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BARIS
Her eyebrows rose. “Feeling ambitious?”
Baris grinned, certain it was haughty, arrogant, and full of all his vices. He felt more like himself than he had in ages. “Housekeeping will arrive shortly to change the bedsheets and so on. Consider it as additional camouflage. However, if you wish to remain out here, by all means.”
Lenore rolled her eyes. Odd how she could be so expressive with half the usual amount of eyes. “Be that way. I suppose I should be there in case you faint.”
“That would be wise.” He felt stronger and more clear-headed than he had in some time, but as Lenore had warned him, that was an illusion. He would soon reach the limit of his energy and need to rest. Recovery was a frustratingly slow process.
She pushed herself out of the chair. “Let’s do it, but we’re keeping it strictly business.”
“I’m uncertain what sort of business requires you to be unclothed and wet, but it has my support.”
She laughed. It was easy and light, as bright as bells ringing on a cold winter’s day.
Baris sent a request to housekeeping to freshen the room and drew himself a bath, liberally adding scented salts and oils. He eased into the hot water, his aching muscles already relaxing in the warmth.
Lenore sat on a stool nearby.
“There’s plenty of room,” he said.
“That tub is big enough for an entire swim team.”
“I could slip under the water and drown. I need you in the water. It’s imperative, for the good of the kingdom.”
“The kingdom, huh?” she asked in an amused tone.
“The entire quadrant of the galaxy would fall into chaos.”
“Wow, the entire quadrant,” she said in a dry tone. “I didn’t realize you were so important.”
“Not me, per se, but the crown. I am but a humble male.”
She laughed again. Just like that, Baris discovered his true passion: amusing the overly serious medic. Giving him a shrewd look, perfectly conveying that she was not buying his nonsense, she stripped off her clothing.
For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
She was lovely. He knew this. He had seen her, touched her, and tasted her. Those precious memories faded in comparison to the present. A vivid and vibrant female stood before him, more delightful than he deserved.
“Scoot up, and I’ll wash your back,” she said, climbing in behind him.
Despite the bath being large enough to fully recline side by side, he didn’t mind. Her legs were positioned on either side of him, her knees poking out of the water.
True to her word, the bathing remained clinical. She lathered up his back, first going gently over his skin, as if afraid to bruise him, then more aggressively with a scrub cloth. Once she completed that task, she handed him the cloth so that he could clean his front. While he did that, she worked a cleanser into his hair. For such little hands, they held surprising strength.
“Tilt your head back. I’ll rinse out your hair.” Using a vessel, she dipped it into the water. She poured it over his head carefully, using her hand to shield his eyes. “Do you have a conditioner or a moisturizer?”
He pointed to a bottle. She emptied a generous amount into the palm of her hand and worked it into his wet hair.
Baris melted. This was paradise. Not being served. He had people scurrying to do his bidding daily. The care she expressed in her touch was staggering. Humbling.
Using as much care as before, she rinsed his hair again. Satisfied that it was clean, she gathered up the long strands and pulled it over one shoulder.
Baris fished the cloth from the water. “Your turn.”
They traded places.
He took his time lathering and rinsing her body, struggling to keep his touch clinical and dispassionate. It was impossible to feel dispassionate about a female such as her. The cloth glided over her curves, caressing and exploring her. He could spend hours, days, years dedicated to the task of memorizing her luscious form, and it would never be enough. He’d always want more.
