A sense of calm blanketed me as I tossed the mangled remnants into the fireplace. Rother watched without a word, waiting.
“Are you finished?”
“Do you ever plan on putting another one of those on me again?”
“No. You’re far more tempting without it.” The heat behind his statement was not patronizing in the least. It matched the temperature of his stare roaming over my unclothed body. I couldn’t prevent the blush, but there was far less fear behind it.
I stepped forward and took my husband’s offered hand. “I’m ready for my bath now.”
The bathtub was enormous and indulgent, lifted off the floor by four elaborate metal feet. The elegant, smooth basin could fit multiple people, and with the leers Rother kept throwing my way, I doubted I’d be bathing alone. My newfound bravado aside, I worked hard to contain my anxious pulse. I stood in foreign territory, after all.
The porcelain knobs squeaked as they were turned and water flooded the tub. Steam curled upward in tiny tendrils as Rother stepped over to a tray standing along the edge.
Rother brushed his fingertips over the various objects on the tray. “You’ll find Alexandra always takes good care of us.”
Choosing amongst the soaps, cloths, and other items, Rother picked up a small barrel made of brass. He gave the object a quick shake over the tub, and powder sifted into the water. Moments later, bubbles formed and soon lathered into a froth. Some were light enough to escape, taking a lazy drift into the air. When they popped they released a hint of scented cloves.
Without a word, Rother offered his hand and directed me into the water. The heat enveloped me in a delicious caress as I sank into its depths. I settled on the edge and the burgeoning suds provided an illusion of propriety, as the sensual air rose in the room.
Rother’s gaze locked on to me as he took a step back, unfastening his collar with a slow hand. Stifling a gasp, I watched with rapt attention as one button at a time, his shirt fell loose, giving me my first glance at his tanned skin. Leaving his shirt undone, he teased me and made slow work of his cuffs. His pace continued to be maddening. Had he seen my interest and decided to torture me?
With a cocky grin, he parted his shirt, teasing me with a glimpse of tanned skin. A dark feathering of hair graced firm muscles, a trail leading down his stomach and under the edge of his trousers. He shrugged off the blouse, showing me the glorious expanse of his sculpted torso. Excitement and apprehension tickled me in places I’d never had the freedom to enjoy before. I was glad the bubbles hid the unfamiliar reaction my body was having under the water. I imagined the color in my face extended to every extremity.
“There’s no need to be embarrassed. I’m your husband, after all.”
I nodded. Rother separated the halves of his belt. My mouth became dry.
His hands worked at a glacial rate, but he didn’t fumble for a second. I was disappointed I had to wait while his boots and socks found the bathroom floor. When he returned to his pants, he showed an absence of undergarments. For the first time, this lack of decorum intrigued me rather than offending. The flaps of his trousers sat splayed open, just short of showing me something indecent. An intriguing thick ridge was forming down his leg as he spread his hands on his hips inside the waistline and skimmed them down his thighs, dragging his clothing with them.
Rother stepped out of his pants, proudly showing off his swelling organ. The size intimidated me, but I found its form beautiful. As it rose, the hood retracted, revealing a rosy knob begging me to touch it.
By the gods, I prayed I hadn’t said that out loud.
I gripped the sides of the basin as Rother turned off the water and climbed into the basin, descending slow enough to display himself for my benefit. I saddened as his groin dipped below the bubbles. Where did this newfound curiosity come from?
“Mmm…. This is lovely.” I wasn’t sure if he was speaking about the bath. I hoped not. “Cleanliness is next in order I think.”
Rother leaned across me to reach the tray. The dusky skin brushing against my own caused a new surge between my legs. Returning with a bar of soap, he dipped it into the water and began drawing circular patterns on my chest and shoulders. I never knew lathering by another’s hands could feel so extraordinary.
