In the low light of his chamber, he faced his wife now. Her hair was wet, and there was a green scrap of some manner of vegetation poking from her locks.
“What is it you wish from me, Needham?” she demanded, pursing her lips and taking on that look of prim agitation that never failed to make his cock swell.
Then again, when did she ever make an expression that failed to harden his prick?
He was a slave to her and his desire for her, after all.
He reached out and plucked the bit of vegetation from her hair, holding it aloft for her inspection. “A bath.”
She frowned at the greenery. “No.”
“I will draw it,” he told her calmly, as if she had not spoken. “No need to rouse the servants at this hour of the night all because Lady Needham wanted to swim naked in the lake.”
Her lips tightened. “I am not having a bath, Jack.”
“You are correct,” he agreed, keeping his tone amicable as he sauntered to the bath chamber in his dressing room. “You are not having a bath.Weare having a bath.”
“I amnothaving a bath with you!”
He smiled at her outrage, keeping his silence as he went about filling the oversized porcelain tub with warm water. A few drops of scented oil, and the sweet smell of citrus perfumed the air.
“Jack.”
She had followed him, of course, still protesting. He closed the bottle of oil and turned to her. Her dressing gown was buttoned to her throat, hiding the glory of her figure from him. But that would not last long. Her hair had begun to dry, and it was a mass of wild curls, tumbling over her shoulders.
“Nell.” He raised a brow. “Need I remind you of our bargain?”
She pinned him with a glare. “I agreed to an hour of my time. Not to getting naked in a tub with you.”
He shrugged. “You failed to ask what we would be doing with our hour. That was an unfortunate misstep on your part. Need I remind you of the many occasions upon which you were naked in a tub with me in the past? Or how much you enjoyed it?”
Her cheeks flushed a becoming shade of pink at his words.
Their gazes held.
And he knew she was being beset by the same onslaught of memories of their shared baths that he was. Right here, in this very tub. In this room. He had delighted in washing her, his fingers inevitably finding their way to her cunny so he could make her spend.
“You are insufferable,” she told him now.
“We smell like a marsh,” he told her. “I am doing the both of us a favor.”
“I will not get into the tub with you.”
The water was rising. He dipped a finger in and swirled it about to test the temperature. Warm but not hot.Excellent.
He cast her another glance. “Yes you will, my love. You made a promise.”
“As did you,” she countered. “Need I remind you of what happened?”
Mulish woman. Holding her gaze, he straightened and began undoing the knot keeping his dressing gown in place.
Her eyes went wide. “What are you doing?”
“Getting into the bath.” Keeping his voice calm was a struggle.
She was about to see just how badly he wanted her without the darkness and the water to conceal him. It was a gamble. A risk.
He dropped his dressing gown to the floor, facing her boldly. Her lips parted, her gaze dipping to his cock. The effect was instant as it twitched, growing larger. Harder. He took great pride in his athleticism. His body was naturally strong and always had been. But in his travels, he had made an effort to increase his activity. Now that he no longer imbibed, his form was leaner than it had ever been.
