He longed to turn and read the expression on her face but couldn’t bring himself to interrupt the touch of her hands.
She cleared her throat. “I can massage those sore muscles later. We need to get you into the bath,” she said.
The tub. Yes, the tub.
He turned then, and her eyes dropped down, following the line of dark hair to the place just below his navel where his trousers caught on his hips and his swollen member. She couldn’t help but see the bulge clearly visible even though the trousers had been loosened.
She glanced up at his face and back down.
“Mia—”
Before he could choke out words to comfort or reassure, she reached for the buttons on his fall and undid the rest of them. His trousers dropped to his knees. Mia stared at the erection she’d revealed.
“I—Goodness, Gideon.” She glanced up, wide-eyed and rosy-cheeked.
He couldn’t speak. He watched her swallow, her graceful neck moving with it.
She dropped her eyes again, moving across his chest and slowly down. “I had no idea. You are beautiful.”
Her words staggered him, and his knees almost gave out. His twisted body had been called many things, but no one—not even Maera—had ever called him beautiful. He reached for her to steady himself, surely only that.
She took it as an invitation and went into his arms. “I’ve embarked on an adventure, haven’t I?” she murmured, her words hot against the bare skin of his chest.
His hands caught in her hair, sending pins flying and her glorious honey-colored locks free before he crushed his mouth to hers.
Easy, Kendrick. Remember her innocence. He eased the kiss, tenderly nibbling her lips. When she responded in kind, he urged her open, reveling in the sense of her blossoming passion. It wasn’t enough.
His fingers found the neckline of her gown, gently probing. He reached for the ties at the back and unfastened the first few.
She stepped back then, questions in her eyes.
“I need to see you, too,” he said.
“But your bath?” He expected discomfort. What he saw was concern.
“The bath can wait.” He kissed her tenderly. “Unless you want me to.”
She turned her back. “I can’t reach the ties.”
He had them undone in a trice and untied her stays, tossing the blasted garment to a chair before turning her, now only in her chemise and stockings, to face him. He studied what he’d revealed before sitting on the bed and yanking off his boots and stockings so he could remove his trousers.
She took them from his hands and folded them, a sweet, wifely gesture that touched something deep in his soul. He kept himself under rigid control while he watched her take his clothing and her own to the chair. Then—joy beyond words—she came back to him, standing inches from his parted legs.
“Now what?” she whispered.
He reached down and took the hem of her chemise, sliding it over her legs, her hips, her breast until she raised her arms and he tossed it to the floor. His eyes burned into hers. “Now we get you ready to receive me.”
She asked no questions, nor did she hesitate. When she walked into his arms, her trust humbled him. They stayed for a while, Gideon on the bed, Mia between his legs, her body against his, their mouths joined in exploration, his hands roaming across her back and bottom. She followed his lead, touching and exploring his shoulders, sides, and hips.
He loosened his embrace and smiled, studying her face for signs of distress and finding none. He kissed her again, this time below her ear, down her neck, and finally on the tops of her breasts. He took them in his hands then, gently kneading and caressing her nipples.
When her breathing became ragged and her hands restless, he put both hands beneath her rounded bottom and lifted her to the bed. He went up on his knees and laid her on her back.
“Gideon, what is it? You are looking at me so strangely. As if you’re amazed.”
“I’m in awe, Mia. You are so lovely. What did I do to deserve such a gift?”
“Gift,” she whispered. “My gift to you and yours to me.”