As slowly as with his clothing, Rother worked the soap over my shoulders and arms. When his slippery hands reached the base of my skull, my eyes closed in rapture. I rolled forward into his arms as he reached around, gliding his strong hands over my back. He used the movement to shift me into straddling his hips, and I didn’t protest. With my head on his shoulder, his unshaven jaw tickled my temple. Our chests rested together. It was impossible to ignore the hard, silky member pressed against my own. The soap found its way down to my bottom and thighs, and I couldn’t help grinding into him.
Rother’s breath fluttered the edge of my hair as he murmured, “That’s it. Do what feels right. There’s no true sin in pleasure.”
Still moving down my legs, the bar of soap in his hands, he washed me further as I continued rubbing our organs together. Lost in the sensual touches, all my thoughts of propriety vanished. I knew only the ecstasy warming my body, the delicious ache I didn’t know how to release.
I cried out loud as the soap found its way between my buttocks. The intensity was growing. He washed my bottom, his fingertips grazing and stroking the hidden opening. I couldn’t decide whether to push forward or back, trapped between the sensations.
My breathing was stuttered at best. “Rother…. Please… I need… I don’t know….”
“I know what you need.” Rother gripped my hips and ground us harder together. The water sloshed as our movements became more furious, hard wanton flesh sliding together. I reached my limit. The ache peaked and I shouted out loud, digging my fingers into his shoulders as I released between us. Rother’s hold tightened and he grunted and hissed without stopping. I could feel the pulses shooting through his shaft against mine.
Collapsing in his arms, I marveled at his ability to read me so well when we were nearly strangers.
“Are you all right?”
I nodded, unable to find my voice.
I felt oddly ashamed once we came down from the high, our bodies still entwined. This was my husband, so there shouldn’t be any guilt, but it lurked under my chest. Enjoying his skin’s touch brought up all the shame of my adolescence, but the sanction to finally indulge myself dampened its strength. If only it could erase it outright.
Rother placed the soap bar in my hand. “Now that the urgency is off, it’s your turn.”
My chest seized in a moment of panic, but his sated smile defused it. Swarthy and handsome, Rother was stunning in the afterglow. I held on to the image. Being comfortable with this new aspect of my life would take some time.
Unfamiliar with this ritual, I worried I would either touch him too weakly or scrub him like a dirty pot. Not that I had experience with either. I mimicked his previous movements on me, dipping the soap in the water and rubbing it into his chest. As I explored, the dark hair fascinated me. My own was limited and barely visible. I watched the wet fur move about in the suds, broken only by the dusky nipples peeking through. I grazed the bar over the right nub. The purr emanating from him told me I was learning well.
I washed Rother’s arms and worked down his stomach, exploring the ridges. When I reached his hips, I stopped.
“Keep going. Wash every part of me.”
Considering what we’d shared earlier, I felt foolish that I needed permission to continue. Would my years of repression continue to stay my shaking hand? I wanted to know more, but the prospect frightened me. What if I did it all wrong? Would he make me stop?
Honey and decadence tinted his whisper. “Your touch is perfect. I want to feel more.”
Taking a deep breath, I went farther. I stroked the bar into the thatch of hair and found his organ, still swollen yet only half awake. His sleeping thickness in my hand thrilled me, but still sparked a sense of shame
. I refused to allow it to stop me as I traced the foreskin’s edge and the snaking veins under the pretense of cleansing. After carefully soaping the length, I examined the heft of his sac and traversed below, finding the same orifice he’d teased on me. Rother raised his legs to give me access barely long enough to clean him. His legs were also a treat. Cords of muscle drew long lines to his feet, which were not ticklish in the least.
When I finished, Rother collected the soap and washcloth from me. “I believe I missed a spot.”
I gripped his shoulders as he ran the lathered cloth over my privates. He hadn’t managed earlier given how heated things had become, but I swore this time was more about play than getting me clean. Once he was done, I was well aroused after all the physical contact. We turned the water on again long enough to rinse as we took turns washing each other’s hair. The unfamiliar scrub of his fingertips on my scalp was magnificent.
