dread coiled in the pit of my stomach as I slowly turned to face the intimidating figure standing in the doorway, apprehension washing over me in icy waves.
Karl stood bare-chested after clearly just stepping out of the shower, his tanned, muscular skin still glistening with beads of water.
The only thing preserving his modesty was a small, fluffy white towel wrapped loosely around his narrow hips. Rivulets of moisture trailed in meandering paths down the ridges and valleys of his powerfully built torso, drawing my eyes instinctively to the intricate tattoos that danced across his skin like living ink.
The si
