“All right. I think you’re healthy enough for a bath. But you have to allow me to assist you. I’m still concerned for your strength. Tennessee said you didn’t eat must yesterday when he brought you your meal in bed. I don’t need you falling and breaking a bone right now. And,” he looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and a small smirk, “you may have overexerted yourself yesterday when you should have been resting. I don’t want you to push it… again.”
I wanted to say no to his offer, but if I did, then Matthew would demand, and I much preferred his calmer and gentler state of mind right now. I felt better, but I sure as hell didn’t have it in me to have another battle of wills that I was pretty sure I would lose.
I nodded in response and pushed the blankets off of me, dropping my feet to the floor. Matthew quickly placed his hand on my arm to help me stand. “Steady now. Let the blood flow back to your toes.”
Very slowly, I walked across the hall to the bathroom with Matthew never letting go of my arm. He went straight to the tub and began filling it up while I sat on the edge of the bath and watched. He had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves as to not get wet, revealing his tan skin and his muscled arms. With each move, I noticed how lean his body was. His brown hair hung in a soft wave around his ears with just a hint of gray at his temples. His distinguished look added to a masculinity that fascinated me every time I got to take the time to just watch him. His caring nature made me feel safe and protected. An odd contrast to the fact that I was his captive, but I had never had a man draw me a bath before.
When he was done and had filled the tub, he said, “Go ahead, undress and get in.” He turned his back to give me privacy which made me smile. He already had seen me naked, but his gentlemanly ways right now pleased me.
I quickly shed my clothes and eased into the steaming water, moaning slightly.
“Is the water too hot?” he asked, worried.
“It’s perfect. Simply perfect.” I lowered myself all the way in and closed my eyes, savoring how the heat removed all the aches and pains. The steaming water seemed to strip what remained of the sickness completely out of my body. “Thank you.”
He moved to my head with a bottle of shampoo and began lathering it into my hair, his fingers massaging my scalp. Heaven. Pure Heaven. I thought about stopping him and doing it myself, but just couldn’t bring myself to do so. It felt so good… so good.
As he worked at washing the tangles, he said, “You have really pretty hair.”
My reply was a cough that I had been trying to hold back, but I couldn’t any longer.
“I think after your bath, you should spend the rest of the day in bed. But after today, I think you’ll be fine to move about the house, just as long as you take it easy.”
He rinsed my hair and began washing my back and arms, dipping the washcloth into the soapy water with each pass. “I saw you have books from downstairs by your bed. Do you like to read?”
I nodded and smiled. “I do. Very much. My mother was an avid reader and she taught me how to fall in love with books before she died. I lose myself in the story. I feel like I disappear and go someplace different. It’s nice.” The memory of my mother made me sad, but I refused to go down that dark road. I’d closed that door to my life, locked it, and thrown away the key.
“I find that not too many people take the time to read books anymore. Everyone is so busy and lost in the now. Maybe we can share our favorite books and discuss them sometime.”
His statement seemed odd. Never had a man suggested spending any time together that didn’t involve sex or… ‘lost in the now’. The innocence of his comment took me by surprise, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. Luckily, a loud cough answered for me. The cough was powerful enough that it rocked my body hard enough to cause water to splash onto the floor.
Matthew patted my back softly. “Try to take a deep and calming breath. I’m right here.” He kept patting my back until the cough subsided.
“Thank you,” I wheezed.
“We’ll get you some more medicine after your bath.”
I nodded. “It seemed to help.”
He paused in washing me, holding his hand still in the sudsy water. I wondered if he would move his hand lower and turn the innocent bath into something much more. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and walked over to grab a towel. He held it open wide for me to step into but turned his head to not watch as I did so. Again, the chivalrous act of giving me the courtesy of privacy, made me smile. “Let’s get you back in bed before you catch a chill.”