“Why… why what?”
“Why did you remove it?”
“Um…” For the hundredth time that day, she was stymied. “Well… that’s what one does. I’ve always done so.”
“Even before you were sent to me?”
“Yes.”
“Who were you doing it for? You weren’t married, and I happen to know for a fact that you hadn’t taken a lover… so why?”
She frowned, his caressing thumb still pressed against her sex was making it hard to think straight, even so she tried to consider the question. “I don’t know. I suppose because smooth skin is more pleasant to the touch… and it makes one look younger and more beautiful. Humans and virgins… remember. I’ve believed you’ve complained about that to me a dozen or so times… probably more.”
“But you don’t remove all of it.”
“I don’t?”
He smiled and his other hand slid down to her lower back and he dragged his knuckles up and down her spine. “Here.”
“Oh! I’m sorry… I guess I couldn’t have seen it… I’ll get rid of it as well…”
“Don’t you dare.” he smirked. “I like it. It’s so fair that it’s very hard to see, but it feels like down when I run my fingers over it. His knuckles uncurled and he spread the pads of his fingers his hand spanning nearly from hip to hip. She felt the heat in her cheeks spread slowly down her throat and across her chest. She couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or arousal.
“You’re very strange, you know that?” She murmured thickly.
He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “No more so than a woman who can disarm a man and face my sister, and then an hour later gets squeamish about hair.”
“Yes, well about that… I still need to clean up… so please… let me go do so.”
“I don’t care, it doesn’t bother me.”
“Well it does bother me.”
“Again, I ask why.”
“Because,” she gripped his wrist firmly and he finally allowed her to pull his hand from between her legs so she could sit up straight, “as surprising as it might sound, those of us who are merely fair to middling also like to feel desirable, even when the competition is literally Olympian, and the point is utterly moot.”
He only laughed at that as well, but to her surprise lifted her off his lap and back onto her feet. He rose as she straightened her dress, and literally loomed over her. She was forced to tilt back her head somewhat to see his face.
“Start a bath. I’m going to see about getting us a proper supper, and then I’ll join you.”
She nodded and watched him go… then started looking for the bath.
It was quite easy to find as the first door she checked was a private sleeping quarters. It was a huge room with a large elegant bath on a raised platform in the corner surrounded by hanging censors. This room was quite different from the sitting area. The floor was a darker stone, and the furniture made of carved and gilded wood, and covered with pillows and cushions. The walls were hung with heavy weavings, elaborately patterned, and in the other corner of the room was a large bed, also hung with cloth and covered in pillows.
It was lovely, but she could see why Thelios wouldn’t feel all that comfortable here. It just wasn’t him. She couldn’t help but think of the simple but comfortable bed they shared at home… which was nothing more than a thin pad of stuffed wool made comfortable with skins and furs.
He had a room full of gold-all of what she now saw before her-and yet he chose to live simply. That was who he was. And as comfortable as the extravagant looking bed seemed to be… she felt a sudden and powerful desire to have that simple bed of skins and fur back, if just for tonight.
She shook off her thoughts and turned her attention to the bath. It was an elaborate affair; the pipes already heated and needing nothing more than a hand to turn the latches to release the water. It was nearly ready when Thelios returned. He wasted no time and was stripped and in before she’d finished filling it, and had already stepped out when she was soaping and rinsing the smell of salt water from her hair.
“Aren’t you going to soak?” She asked as he roughly and perfunctorily toweled himself off. “The heat might help loosen the muscles in your shoulders.”
He shrugged and tossed the towel on the steps leading to the bath. “I’ve spent too much time in the water today. I’ll find some other way to relax.” He turned and grinned devilishly at her over his shoulder. She looked away, but wasn’t able to suppress her own smile. She decided there was no point in loitering in the bath if he was out as well, and frankly he was right. She’d had enough of water for quite a while. Plus the sight of her bared stomach was beginning to make her nervous. She kept thinking she could see a slight thickness there that she’d not noticed before. It was silly… there wasn’t anything to see… probably.
She climbed out of the bath and dried herself quickly as well, letting her hair fall as it would in wet curls, and opting to wrap a loincloth about her hips and between her thighs instead of dressing completely. She still had every intention of using sugar on her legs before she let Thelios anywhere near them again, so there was no point in dressing. Besides which she was generally used to being naked with him now, not like those first few days. Even so, it was still easier for her to make at least a gesture of modesty, even if it was halfhearted.
When she went to leave the room to find her things he stopped her, asking her to stay with him, still grinning suggestively.
“I told you, I’m going to do it whether you care or not.” Her mind briefly flitted to Demitri joking about how bossy she was with them, and momentarily regretted her words, that is until she noted the expression on his face and decided there was no harm in it after all.
“Fine… just do it in here.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“I want to watch.”
“Again I have to ask… why?” She smarmed, turning his own words back on him. He grinned, revealing his fangs.
“I’m curious… humor me.”
“It’s rather embarrassing.” She hedged, sincerely unsure about why he would want to see such a thing. It was her understanding that men didn’t want to see the process of ‘beauty’ in all of its awkward and often painful glory… just the pretty, uncomplicated results.
“I promise to make it worth your while.” He gave her a smirking grin, half charmingly boyish, and half devilish, and she was forced to capitulate. Maybe that was the smile Nagi had been speaking of when she referred to Zeus. She frowned again as she left to collect her things. Certainly that wasn’t the father they spoke of? No… it couldn’t be… but she was curious about who it Could be. And she was rapidly becoming all the more curious.
When she returned, still wearing just the simple hip wrap, though with the minimal addition of her few and simple pieces of jewelry as a gesture to the opulence of her surroundings, she found him lounging on one of the oversized couches. Oversized by her standards, it still looked small under him. He was wearing his usual wrap, and she was surprised that he had bothered to dress at all until she noticed the platter of food on the low table next to him. She caught his eye then looked pointedly from the platter to his cloth wrapped hips.
“Not an exhibitionist either?” She asked archly as she passed his couch on her way back to the bath.
“Well, I didn’t want to frighten the poor creature… I’m a lot to take in.”
She bit back her laugh, glad she was facing away.
Literally and figuratively she thought, only half joking to herself. “Indeed you are my Lord.” She agreed, toning her voice with mild indifference. “To be frank, I’m not sure how I’ve survived you thus far… I can only hope your ego doesn’t swell with the rest of you, or you will most certainly be the death of me.”
“It’s really not my ego you should be worried about.”
“Well,” She countered, still looking away to hide her smile and busying herself with heating the honey mixture, “it’s a good thing I don’t frighten easily, isn’t it.”
He laughed. “You must be joking. Your legs snapped together so tightly that first night, I thought I was going to need a chisel to get them apart.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at that and threw him an amused look.
“You can hardly blame me for being a little hesitant. Besides, I thought I was remarkably stoic about the whole thing. Don’t you? I could have run screaming from the premises.”
“For a moment I thought you might.” He teased.
“Hardly.”
“Aren’t you glad you didn’t? You would have missed out on all this.” He waved dismissively to the room around him. His sarcasm was palpable.
“Yes, well, this I could have done without.” She paused and smiled a little more sincerely, “But I am glad nonetheless.”
“Obviously. Because I arouse you.” It wasn’t a question. She shook her head, laughing.
“You’re incorrigible.”
“I think you mean encouragable.”
“That isn’t even a proper word.”
“That’s because there aren’t words to describe the wonder that is I. At least… not proper ones.”
“Stop it.” She admonished, laughing outright now, and unable to contain it. “I’m not going to be able to do this properly if you keep distracting me.
He said nothing but waved her on to her task with an imperious arch of his brow. The effect was ruined by the slight spasm at the left corner of his mouth.
“Are you sure you want to see this?” He nodded. She shrugged. “Fine.” She was forced to turn partially away from him so as not to be unnerved by the sight of him watching. She knew it was silly to be embarrassed about it… but she felt oddly exposed by the whole thing. No doubt, she thought as she began, because of his earlier comments about exhibitionism.