Once they got there, he was relieved to see that the packet of healing and soothing powder Dr. Olivia had promised him had been delivered in their absence.
“Good—perfect,” he murmured, putting Makenna down and picking up the packet. “Come on, baby girl—I think it’s time for a bath.”
19
The packet of healing powder turned the water in his bathing pool transparent blue with pink, shimmering swirls.
“Oh, beautiful!” Makenna exclaimed, her eyes wide as she looked at it.
“Beautiful and good for you too, baby girl—at least I sure as hell hope so,” Bard muttered. “Look, you’d better take off your clo—“
But he didn’t need to finish the sentence, Makenna was already shimmying out of the new emerald dress and laying it carefully over the bench which held a stack of fluffy towels, ready for when they got out of the pool. She turned to Bard completely nude, all her lush curves on display, and raised her eyebrows.
“Bard takes off too?” she asked, pointing at his black leather trousers and crimson uniform shirt. “Much wet not good,” she added, pointing at the black leather, which was true enough, Bard thought.
He really shouldn’t do this, he told himself—shouldn’t be naked with her. And yet, what choice did he have? She had to get into the pool and soak in order to heal and he already knew she wasn’t a good enough swimmer to be in there on her own.
And it’s not like anything’s going to happen, he told himself, pushing away the doubts that plagued him. She’s fucking wounded—hurt inside. She needs to be healed—I’m not going to touch her anywhere near where she’s hurt. I’ll just hold her head above the water and make sure she doesn’t drown.
“Bard takes off?” Makenna asked again, breaking into his guilty thoughts.
Bard nodded.
“Yeah, baby girl. Bard takes off.”
He unbuttoned his shirt as he toed off his boots, hanging the shirt over the bench and placing the boots beside it. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he slid the leather trousers down his long thighs and draped them over the bench as well.
Makenna had seen him naked before—last night, when he’d been taking off his dripping clothes. But at that time he hadn’t been completely hard. He tried not to get hard now, either, but the sight of her full naked breasts and soft little pussy was hard to ignore. To Bard’s embarrassment, he could feel his shaft getting stiffer and longer, even as he tried not to look at her.
Shouldn’t be feeling this way around her—because of her—it’s fucking wrong, he lectured himself.
Avoiding her curious eyes, which were roving up and down his body, he got into the bathing pool and held out his arms to her.
“Come on, baby girl,” he told her. “Time to get you healed up.”
“Water heals Makenna?” she asked, pointing at the pale blue with swirls of sparkling pink.
Bard nodded.
“Yes, baby girl, water heals. Come on now.” He held out his arms again.
This time Makenna came to him, stepping trustingly into the pool and into his arms. She put her arms around his neck and snuggled close.
In fact, a little too close, because her belly was soon bumping against his still-hard cock beneath the surface of the water.
“Here, baby girl, let’s switch things around a little,” Bard said hastily. He turned her so that her back was to him, but then he was awkwardly holding her by the waist and it was her round, lush bottom that was rubbing his stiff member. Gods, wasn’t there any way to hold her without having illicit contact with her beautiful, curvy body?
He tried again, cradling her against his chest with one arm under her knees and one under her shoulders.
Makenna looked up at him, uncertainty in her eyes.
“Bard? Why change?” she asked, making a motion with one hand, which seemed to indicate all the switching around he’d just done.
“Uh…” Bard cleared his throat and then had some inspiration. “Because, baby girl,” he told her. “You need to let the water, uh, inside you to heal you.”
“Inside? Water inside?” She raised her eyebrows and pointed to the spot between her thighs—which was, unfortunately very visible, as were her full, ripe breasts, floating just above the surface of the water.
Bard nodded.
“Uh-huh. Inside. Water heals Makenna,” he reminded her.
She nodded.
“O-kay,” she said—a word she had picked up only that morning from Dr. Olivia, he thought.
Her comprehension was coming along pretty well, considering she’d only had half a dose of translation bacteria. In fact…
The thoughts were driven out of his head when Makenna leaned back in his arms, spread her legs, and reached between her thighs. Before Bard could look away, she was parting her soft outer pussy lips to let the medicated water rush in to bathe her wounded sex.
But just as quickly, she yelped and clamped her legs closed again.