Chapter 214: Morning Bath
Once the shift was gone, he simply looked at her for a moment, at the marks his hands had left on her skin, at the evidence of the night written across her body in whispers of purple and red, at the absolute vulnerability of her sitting naked and exhausted before him.
"You’re beautiful," he said simply.
She made a small sound and buried her face in her hands.
He smiled and carefully lifted her, carrying her to the basin and easing her down into the warm water.
She sank into it with a sigh, and he could see the tension in her shoulders ease slightly as the warmth enveloped her. The hot water would help with the soreness, would ease the ache in muscles that weren’t used to being used the way he had used them last night.
He picked up a cloth and began to wash her body.
She made soft sounds of contentment, her eyes slowly closing, her body relaxing under his touch.
His hands moved across her skin with reverence, and she began to drift, her head tilting back slightly, her breathing becoming deeper, more relaxed.
By the time he had washed her from neck to hip, she was dozing, her eyes half-closed, her body completely limp in the warm water.
Kaelen smiled softly and continued his work, washing her legs, her feet, taking his time with each small detail.
When he was certain every inch of her had been tended to, he rose from where he had been kneeling beside the basin.
She didn’t stir.
He stripped his own clothes, dropping them carelessly onto the floor. His body was still covered in the marks of their night together, scratches down his back, bruises on his shoulders where her hands had gripped him, the evidence of his claiming written across him in physical marks.
He eased himself into the basin behind her, settling so that she could lean back against his chest, her body fitting perfectly between his legs, his arms able to reach around her easily.
The warm water closed over him, and he pulled her back against his chest with a sigh of satisfaction.
She stirred slightly at his presence, making a small sound of contentment, and pressed herself against him without waking.
Kaelen sat for a moment just feeling her against him. The warmth of the water. The warmth of her body. The intimacy of sharing this space with her.
His hands came up almost of their own accord, and he began to wash her again, but this time, it was different.
His hands moved over her shoulders, his fingers finding the tension there and working it out with gentle pressure. He washed her back, his palms sliding across wet skin, feeling the delicate framework of her ribs, the curve of her spine.
His hands moved up to her neck, and he felt her tilt her head slightly, giving him access. His thumbs traced the line of her jaw, and he bent to press a kiss to the side of her neck.
She made a soft sound...still half-asleep.
His hands moved down her arms, and then... they came around to her front.
He washed her breasts with the same care and reverence he had shown to every other part of her, but his touch lingered there, feeling the slight weight of them, the softness of her skin, the absolute perfection of her form.
She stirred slightly, a small breath escaping her lips.
His hands continued their journey downward, across her ribs, across her stomach, lower still.
The water was warm and welcoming, and his hand slipped beneath the surface, moving between her legs.
He touched her there, his fingers finding the sensitive flesh, and she made a sound....a soft moan that suggested she was waking, that she was becoming aware of what he was doing.
Her hips shifted slightly, pressing back against him, and he could feel his cock stir in response.
He was about to continue, about to begin the slow seduction of her waking, about to see if she would let him take her here in the warm water with steam rising around them....
And then her head tilted back against his chest, and her breathing deepened.
She had fallen asleep.
Completely, utterly, absolutely fallen unconscious the moment his hand touched her most intimate place.
Kaelen stopped moving immediately, his hand stilling, his touch gentle and protective rather than seductive.
He sat there for a long moment, simply processing what had just happened.
She had fallen asleep.
She was so thoroughly, completely exhausted that she couldn’t even stay conscious for thirty seconds of his touch.
And instead of infuriating him, the realization made him smile.
A slow, satisfied, absolutely possessive smile.
Because it meant she had given him everything last night. It meant he had taken all she had to give. It meant she was so exhausted from his claiming that her body simply couldn’t stay awake anymore.
It meant he had marked her not just physically, but had worn her out so completely that she was barely conscious.
"My little witch," he murmured against her hair, and allowed himself a moment of absolutely unbridled satisfaction.
He carefully withdrew his hand from the water and instead settled into simply holding her, letting the warmth of the bath soothe both of their aching bodies.
***
After a long moment, when the water began to cool and he knew he couldn’t leave her sitting in cooling water, Kaelen carefully stood, cradling her against his chest.
She didn’t wake, she didn’t stir, didn’t give any indication that she was aware of anything happening around her.
He stepped out of the basin, water cascading off both of them, and grabbed one of the heavy towels. He wrapped it around her first, making sure she was secure and warm, before reaching for another one for himself.
He dried her with careful movements, treating her like something infinitely precious, and then carried her back to his chambers.