Page 25 of Love Me Forever
She looked at him with disbelief. “The heavens surely smiled down on me when they sent you to my rescue. And when I am well, I will tend you.”
He grinned. “You will wash me then?”
She liked his teasing manner. She had never imagined being playful with a man, but she felt like a carefree young woman with him. “I give a good scrubbing; you may think otherwise afterward.”
“I will take my chances. Now let us get you finished and back in bed.” He reached over the tub and retrieved a wooden bowl that he used to scoop up water and pour over her hair. He then lathered it with soap and scrubbed her head until she sighed with pleasure.
“Your hair?” she questioned when he had rinsed her hair clean.
“I will dunk my head after our bath and have done with it.”
“The water is cooling—we need to hurry.”
He grabbed the soap and it slipped out of his hand down onto Brianna. She grabbed it and lathered her hands. He thought she would wash herself and deny him the pleasure, but to his amazement she began to scrub his arm where it rested across her.
He took the soap from her, lathered his own hands and proceeded to scrub her shoulders.
They worked well together, each scrubbing the other. With his support Brianna could reach his legs and her own. He did her back and down her arms, then gently scrubbed her breasts, lingering just a bit longer than he should have but keeping his touch as respectful as possible.
She shivered, and while the water had chilled, it was not the temperature that caused the shiver. Her nipples had turned sensitive when he ran his hand across them several times. She had not expected to respond, had not expected her nipples to harden—had not expected to want more.
“Enough! I am getting you out now before you catch a chill. Can you brace yourself for a moment?”
She nodded, her focus on her throbbing nipples.
He stood in haste, the water splashing over the sides, grabbed for a towel, reached down, and scooped her up with one arm. Bracing her against his wet body, he draped the towel around her and began to rub her dry.
He saw to both of them as he worked, being methodical in his strokes and making certain to cover every inch of her. She warmed and relaxed with every soothing stroke. He snatched up two more towels before scooping her up into his arms and carrying her to the bed.
“Hold on to me,” he ordered after resting her on the bed.
She did and he wrapped her wet hair in the clean towel before laying her back against the pillows. To her relief the other towel he quickly wrapped around his waist. She did not wish to think that her glance purposely drifted where it had no place going, but then she had done many things of late she had never expected to do.
She lay still and allowed him to tuck her safe and warm beneath the blankets. She had not realized until she was comfortably tucked in that he had not helped her into her night shift. She thought to mention it, but he wore a stern expression, and she wondered over the change in him.
Without a word to her he walked over to the tub, kneeled beside it, and dunked his head in the water. She panicked when he did not raise his head after several minutes, and then in a flash he drew his head up and out, water flying out around him.
He took a great breath of air and released it with a force almost as if he were releasing a demon within. He then proceeded to scrub his hair quite vigorously. Another dunk of his head, this one not as long as the first, and then a forceful rub with a towel over his wet hair, and he was finished.
He approached the bed, his stern expression gone, and she felt more relaxed in asking him, “Did that not hurt your wounds?”
He shook his head. “Nay, they sting but a moment, and the cleansing is good for them.”
She raised her hands to her head to see to drying her hair, but he captured both her wrists in his one hand. Instantly she recalled the way her husband would grab hold of her like that and then begin to torment her with his free hand.
“Nay, please.” She hated hearing the begging in her voice.
He instantly released her. “I meant you no harm. I will see to drying your hair.”
She swallowed hard the lump in her throat, and it took her a minute to find a strong voice. “I am sorry.”
“There is nothing for you to be sorry about. I should not have grabbed you like that.”
“Nay, I know you meant me no harm—” She shook her head, not knowing what to say, or if she should offer an explanation.
He made it easy for her. He simply reached up and removed the towel from her head. “Let me see to your hair.”
She raised her hand to his wrist and took a gentle hold of it “Why? Why are you so very good to me?”
