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Chapter 4
Rillan woke to a warm body trying to squirm out of his grasp. He opened his eyes and smiled as he watched Mira attempt to get out of the bed without waking him up. "Trying to escape?"
Mira flinched, her head swiveled, and she leveled a glare on him that had him laughing. He pulled her, protesting, back into the bed. "Hey," she squealed and fought against his iron grip to no avail.
Rillan was having none of it. He was glad she was feeling well enough to put up a fight, but he wasn't ready to get out of bed yet. He still owed her. She had passed out before he could finish feeding and he had been too hungry to enjoy her body before eating. So he had plans for her before letting her go. Rillan moved so that he was propped over her and looked down into her annoyed eyes. "What," he chuckled.
"You can't let a person find a chamber pot with some dignity," she snarled at him.
Rillan rolled off of her, still laughing. It felt good. "Just come back. I'm not done with you yet."
Mira scooted to the side of the bed. Her stomach turned some. It was nowhere near as bad as it had been the last time. Still, she wondered what he had in mind. "I don't know if I'm up to whatever you're thinking about. You're not still hungry are you?"
Rillan's good mood fell a bit. He sat up behind her and stroked her back. "No, not hungry. Are you all right. I guess I should have considered this. You tend to make me think in different directions at the same time though. Do you need help?"
Mira blushed. "No, just tell me where the chamber pot is."
Rillan got out of the other side of the bed and grabbed his robe from a chair nearby. He walked around to Mira and placed the robe over her shoulders. "It's in the stand there," he said, pointing. "I'll get the bath warming. You'll feel better after you get cleaned up and eat."
He watched her stand, making sure that she could, and then left the room, not bothering to dress. Mira watched the naked man retreat into the darkness of the hall and saw some light begin to flood into the gloom.
He must be lighting candles.
She managed to find the chamber pot and finish with it before he came back.
As Rillan walked into the room with some things for the rarely used cook pot that was on the floor near the fire, Mira couldn't help but appreciate what she saw. He was all lean and muscled. Firelight danced off his skin and Mira felt heat begin to pool between her legs, even if she wasn't feeling at her best right then.
Mira was lost at what to think. The last time she had been in his room he had nearly killed her. Now he was warming her a bath. It was difficult to decide how to behave or think with mixed signals like that. She sat on the edge of the bed.
Mira's eyes drifted to the covered shaft that led outside. She hadn't noticed before but the angle of the bed seemed near perfect to allow for someone lying in bed to look out the shaft and see the sky. She wondered if he lay here at night watching the stars.
I would
, she thought longingly.
Staring at her from the fireplace, Rillan could see what she was looking at. He walked across the room and over to the release for the heavy door covering the shaft. Mira shifted nervously. She hadn't known that he was watching her. "Fresh air would probably do you some good," he said lightly and forced a solid bolt to the side then allowed the door to fall open.
From her seat on the bed she could see the moon just off in one corner of the shaft. It was a clear night and stars dotted the sky. After a few moments Mira could smell the night breeze filtering down the shaft and into the room. She never wanted to close her eyes again.
"I'll leave it open," Rillan said. "You're bath is ready."
Mira finally tore her eyes away from the sky and looked at Rillan again. "Thank you." She wasn't sure what else to say.
Rillan nodded at her and gave her a weak smile. "Do you need help?"
She looked into his hopeful eyes. Mira was getting the distinct impression that Rillan was feeling badly about the way things had gone the last time she had been here. She didn't know what he thought he was going to help with if she was in a bath. The thought had her blushing again as a look of uncertain curiosity over took her soft brown eyes.
Rillan smiled. "Come on," he said, offering her his hand to lead her back.
Shadows danced around the hallway as Rillen led Mira to a wash room very similar to her own. There was a large tub set into the center of the room with steps up to get in. Mira could smell rose water. When she looked into the tub she found that there were petals floating in the water. Rillan took the robe from her shoulders and helped her into the water. The warmth seeped into her skin as she sunk down into the fragrant bath. Before Mira knew what was happening Rillan had stepped in behind her and water sloshed out of the tub around the sides as he sat down, drawing her back into his arms.
After a few moments of surprised, uncomfortable, uncertainty, Mira relaxed. She let her head fall back against Rillan's shoulder and closed her eyes. A soft sigh escaped her lips as the warm water took the chill from her body. Just as she thought she might fall asleep, Rillan moved and reached for something. Mira was too tired. She didn't bother to open her eyes to see what was happening. She figured she would find out soon enough.
"Sit forward," Rillan said softly and gently pressed her forward to prompt her into movement.
Mira finally opened her eyes and saw that he had soap and a thick plush cloth in one hand. She leaned forward, bringing her knees up to her chest, and laid her head on her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs and giving Rillan access to her back. She felt the soft cloth slide over her skin and she sighed contently, letting her eyes close again.
Rillan put more soap on the cloth and ran it along her arms and down her sides. He took his time, watching the suds slide down her skin and into the water. Once he was satisfied with her back he pulled her into his arms again. Mira felt the soapy cloth skim over her breasts as he began washing her shoulders and chest. The soft cloth tickled over her skin. Her nipples puckered as he spent some time soaping one breast and then the other. Mira arched her back, pushing her breast into the palm of his hand and moaning softly. Arousal and exhaustion warred with each other in her body. Rillan's hand moved down along her stomach, painfully slowly.
Mira parted her legs as Rillan's hand moved lower and lower along her stomach. He paused. The strange pain in his chest began again. He couldn't believe that she was so willing and eager to let him touch her. She squirmed wantonly in his arms and lifted her hips, protesting the pause in his caress. Rillan bent his head and placed a lingering kiss on her neck and nuzzled gently along her jaw line, up to her ear, kissing random spots as he went. He purposely held her off longer, wanting her to ask him for more, adoring the way she seemed to need him. He didn't really believe she wanted a monster this way, but what man was left in him was near tears with appreciation of the fact that she was even willing to pretend.
Another small groan escaped from Mira's mouth. Her hands reached beneath the water, took hold of his hand and pushed his fingers into her slit, delighting in the rolling pleasure that the pressure created in her lower stomach and up her body. Rillan slid his fingers teasingly along her slippery opening, letting her moans and movements guide his touch to where she wanted it. When her body began to tense and tremble in his arms he was more than a little surprised. He pressed his finger inside her so that he could feel her come. Her soft inner walls sucked on his finger hungrily. Her whimpers in his ear told him with a great deal of certainty that it wasn't as satisfying as she would have liked.
Mira tried to push down further onto his finger as the fluttering sensations ceased. But the position in the tub and the confined space made it impossible for her to get the leverage she needed. She looked back at him over her shoulder with an almost desperate glow in her eyes. She was too shy to ask him to do anything specific to her. But the need was there as she looked at him. Embarrassment flooded her as she realized how she was behaving.
