The path wound through the dense forest, guiding him toward the distant sound of bubbling water. As he neared the source, a faint mist caught his attention, curling lazily above the ground like a breath of warmth in the chilly morning air.

He stepped into the clearing, eyes narrowing as they landed on the woman sitting in the hot spring. Steam rose around her, clinging to her skin, her back turned toward him as she lounged in the water with the kind of ease that suggested she had no idea someone had arrived.

She was beautiful—he could admit that much—but in the same way that the sunrise or a mountain was beautiful. An observation, nothing more. His gaze swept over her, indifferent, before flicking to the surrounding landscape, more interested in the tranquility of the morning than in her presence.

Of course, she had chosen the exact spot he had intended to stop by. He sighed, his irritation mild but palpable. “I see this place is taken.”