Sitting up, she looked over the edge of the tub and saw where her bag had dropped when he’d first set her down on the edge of the tub.
She pointed. “My stuff is right there.”
With a look of relief, he grabbed the bag and opened it up. His relief turned to confusion. “There’s a lot of bottles in here!” he said, presenting the bag to her. “Are these all for different things?”
She giggled and pointed to a bottle on top. “This is to clean my skin. This one is to rub on my skin afterwards so I don’t dry out.”
She went through each one, and Miran listened with the type of attention usually reserved for learning about important safety procedures on a ship.
Once she was done, he pulled out the body soap and poured some on the foaming cloth provided by the hotel. Reaching into the water, he grabbed her good ankle and pulled her leg partially out of the water, sending her head under the water.
He must’ve realized what he’d done because he let go of her foot at the same time she emerged from the water, laughing and sputtering.
He cursed himself as he used a dry cloth to pat her face dry.
“Maybe don’t do that," she teased, lifting her leg up to give him access. When he said he was going to help, it seemed he meant hands-on help.
“I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful,” he said, putting a hand under her leg to support the weight but not pulling it up any further.
She watched him carefully scrub her foot and then move up her ankle. He was doing a great job of being firm but not harsh. Assured he wouldn’t scrub her skin off, she leaned her head back against the tub and closed her eyes.
She tensed when he got to her thigh, ready to tell him to stop if he tried to scrub her in intimate places. She wasn’t body shy, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be groped.
Even by a warrior that tasted as good as Miran.
She didn’t end up needing to say anything. He stopped mid-thigh and set that leg back down. After that, he picked up herinjured leg with exaggerated care. She didn’t know if anyone had ever been so careful with her.
She’d never been cared for like this, not even as a child. The Decanting clinic workers hadn’t been callous or mean, but she’d been another job to do. She hadn't known what kind or caring touches were like until she got to the circus and Melee had basically adopted her. Except by the time she reached the circus, she understood how to bathe and care for herself, so there was never any need for anyone to groom her in the way Miran was doing.
If she was being honest, Miran’s touch felt more than kind, it felt decadent. He didn’t try to do anything inappropriate, he was still fully dressed, even though his shirt was getting wet, and he even massaged her muscles as he cleaned.
She couldn’t help the little moan that bubbled out of her when he rubbed the bottom of her feet.
“That’s a good moan, right?” he asked. “Not a painful moan?”
“Very good,” she agreed, pressing her foot harder into his hand. “No one has ever done this for me. Now I understand why the masseurs are always busy.”
“I can do this every day if you want,” he offered.
She didn’t respond, and he went back to washing and massaging. When he finished with her legs, he moved to her arms. He even paid attention to each finger. She’d never felt so pampered!
He left her chest unwashed but had her sit up and lean forward so he could wash and rub her back. By the time he was done, she felt relaxed and sleepy.
She never wanted it to end!
“I’m going to wash your hair,” he said.
“Are you sure?” she said, opening her eyes to see him holding the correct bottle. That gave her a little more confidence. It was obvious he’d paid close attention earlier.
“If I’m incompetent, you can ask me to stop,” he said, setting the bottle down on the floor and picking up the handheld rain head hidden under the tub. Uncoiling the tubing, he turned it on with his foot.
“Can you comfortably lean your head against the edge of the tub?” he asked.
She sat up and settled herself into position. “Won’t you get water all over the floor?”
“There’s a drain,” he said, moving the shower head over her hair. “It’s expected that much of the water will be splashed out because the tub is meant for avian species.”
The size of the tub made sense now. She could easily picture an avian splashing around in here. Closing her eyes, she let Miran wet her hair. He was surprisingly good at keeping the water from going into her ears.
