“Of course not. I will leave you to bathe in peace,” Gemma said.
“And you will not try to leave? I would speak to you once more before retiring,” Nathan said earnestly.
Gemma smiled. “Of course not. I made a promise.”
Nathan nodded. She walked away towards the door and opened it. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw Nathan discard his coat and pull his shirt out of his breeches. She had a perfect view of tight, muscular buttocks. Then a smooth, lean back as he tugged the shirt over his head, after discarding his waistcoat. The cravat had already been removed. Without leaving the room, Charlotte closed the door, turning on her heels as she did so that the sound would be covered by the sound of the door. She held her breath as Nathan stiffened for a moment, head lifting as though listening.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Iam wicked! I am a sinner and I will be punished for this wickedness. And Nathan will throw me bodily from his house if he discovers me.
Gemma stood with her back to the door of the bathing room. Nathan carefully sat on the edge of the bathtub, running a hand through his hair. Gemma could see the tension in him, the taut muscles of his neck and shoulders speaking volumes of the burdens he bore. She felt guilty at watching him while he was so vulnerable.
Nathan was a man who concealed weakness, projecting strength because those whom he employed relied on that strength and leadership. One of those people had been killed. An employee and probably a friend. She knew that seeing his weakness was a worse sin than seeing his nakedness.
Nathan rubbed at his neck with both hands, trying to work out the tension with his fingertips. He let out a long, slow sigh, tension and pain on his face. She wanted to go to him then, embrace him, soothe him. She almost did, but at that moment he stood and began to unbutton his breeches.
Had the situation been reversed, she knew that she would be outraged. Would feel violated and would scream bloody murder. But, she could not stop herself. If this was the last time she would see the Duke, promise or not, she wanted to…to…She did not know what she wanted to do but she felt excited and reckless. Her stomach danced and fluttered. Her heart was beating a rapid beat that she thought must be audible to Nathan. She felt as though she were breathing in shallow gasps and had a hand pressed over her mouth to control it.
His body was remarkable. She could see the white lines of scars. Across his back and across the back of one leg. Some were thick, white lines, as though he had been slashed by something sharp but wide. Some were almost star-shaped or circular, like impacts. Then he turned to face her. He was sluicing water from the washcloth down the front of his body, then wiping his skin with long, slow motions. Gemma’s knees shook and she felt light-headed. She forced her eyes to remain on his magnificent sculpted torso. Or his handsome features. Features that were as stoic and enigmatic as David. A body that made that legend of the Renaissance look slovenly. A soft fur of light hair covered his chest and descended between his pectoral muscles, petering out as it reached his flat stomach.
Every muscle was well-defined and looked as hard as stone. His arms bulged, Gemma did not know the name of those muscles but they looked strong enough to move mountains. Her eyes followed the line of a scar that ran from his left forearm up the middle of the bulging muscle that stood out from his upper arm. She wanted to touch those scars, to run her fingers along the lines of them and discover the stories behind them. She wondered if the physician who had sewed those wounds up had been assisted by a female nurse, as was sometimes the case. A rage of jealousy flooded through her at that thought – the thought of another woman putting her hands to those muscles.
I have no right to jealousy. I have no claim to him other than our mutual attraction. He has shown me that much. Shown me how much he is drawn to me. How much he wishes to put his hands on me.
Her eyes roamed across his remarkable physique and dipped to his navel, before being pulled away hastily to his face. Nathan had reached for the bowl and put it up over his head. He stood with feet apart and bowl upraised before overturning it. Water cascaded over his head and shoulders. He shook out his fair hair, sending droplets cascading from it. Gemma’s knees gave way and she almost slid down the door before catching herself. Finally, her eyes were drawn to the sight below his waist. To the sight that she was forbidden from seeing. That any woman was forbidden from seeing until her wedding night. And what she saw made the entire tableau reverse in her mind. She suddenly realized that she was not the wicked voyeur. Nathan was the equally wicked exhibitionist.
For it was obvious to Gemma that Nathan knew she was there. And the knowledge that she stood there, watching him, was extremely exciting. Gemma felt herself blush, her face suffusing with heat. She felt mortified, but underneath, it was an arousal the like of which she had never felt. It was thrilling to think that she stood a few feet from a naked man of great beauty, one who was himself aroused, and that it was the thought of her that brought him to that state.
“Are we wicked?” Nathan asked, stepping into the bath.
“We are surely the most wicked sinners,” Gemma giggled.
He slid down into the water with a sigh. “That is actually a relief in a way that a steaming hot bath would not be. The water is cool and refreshing.”
“How long did you know I was standing there?” Gemma asked, walking to the bath.
“When I heard that you had remained in the room after closing the door. Listening closely, I could make out the sound of your breathing and the scent of your soap. It was…intensely exciting.”
His voice sounded husky and he slid further into the water, momentarily submerging his face before once again sliding above the level of the still water.
“I can see,” Gemma said drily.
Nathan blushed but made no attempt to cover himself. The calm water did little to cover his modesty. Gemma made herself look. She had never seen a man fully naked before. The sight was not how she had imagined it but her body responded in a visceral and primal way. It felt like being some kind of wild animal in heat.
“An advantage to a woman, I believe. A man must use all his wits to gauge if a woman is aroused by him. A woman need only look.”
“There are ways a man can tell without looking,” Gemma said, her face scarlet.
A prudish part of her was screaming at her to stop, to run away and slam the door. Then barricade it. But the wild, reckless side of her wanted to continue on and see how far this adventure would take her.
“Really?” Nathan said, raising an eyebrow.
His hand slid along the rolled-over top of the bath until it met hers. It was the hand that had been scalded, the wound angry and red. She carefully took the hand and placed it, wet, upon her thigh. His fingers flexed and stroked her thigh, moving toward her knee and then up toward her hip. Each movement went further than the last.
“Yes, did you not know?” Gemma said.
“I did. But, I am surprised thatyoudo.”
