“Your turn.” There was a definite crack to his voice.
She studied the plate and selected a portion for him and then, holding her breath, put it into his mouth. He closed on her fingers. Suckled them. And heaven! A sizzle of excitement shot through her. His mouth was warm and velvet as his teeth and tongue worked her flesh.
“I think it’s all gone,” she said after a while, when he kept nibbling.
“Still delectable,” he murmured and she laughed.
They fed each other like that, interspersing bites with sips of a rich red wine that complemented the beef perfectly. Although, if she was being honest, it was his unique flavors that made the meal as enjoyable as it was.
“Do people often eat like this?” she asked, curling herself into him as they finished their repast.
“Some do.”
“Well, it is very nice.”
“Mmm.” He seemed inclined to hold her, just like that. She was inclined to let him. It was a warm cocoon, a charming comfort. His thumb worked on her arm, just stroking lazily. She could have stayed there all night.
“This is very nice, Dev,” she said.
“Mmm mmm.” He kissed her brow.
Silence, punctuated by the crackle of the fire, blanketed them. After a while, she said, “Did you mention a bath?”
His chest shook with his chuckle. “I did. Would you like one?”
“Oh most definitely.”
“Are you sure you’re ready?”
Why would she not be ready? She’d had hundreds of baths in her lifetime and enjoyed each and every one. She pushed up to stare at him. “Ready?”
He took hold of one of her curls and tugged it gently. “I intend to bathe you, my dear.”
Her body went hot from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Even her breasts seemed heated…especially her nipples. They tightened. She had no idea why, but it was a pleasant feeling. As was the ache between her legs. A raw throbbing she’d never felt before.
She wiggled against him; she did not know why, but it seemed the thing to do.
His eyes widened. “Yes,” he said in a low voice. “I think you’re ready.”
He lifted her as he stood, and then locked his fingers in hers and strolled toward a door on the side of the bedroom. He seemed nonchalant, but there was an intensity in his gait, in his humming energy, that betrayed his impatience.
She could tell he was trying to take this slow and easy, and it pleased her. This would be difficult for her, she had no doubts about it, but knowing he was determined to make it as pleasant as such an ordeal could be was a relief.
He opened the door and gestured her in. The room was warm and wreathed in steam. The claw-footed tub stood on the far side and was filled with water…scented with roses. Oh, this part—at least—would be divine.
She shot Dev a smile and was shocked to catch him unawares. His expression was pained, but he quickly recovered and smiled back. “Your bath, my lady.”
“It looks wonderful.”
“Shall I help you undress?”
Her heart leaped into her throat. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. But of course, if he were to bathe her and she were to be in the tub…she would need to be bare. But the prospect of him seeing her like that was dismaying. She locked her fingers together and looked away from his simmering gaze. “I… No one has ever seen me naked before.”
“No one? Not even your maid?”
“She hardly counts.”
“Well then, consider me your servant.”
Her servant? Oh, she rather liked that idea. “Will you do whatever I ask?”
His throat worked before he said, “Most certainly.”
Oh yes. She liked this very much. With newfound courage she presented her back to him. “Then by all means. Help me undress.” If she got nervous, she could always close her eyes, after all.
She was certain his fingers did not tremble as he made his way down the row of buttons marching along her spine, but he did seem to fumble with them. “Are you having trouble?” she asked.
“They are very small buttons,” he complained. “And it has been a long time since I have…”
“Since you have…what?”
He cleared his throat. “Since I have tackled so many buttons. Why do you suppose there are so many?”
She laughed, unsure from where this sudden audacity came. It was probably a result of the fact that she could not see him. Somehow, that made this interaction less raw. “Anticipation?” she offered.
He chuckled. “I daresay. I shall have to have a chat with your modiste in future.”
And then silence fell, because they both knew there would be no future.
“Ah,” he said and then he parted the panels of her dress. A cool wash tickled the vee of her back he had bared. And then a shiver wracked her as something soft and warm touched her skin. His lips.