Page 47 of A Soft Kiss in Summer
She was right.He had seen her half naked before and, just like last time, the glimpse he got wasn’t nearly enough.
He headed for the small table by the window and set down the plate of food he’d ordered her from the hotel restaurant.He could hear her moving around behind him and the urge to turn around was so strong, he had to force himself to pull one of the chairs from the table and sit down instead.
A small oil lamp sat on the table.He busied himself with lighting it while listening to her dress.When she joined him at the table wearing a clean blouse and skirt, her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink.
Their eyes met for a brief moment and she gave him a shy smile before tucking a stray strand of hair that had fallen from the rest she had piled on top of her head behind her ear.“This looks good,” she said, breaking the silence hanging in the room.“Are you not eating?”
“I ate downstairs.I thought it would give you enough time for your bath.”
“Oh.”Her cheeks reddened further.“I got lost in thought while soaking.”
“It happens.”
He handed her the fork he’d brought up with her meal and turned in his chair to take off his boots.“Bonnie looked to be doing better when I left her.I made sure the doctor would watch her eat before leaving.She was hovering over Archie so much, I wasn’t sure she would.”
Tossing his boots to the foot of the bed, he pulled his socks off and stood up, heading to the tub, unbuttoning his shirt as he went.
“What are you doing?”
What was he doing?He stopped and stared at the tub.Whatwashe doing?Hearing her shift behind him, he wondered if he’d lost his senses.He couldn’t undress in front of her.
Why?You just walked in on her naked.
The situation they found themselves in was odd, at best.Legally they were married, and he had every right to undress in front of her, but as of yet, he hadn’t done so.He even climbed into bed with her every night fully clothed, as uncomfortable as it was to do.But he’d seen her naked, twice now, and truth be known, his eagerness to go find that preacher was getting less by the second.
Hearing her shift again behind him, he finally said, “Taking my clothes off,” in response to her question.“Like you, I need a bath.”He stuck his hand into the tub.“And the water is still warm.”
He glanced back at her.She had her fork held so tight, her knuckles were white.He should probably wait, but he hated a cold bath more than anything.Was it indecent of him to get naked in front of her?Probably, but they were legally married, so she’d just have to deal with it.
He finished removing his shirt and reached for his belt.“Turn your back if you don’t want to watch.”He didn’t look to see if she’d averted her gaze and jerked his pants down before kicking them away and stepping into the tub.
When he settled and looked over at her, she was staring out the window, her face so red it nearly matched her hair.
He grinned and grabbed one of the dry washcloths and the bar of soap lying in the dish they’d brought up with everything else.He scrubbed everything he could reach and settled back against the tub rim with a sigh.“Why does the water smell like flowers?”
She finally looked his way, her cheeks still tinted pink.“Bath oil.”She nodded to the tray.A small vial of liquid lay off to one side.
“I guess there are worse things to smell like.”He braced his arms along the rim of the tub.She was still watching him and the devil on his shoulder had him blurting out, “Want to wash my back?”before he could stop the words.
“Wash your back?”
He grinned.“It would be a very wifely thing to do.”
She scoffed, then laughed.
He watched her eat, her tongue darting out to lick her lips every so often and despite not wanting to entertain the idea of a real marriage with her, he wanted her hands on him.Wanted to feel the heat of her skin on his and wanted her blushing as she looked at him.
He grinned and lifted a leg, placing his foot flat on the bottom of the tub so his knee stuck out of the water and leaned his head back against the rim.“What’s wrong, Violet?Are you scared?”
She stilled long moments before straightening in her chair.When she stood without a word, he froze.He hadn’t really thought she’d do it.
Her gaze strayed down his chest as she neared him but didn’t go lower, which was good seeing as the water hid nothing and her nearness was causing his body to react without much thought.She reached out a hand when she was beside the tub and he handed her the washcloth he’d used.
She kneeled at the head of the tub and grabbed the bar of soap.He sat up, curling in on himself a bit so she could reach all of his back, and held his breath the moment she touched him.
She was thorough, her fingers massaging his shoulders when she reached them, and he moaned at the sensation.When she ran the washcloth up into his hair, wringing the water from it, he leaned his head back.
Violet abandoned the washcloth and used her fingers to scoop water into his hair, then grabbed the soap and scrubbed his scalp.He couldn’t remember anyone ever washing his hair, other than his mother when he was a young boy, and he had to admit, it was nice.
