“I told you I would take care of you. There might be some blood. Let me bathe you.”
“My God…” A bath seemed so intimate. Yet hadn’t they already shared the ultimate intimacy?
“Is that a yes?”
“I suppose so. What have I started?”
“Nothing that I have any intention of stopping.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Then we’ll dine together, here.”
Her heart pounded. “What about the luncheon?”
“Will your mother and sister really miss you?”
Lily shrugged. They would most likely think she had lost track of time painting. It happened often. “Probably not. But I do have to leave after lunch. I promised to spend time with my sister and my cousins. We’re going to skip the lawn party and…”
“And what?”
“Have some…fun.” She looked away.
“Doing what, pray tell?”
“I don’t really know yet. But we’ll find something.”
“I have no doubt of that.” Daniel kissed her fingertips, stood up, and walked leisurely to the door leading to the bath chamber. “Stay there, love,” he said, his gaze wandering over every curve of her body as she sat on the rumpled comforter. “I want to remember how you look right now. Your lips are the color of a ripe cherry, still swollen from our kisses. Your breasts are the most lovely I’ve seen, round and plump, with the most perfect little crimson berries that harden under my tongue.”
“Daniel…”
“And your hair. I love your hair. It’s so soft and dark, almost black, with little glints of brandy here and there. Mmm, your legs, so long and shapely, wrapped around me, and between them, the most luscious little—”
“Dear God.” Lily looked down. Her breasts were as red as she imagined her face to be.
Daniel grinned. “Vermeer himself couldn’t do you justice right now.”
Lily squirmed on the bed, the tender spot between her legs burning. “You shouldn’t talk like that.”
“Hush. I’m going to run your bath. I’ll call you when it’s ready.” He walked, naked, to the bath chamber.
She heard the rush of water as he filled the tub. I could be happy here. She lounged lazily on the bed. If I never left this chamber again, I think I could be content. Such musings surprised her, given her desires for art, writing, travel, so she banished them quickly from her mind. She couldn’t get attached to a man like Daniel. He had a renowned sexual appetite and would never be satisfied with just one woman. But for this one day, she would let him care for her. They had shared something intimate and beautiful, and she didn’t regret a moment of it.
“You can come in now,” he called.
She padded quickly to the door of the bath chamber and gasped. Gold veined marble walls encased a large room, in the center of which stood a giant porcelain tub with lion’s claws for feet. To her surprise, Daniel was already relaxing in it.
“I thought I was going to bathe,” Lily said.
“Of course you are. This tub is plenty large enough for two. You wouldn’t deny me the pleasure of bathing with you, would you?”
“I haven’t denied you any pleasures so far today, have I?” She couldn’t help smiling.
“Come to me,” he said.
She stepped into the tub. The water was warm and soothing as he nestled her back against him.
He touched her between her legs. “Does it hurt?”
“Not too much,” she said. “Just a little residual soreness. The warm water feels heavenly.”
He reached for a bar of scented soap and a soft cloth. He wet the cloth in the water, rubbed the soap on it, and placed it between Lily’s legs. “Let me wash the blood from you. I’m so sorry to have caused you pain.”