Page 44 of Jorhee

“So stubborn,” he said, looking at me fondly before disappearing into the adjoining bathroom.

I limped over behind him, desperately needing to piss.

“Sorry,” I said as he turned around from the large stone-effect sunken tub. “I gotta pee. I’m absolutely about to bust.”

He nodded as if it were of no consequence, turning on the water to fill the tub.

Well, it’s not like I haven’t taken a leak in front of loads of guys in public bathrooms before, and he is my husband.

I went over to the toilet and made quick work of it before I could change my mind.

Why is this embarrassing when the public toilets weren’t? And I’ve been naked this entire time in front of him too, which wasn’t.

It was one of life’s mysteries.

I flushed the toilet and went over to the sink to wash my hands, watching in the mirror as he reached up to a shelf and took down a ruby-red jar. He took off the lid and sniffed, then nodded. Taking it over to the bath, he poured two large handfuls into his hands, one at a time, before sprinkling each one under the water rushing into the tub.

As the steam rose, a sort of lemon-and-herb scent rose with it, reminding me of the marinade Mom used to make whenever she made lemon chicken. A wave of nostalgia hit me, sending a small pang of sadness that she would never get to meet Johree. I decided to ask Bob to search the databases and see if he or Xeranos could find a copy of that recipe from her battered 1968 edition of theBetter Homes and Gardens Cookbookso Rosie could make it for us one evening. That thought made me smile at how it would bring a small piece of her here to share with him.

After replacing the resealed jar back on the shelf, he showed me the one in the medicine chest hidden behind the mirror over the sink he’d told me about.

“I’ll have the doctor start adding a second label you can read, as you do not yet speak or read Dragonii or Galactic Common.”

“Um, yeah. So, I guess I’ll be having language lessons, huh?”

He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“You can start with greetings and simple things like that.”

I laughed.

“Tourist-type stuff, huh?”

A grin tugged at his lips.

“Something like that, yes.”

He turned away to check on the water level in the tub. I heard the water shut off.

“It’s ready. Let’s get you in there.”

Without an edge to hold on to while climbing in, having him help me was a very good idea. He scooped me up, then crouched down to settle me in the water.

“You make me feel so small.”

He snorted.

“All humans are small compared to a Dragonii.”

“Fair,” I acknowledged, leaning back against the side of the tub. Whatever was in those salts was wonderful, sending small tingles across my skin, more of them wherever there was a sore or tender bit. “I might just live in this tub.”

“There’s no coffee in here or iced tea or anything to eat.”

“Party pooper.”

I didn’t complain when he tipped my head back and began massaging shampoo into my hair before rinsing it out. The tub was huge, large enough for two Dragonii, so plenty big enough for the two of us. I watched as he quickly washed his own hair and then soaped himself up. Once he was clean and soap-free, he got out.

“Come on, babe. You need food.”