As Maxi berated herself, she heard a gravelly voice behind her.
“Hand me another towel.”
A tingle shot down her spine and raised every hair on her body. She fought to keep her gaze level as she grabbed a towel and passed it to him. He took it from her slowly, his eyes burning. As he soaked it in a washbasin and began wiping his legs, Maxi turned away and fidgeted with her skirt to avoid stealing glances at him. Her every nerve seemed fixed on him. She wet her parched lips.
Her fingertips tingled with the need to caress him all over. She found herself suppressing the shameful feeling before it occurred to her that there was nothing wrong withtouching her husband. Hadn’t Riftan himself emphasized that it was natural?
Maxi impulsively walked up behind him and placed her hand on his smooth, muscular back. Riftan stiffened before pushing her hand aside.
“Don’t do this,” he said in a low growl.
Startled, Maxi pulled back. Her face heated at the rejection. “F-Forgive me…”
Not knowing what else to do, she lowered her gaze. Riftan heaved a sigh and pulled her into his arms. “You used your mana to heal one of the scouts yesterday, remember? What if you were to become bedridden again because you overdid it?”
He stroked her hair with his still-damp hand, and she could feel the heat of his skin through her thin dress. Maxi exhaled shakily as bliss surged inside her. He still smelled of blood, musk, and horses—and though it certainly was not a pleasant scent, it was Riftan’s, and that was enough to make it alluring.
“I am really all right. I did not use that much mana…and I h-have had plenty of rest. I am perfectly fine now.”
She nuzzled her nose against his chest, and Riftan let out a strained groan. He toyed with the braid secured above her head and murmured, “I’ve been restraining myself, so I don’t think I can be gentle.”
Maxi cocked her head. Had he ever been gentle? She could not remember. He would always take the time to make her burn for him, but once he was inside her, he would move like a man possessed.
And it was pure ecstasy.
Maxi looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “Y-You don’thave to be…gentle.”
Any shred of restraint crumbled at her words. Riftan drew her forward, his lips crashing against hers. He tasted of sweet spring water, and meeting his wet tongue with hers, Maxi twined her fingers in his damp black hair to pull him even closer. Riftan let out a weak moan and groped her breast over her dress, teasing its peak until it had pebbled against the fabric.
A tingling heat surged in Maxi’s stomach. When she subconsciously pressed her breast more firmly against his palm, a reverential sigh escaped Riftan’s lips.
“Damn it…. You are just too beautiful. I cannot help myself.”
He might have well said that the moon was green. Pressing his lips to her cheek, Riftan pulled down the neckline of her dress and slipped his hand inside. When his callused palm kneaded her delicate skin, arousal electrified her nerves. Maxi let out a soft moan.
Riftan panted in her ear, whispering, “I go mad every time I touch you. How can someone be so perfect? Your whole body is so soft, I feel like it could melt in my hands…. You’re so beautiful. From your head to your toes.”
“Th-That’s not true.”
Maxi could not think straight. Riftan had yanked down her bodice and was now rubbing his cheek against her bare breast. He began teasing her rosy skin with his mouth.
Writhing, Maxi clung to his neck. Riftan clutched her buttocks and pulled her against him, making her feel the full extent of his arousal. His hardness made her start rocking her hips, but a sudden thought made her still. Shenervously glanced at the door. “R-Riftan…don’t you think your b-bath…will be here soon?”
“You should have thought of that before seducing me.”
“I did no s-such thing. I wasn’t trying to seduce you….”
“You were sneaking looks at me like you wanted to devour me, then you touched me and told me not to be gentle. That is seduction.”
He undid the laces of her dress as he spoke, pulling it down to her waist. With her face flushed crimson, Maxi looked on as he knelt to pepper soft kisses across her flat stomach.
Her legs quivered as he pulled her dress all the way down. Riftan spread her legs and buried his face between them, and Maxi let out a soft cry, trembling as she collapsed onto his shoulders. Her knees shook, and the backs of her legs were beginning to feel numb.
Riftan gently stroked her sensitive flesh with his tongue, occasionally turning to press soft kisses to her inner thigh. Maxi’s whole body flushed pink, and she curled her toes as her moans rose in pitch. All her reason burned away as a shudder passed through her.
Riftan skillfully added his fingers to heighten her pleasure, the tantalizing sensation building to a climax when a knock came at the door.
“My lord, your bath is ready.”
