“I’m sorry,” I apologized immediately, reaching to turn off the water. “I’ll use the other bathroom.”
“You won’t,” Ahearn disagreed, his body pressing to mine as he reached around me to turn it back on. “Move over.”
Confused, I did as he bade me and returned to the spot where I’d been standing, the hot water sluicing down my body. Ahearn helped himself to the bottle of body wash on the shelf, lathering it in his hands before reaching for me and scrubbing my body, each touch gentle but thorough. After rinsing the soap from my skin, he moved onto my hair, massaging my scalp until I thought I might purr before rinsing me again and placing a light kiss on my neck.
“The temperature is dropping,” he said when he finally spoke. “Why don’t you dress before you get cold?”
“But…” I glanced at his body, hard lines and crisp hair with just the slightest bit of padding around his middle that I loved. Swallowing hard, I managed to continue. “I’d return the favor?”
“Is that what you wish, Bari?” Ahearn’s eyes were intense as he stared at me. “Or what you feel you should do?”
“It’s my wish,” I said, my voice wavering more than I liked. “But I understand if you’d rather not.” I forced back a sigh as I remembered why I was there. “I..it’s not something you agreed to in the plan,” I said in a rush. “I shouldn’t ask it. I apologize. I’ll go.”
My large belly meant that there wasn’t much room to maneuver as I tried to step around Ahearn’s imposing body. He caught my arm as I tried to move and brought my hand up to his chest, laying my palm over his heart. Reaching for the body wash with his other hand, he squirted it in my free hand.
“If it’s your wish, I’d be honored for you to attend me.” Ahearn’s voice was low and sincere.
I gulped. “Yes, Sir.” Ahearn twitched a brow at me and I corrected myself. “Yes, Ahearn.”
“That’s better.”
Ahearn stood in silence as I soaped his beautiful body, holding back sighs of pleasure at finally being allowed to stroke his sculpted muscles after so long, the hair-roughened skin making my palms tingle as I scrubbed him clean. When the time came to shampoo his hair, I was at a loss. Between the difference in our height and the added buffer of my stomach, there was simply no way for me to reach.
To my astonishment, Ahearn turned us so my back was to the water and sank to his knees before me. I gaped at him as he stroked and kissed my belly.
“The water will grow cold soon,” he murmured without looking up.
“Of course,” I croaked, reaching for the shampoo and squeezing a bit into my palm. When I finished, he stood to rinse the soap from his hair and turned the water off.
Wrapping a towel around his hips, Ahearn reached for the bath sheet I’d brought into the bathroom with me and began to dry me with firm strokes. When he deemed the job complete, Ahearn reached for his own robe on the hook behind the door and slipped it over my shoulders, waiting patiently for me to slide my arms into the sleeves.
“That’s better,” he said, seemingly satisfied. “Now, we should get you dressed before a chill sets in.”
“Yes, Ahearn,” I agreed obediently, my mind still reeling at the sudden change in his behavior.
Before long, I was swaddled in my favorite plush lounging outfit and tucked onto the sofa with a cup of hot tea while Ahearn ordered our evening meal delivered from a small eatery in the nearest town.
I’d tried to object, reminding Ahearn that I could cook but he’d simply shaken his head and asked if I had any preference for the meal. Completely befuddled, I’d settled back and sipped my tea. I didn’t know what was going on, but I was absolutely determined to enjoy it while I could.