When Rother pulled the stopper, letting the water drain, I wanted to cry. The tub was the first place I’d given voice to my inner self. Watching my sanctuary vanish disturbed me.
Chuckling, Rother must have read my expression. “Don’t worry. We’re not finished yet.”
Viewing his climb out of the water stalled every negative thought. Glistening and dripping off every ridge, he moved with a purpose, making me wonder if it was natural or if he was still performing a show for me. Even his flawless behind was a study of sculpted anatomy. Still fixated on his physique as he helped me out, I shivered in the cooler air. The sight of large pools of water all over the floor warmed my cheeks. Apparently our bathing games had been more vigorous than I realized.
Towels hung from the tray with all the bath accoutrements. Rother wasted no time snatching one and rubbed the fluffy fabric over every inch of my body. He seemed to take great pleasure in it. Once I was warm and dry, he handed me a fresh towel and guided me to reciprocate. I was hesitant at first, but steeled my courage to do the job well.
After hanging the damp towels over the edge of the empty tub, Rother took my hand. “I think it’s time for us to get comfortable.”
I followed Rother, mesmerized by the sway of the organ between his thighs as he moved backward. I had to stifle a giggle, an inappropriate reaction to the glorious sight. A newfound arousal again took hold of me and couldn’t be hidden. In fact, it took a great deal of restraint to prevent me from covering my sex, which grew harder under his fixed gaze.
“I knew your stamina would be worthy.” Rother appeared amused, if his smirk was any indication. And the way he wet his lips…. I shuddered. He led us into the bedroom, where the fireplace bathed every corner with sultry heat. The flames’ glimmer turned the bed’s pure white comforter into a golden cloud of promised heaven. Rother rearranged the pile of pillows and drew back the covers. The lusty stares he’d given me from the beginning had yet to falter.
Pulling me close, he aligned the lengths of our bodies against each other. The kiss of his skin gave a different sensation out of water. Less slick, more immediate, but no less pleasurable. I felt his organ swelling as it rose to meet mine.
“Now we’ll have room to roll around a bit.”
Rother ghosted his lips across mine. He licked along the seam of my mouth—a brief taste—and pulled back, urging me up onto the mattress. The heated glint in his eyes grew bright as his gaze raked over me. When he crawled like some animal into the bed, I swear he growled. He lay down, pressing his larger frame along mine, and looked past me to the nightstand.
“Alexandra has done her job well. I may have to give her a raise.”
Curious, I turned my head to find the nightstand covered with various objects. Some I recognized, and others I had no idea what purpose they served. A makeshift penis stood upright next to a bottle of oil? Wouldn’t the real thing be preferable? Shaking my head, I perused the odd collection further. I couldn’t help but laugh as I picked up a large feather and drifted the plume about Rother’s face and ear.
“What do you plan to do with this? Blindfold and tickle me mercilessly until I give in to your every demand?”
Rother snorted as he took the feather from me and dumped it on the nightstand. “No. You don’t trust me enough for that kind of play.” I gasped as he ran his tongue up my neck. “And I won’t need it to make you submit to me.”
I squirmed in delight as Rother bit and licked his way around my body. No spot was left untasted. It felt like at least an hour passed in the foreplay, but I couldn’t be sure. I was a quivering mess long before he took the bottle from the nightstand and wet his fingers with a fine line of oil, curling them in a lazy wave as the fluid drew down their lengths.
Nibbling my thigh, Rother reached under me, his slick fingers tracing a circle around my opening. He stroked the center over and over, until his finger briefly dipped inside. Repeating the action, he went deeper each time, gradually opening me.
He applied more oil and went through the process again with a second finger. This time he slid in and out of me with more purpose. When he dragged his fingertip across something inside me, I nearly arched off the bed.
Rother gave a lusty chuckle. “That’s what I was looking for.”
“What was that?” I gasped as he brushed the spot again.
