‘Give me that. It’s too heavy for you to carry on your own.’
Ris snorted. ‘It’s nothing. I can carry more than this, as you well know.’
Lissa felt Ris’s piercing stare on her neck where the gold chain winked in the dim light of the stairwell.
‘If he hurts you, scream for all you’re worth,’ she whispered. ‘Val and I and the others are just here. We’ll come in an instant.’
Lissa made her way back up the stairs but threw a grateful look over her shoulder. ‘I don’t think he’ll hurt me,’ she whispered back, trying to sound convincing. ‘Call me when the water is ready and I’ll help you with it,’ she said in a loud voice.
Lissa carried the bath into her bedroom and placed it in the centre of the room, bending with a grunt. It was awkward rather than heavy.
‘The hot water is coming and so are some clothes.’
‘I won’t wear your father’s clothes.’
Lissa straightened and stared at him, considering. ‘Then you won’t wear anything. I don’t have any other clothes that will fit you. Clothes are clothes. They don’t mean anything.’
He barked out a bitter laugh. ‘That’s not what you once thought. All you wanted was clothes, jewels and my cock.’ She flinched at the truth of his words then forced a shrug.
‘It was a long time ago. A lot has happened since then.’
He kept eating and brooding. She could see he wasn’t satisfied with her explanation. She wasn’t herself. Would she tell him about the real reason? How she’d worked hard to build up Horvald and transform its people from slave keepers and parasites to cultivators with compassion and connection to the earth? Would he believe her? Would he believe that for ten years she’d pushed herself and her people to atone for the past?
A thump on the stairs pulled her out of her anxious thoughts. She turned to the doorway as Ris and some of the younger members of her household appeared with large buckets of hot water. The two younger women, Ella and Xanthy, looked at Devadas with terror in their eyes, which deepened when they spied the gold chain at the neckline of Lissa’s robe. Both women blushed as they poured hot water into the bath then all but ran from the room. Ris stared hard at Devadas and left more slowly after placing some clothes on the table, muttering all the while.
Devadas sat at the table, finishing his food. Lissa could feel his gaze follow her as she poured more water into the bath.
‘You can stand in it and sluice yourself. There’s more hot water in these buckets and some cloths to dry yourself. I’ll be downstairs when you’re finished.’
‘No,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘No. I want you to stay.’ He smiled at her confusion. ‘I’m tired, too tired to attend to my personal needs. You must wash me.’
Chapter Eight
Pulsing heat poured through Lissa’s body, centring in her aching cunt. Moisture moved inside her, making her want to shift her hips so she could get relief from the teasing sensations inside her.
‘If you insist,’ she said, avoiding his eyes.
‘Oh, I do.’
He held out one boot-shod leg. ‘Take it off.’
She grasped the battled-scarred leather and pulled. First one, then the other.
He stood, and unbuckled the leather clasps of the amour covering his chest. Underneath he wore a battered woollen shirt stained with sweat and in one place on his left side, blood.
‘You’ve been wounded.’ She could hear the note of panic in her voice.
He glanced down at his shirt and shrugged. ‘It’s nothing.’ In one fluid movement, he threw off his shirt, letting her see what the years had done to his body.
Muscle. He was all lean, brown muscle. Scars criss-crossed parts of his chest and on one bicep an intricate pattern had been tattooed. Lissa couldn’t take her eyes of it. Something about it made her want to fling herself at him and lick and suck his whole glorious body, from the top of his dark, closely cropped hair to the bottom of his solid, oddly graceful
Ris snorted. ‘It’s nothing. I can carry more than this, as you well know.’
Lissa felt Ris’s piercing stare on her neck where the gold chain winked in the dim light of the stairwell.
‘If he hurts you, scream for all you’re worth,’ she whispered. ‘Val and I and the others are just here. We’ll come in an instant.’
Lissa made her way back up the stairs but threw a grateful look over her shoulder. ‘I don’t think he’ll hurt me,’ she whispered back, trying to sound convincing. ‘Call me when the water is ready and I’ll help you with it,’ she said in a loud voice.
Lissa carried the bath into her bedroom and placed it in the centre of the room, bending with a grunt. It was awkward rather than heavy.
‘The hot water is coming and so are some clothes.’
‘I won’t wear your father’s clothes.’
Lissa straightened and stared at him, considering. ‘Then you won’t wear anything. I don’t have any other clothes that will fit you. Clothes are clothes. They don’t mean anything.’
He barked out a bitter laugh. ‘That’s not what you once thought. All you wanted was clothes, jewels and my cock.’ She flinched at the truth of his words then forced a shrug.
‘It was a long time ago. A lot has happened since then.’
He kept eating and brooding. She could see he wasn’t satisfied with her explanation. She wasn’t herself. Would she tell him about the real reason? How she’d worked hard to build up Horvald and transform its people from slave keepers and parasites to cultivators with compassion and connection to the earth? Would he believe her? