Alora turned to face him. “I thought to help His Highness first,” she murmured. “Please get into the water tub. I’ll start with your hair,” Alora suggested and went toward the shelf to take out the bathing essentials.
“Why don’t you help me remove my clothes? I feel tired, Wife,” Magnus opined. He found her gazing at him with apprehension. She lowered her head and reached him. Lifting her hands, she stopped them at the knots of his robes.
“I have a suggestion for us. Let’s have a bath together,” Magnus asserted with a grin across his lips.
Promptly, Alora met his gaze, then lowered hers as she gently took the robe off his body.
“Your habit of not answering me instantly hasn’t gone yet,” Magnus remarked, observing her reaction.
Alora bit her bottom lip. “Not today, but tomorrow,” she replied tentatively.
“Fine,” Magnus walked past her and got into the bathtub after removing his trousers. He rested his head on the neck support, and his arms remained at the top of the tub in a relaxed position.
Alora turned around and found Magnus lying naked in the bathtub. Her heart thumped against her chest and even she could hear its loud beats.
Approaching cautiously, she filled a basin with water and positioned herself beside him, pouring the liquid delicately over his hair. Alora focused solely on his face, ensuring not to let her gaze stray elsewhere.
“Your touch is gentle on my scalp,” Magnus remarked, observing her intently. He noticed her hair tied up in a bun, with a few loose curls framing her face. “Also, I asked you to call me by my name. I like it when you are casual with me. It shows more of your love,” he asserted.
“Sure,” Alora replied with a smile. She dispensed the herbal shampoo onto her right palm and worked it into a lather with her left hand. With care, she then applied the foamy mixture to his hair, her hands moving gently over his scalp.
“Why tomorrow, why not today?” Magnus queried unexpectedly.
Meeting his gaze, Alora responded, “I’ve never done this before. It’s my first time, so I want to be fully prepared.”
A few stray hair strands fell into her face, momentarily obstructing her view. Instinctively, she brushed them away with the back of her palm, leaving a trace of lather on her cheek as she resumed her task.
Magnus used his thumb to wipe the lather off her cheek, causing her to peer at him again. “You don’t need to be fully prepared to get into this water tub,” he said. “But I’ll give you time.” A smile carved on his lips as he lowered his hand.
“Thank you.”
Alora then picked up the barrel and poured the water over his hair. She made sure the water didn’t enter his ears and washed his hair well. The fragrance of the shampoo spread in the entire bathhouse and Magnus felt refreshed.
He sat straight and thanked Alora for her help.
“I’ll leave now. See you at the breakfast table,” Alora declared, straightening up. A twinge of pain shot through her back, and she instinctively reached to soothe it.
Unbeknownst to her, her foot landed on a bar of soap, causing her to lose her footing. With a cry escaping her lips, she slipped, teetering dangerously. However, she couldn’t balance herself and fell into the bathtub.
In a split second, she found herself caught by Magnus, who held onto her arms securely.
Panic surged through Alora as she realized their intimate position. In her haste to extricate herself from the water, she reached out for leverage, inadvertently placing her hand on Magnus’s shoulder, which slipped, causing her to tumble once more.
Thus, her lips inadvertently brushed against his dampened shoulder in the process.
Alora quickly lifted her head, her mind racing as she struggled to find her words, her thoughts jumbled and incoherent.
Without hesitation, Magnus closed the distance between them, leaning in to kiss her tenderly. His arm encircled her small waist, his hand finding its place on her neck, as their lips met in a moment of unexpected intimacy.
As her body sank further into the water, Alora involuntarily parted her lips to draw in a breath. Yet, in that vulnerable moment, Magnus’s tongue seized the opportunity to explore her mouth, shattering the innocence of the kiss she had in mind and igniting a new, more passionate connection between them.
Alora felt her back against the cool surface of the bathtub wall as Magnus continued to engulf her mouth with his own.
Though she struggled to catch her breath, she hesitated to push him away, consumed by the intensity of the moment. With her entire body now drenched, except for her hair, she gasped for air as Magnus finally relented, withdrawing from their heated kiss.
His hands wasted no time in removing her nightdress, leaving her clad only in a thin chemise. His lips trailed a path along the delicate skin of her neck, eliciting a response that caused her fingers and toes to curl with pleasure.
Alora’s surprise surged as she realized she was clad only in the chemise, something she hadn’t foreseen so far. Her grip tightened on Magnus’s cold arms, a mixture of apprehension and anticipation coursing through her veins.
With gentle strength, Magnus lifted her and placed her on the platform above the bathtub, ensuring that her legs remained partially submerged in the water. Both of them were breathless, their chests rising and falling in unison as their eyes locked in an intense gaze, each silently communicating their desires hidden inside them.
Alora’s brow creased slightly as her hand reached up to touch Magnus’s cheek. “I feel… strange,” she whispered softly.
Magnus leaned closer, their faces now mere inches apart, sharing the same breath. His touch sent a shiver through her as his hand brushed against her breast through the delicate fabric of her chemise. Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes blinking rapidly as unfamiliar sensations stirred within her.
Alora nibbled on her bottom lip as she was still hesitant. “It’s… tough to explain.”
Magnus’s touch on her cheek was gentle, his fingers trailing lightly, wiping away the water. “Is it a kind of eruption? An explosion? Is it a kind of storm inside you?” he inquired softly.
A shiver ran down Alora’s spine as she nodded in admission. “Yes,” she confessed.
Her confession stirred something within him. “I feel the same. I crave you, Alora. I want to explore every inch of your body,” Magnus admitted, his voice husky with longing. Despite their proximity, he restrained himself, his lips teasingly brushing against hers without initiating a kiss.
Alora pulled him for a kiss and she locked her hands behind his neck. A grin spread across Magnus’s lips and he nipped her bottom lip, making her mewl and pulling away to take a look at her. The chemise was entirely stuck to her body, making every part of her body visible to his hungry eyes. She instinctively brought her hands close to cover herself.
“I think we don’t need to go outside today,” Magnus said, meeting her eyes filled with questions. He held her hands and pulled them apart. “You won’t hide your body from me from now onward.”
Alora confessed softly, her gaze dropping to avoid his intense stare. “But I’m shy.”
Magnus’s smile was tender as he lifted her chin. “Your shyness is a precious gem,” he murmured. “It makes my heart flutter.”
With gentle determination, Magnus guided his fingertips along her legs, tracing a path up to her thigh. “Look into my eyes,” he commanded, his voice firm yet filled with a gentle urgency.
Taking a deep breath, Alora obeyed, meeting his gaze once more. Each touch of his fingers against her skin sent her heart racing, the sound echoing loudly in her ears with each beat.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.