“Between you and me… the center of everything.”
Rother anointed himself again and three fingers worked me open. The stretch from each new finger burned at first, but his knowledge of my internal trigger made me learn to appreciate it. As he pushed his digits in and out of me, his free hand roamed my quivering torso, tweaking my nipples in a way that left me breathless.
“I think you’re ready. Do you want more?”
I could only nod. I was beyond wanting. I needed.
When he pulled out this time, Rother drizzled the oil over his rigid organ. He took time to spread the fluid, leaving his unwavering member glossy and tempting. Lifting my feet to his chest, he positioned himself. The slippery pressure of his cock at my opening made me want to force him inside.
“Are you ready?”
I nodded.
“Try to relax. This may hurt at first.”
I cried out as the head slipped inside. Even prepared, the pain was more than I expected. He didn’t move an inch more as I huffed, trying to compose myself. I’d come so far, I wasn’t ready to stop. I wanted this.
Rother brushed back the hair from my sweaty brow. “You’re doing fine. Just breathe. Don’t squeeze. Bear down and try to push me out.”
When I followed his instruction, the burn began to abate. I continued for several minutes and calmed enough for him to move forward. Rother rocked his hips, little by little, until his pelvis touched my bottom. He was completely seated inside me.
“You’re so tight, Nathan.” Rother’s gasp showed his first sign of impatience. “You feel so good inside. I want to start moving. Can you take it?”
I finally found my words, breathy though they were. “I think so. If you go slowly.”
Rother moved my legs around his waist and rolled forward, covering my body with his. The movement alone brushed that spot inside me and brought a moan to my lips.
“Are you all right?”
“Do that again.”
Rother gave a lusty growl as he shifted his hips, bringing out a new set of noises from me. I urged him on, and his grinding grew into hard thrusts as I spurred his rear with my heels like I would a thoroughbred.
I held on tight as he rocked me with a force I hadn’t expected to enjoy. A touch of pain underscored the pleasure. Lost in the quaking ecstasy, I forgot about all the guilt of intimacy and surrendered to the hedonism. As long as each rutting push dragged along my sensitive point inside, I would be his shameless whore. Rother couldn’t push himself deep enough.
Without stopping, he levered himself up on one arm, making room to take hold of my painful erection with his free hand. He stroked me with the same vigor he assaulted my backside.
“Rother! I’m so close. Don’t stop!” My whole body gre
w tight as the intensity increased. Rother’s hammering had moved past graceful lovemaking into needy instinct. I understood completely. I flew by his side.
I couldn’t hold out any longer. My groin seized and quaked, arcs of fluid spattering the two of us with each stroke of his hand. Rother rolled forward and slammed his mouth over mine. His tongue demanded entrance as he thrust harder and shouted out, the kiss swallowing the sound as he emptied himself inside me. I held on tight, riding out each spasm as the aftershocks continued to tease me for some time.
When our breathing began to calm and he softened enough to slip out, I didn’t want to leave the embrace, hiding my quiet tears of joy in his shoulder.
I felt different now.
Chapter 6
POETS DESCRIBED the act of lovemaking in endless sonnets, yet never quite did it justice. Hidden behind these four walls, I finally indulged in pleasures I’d been denied in my young life, and others I’d never fathomed possible. Rother’s appetites were unquenchable and his approach unapologetic. Unused muscles ached in unspeakable places, making me wince with every movement as I explored my new bedroom, yet I smiled, wondering when he’d come for me again.
“Rother, what time is it?” The shutters continued to block out the daylight, leaving the passage of time to be marked only by soft knocks at the door. No one would be standing on the other side, only a tray full of food and drink left behind for us. I’d lost track of how many times this occurred.
“I haven’t the faintest idea. My best guess is late afternoon.” Rother gave a languid stretch on the bed until he rested his hands behind his head, looking completely at home in the nude. “The last meal they delivered appeared to be lunch.”
Innocence and Carnality Page 7