“Once I'm in the tub, I don't think I'll need your help.”
Willa rolled her eyes. Was it too much to hope she could wash his back?
“Likely not,” she replied.
“I’m covered.”
She looked everywhere but at him, determined to remain distant as she offered her arm to help him step into the tub. She retreated to the other side of the screen, but that was the limit of her self control. From the other side, she watched him remove the towel from his waist and sink into the water.
He moaned and her head grew light. She covered her eyes and lay back on the bed. Her body pulsed with desire. This would be a memory she took to her grave or told her sisters about one day,aftershe was married, when she was too old for them to scold.
He leaned back against the tub and hissed. “This water is hardly warm.”
“It’s meant to cool you down.”
“That’s not likely.”
“What do you mean? Are you too hot? Should I add more cool water? Do you need the doctor?”
He cleared his throat. “No, forget I said anything.”
“Should I…come over there?”
“No. Stay there. We’ve tested the limits of propriety enough for today.”
“I think propriety has flown the coop, only to realize it's a flightless bird and fall to its death,” she returned.
He chuckled and she smiled triumphantly.
“I like that analogy,” he said.
“You’re sure you’re all right?” she asked.
“Yes. I didn’t mean to make you worry. The temperature was a shock to my—err, body.”
Willa frowned. “Say what you mean.”
He huffed. “I'll give an example. It's about the body's reaction to cold water. Have you ever been changing in a cold room and—” He cleared his throat. “Some body parts pebble like goose flesh and others shrivel up?”
She cocked her head to the side. “Goose flesh yes, but I don't…” Her eyes widened. “Oh, I see what you mean.”
He coughed to hide his laughter. “Well, men are susceptible to the same but their manlier parts will shrink—dear God, why am I telling you this? I must be delirious with fever.”
Willa couldn't help grinning. “Are you saying…”
“Forget I've said anything at all.”
“I can't now. I'm picturing it.”
“Don't do that. You can't have seen a man's organ.”
“What makes you think so? You know nothing about me.”
“You're an innocent,” he said, “through and through. I bet my life on it.”
“That doesn't mean I haven't seen books. My sisters are quite scientific and believe a woman should have access to all the information available to her, which is quite a bit.”
“Pictures are nothing like the real thing.”
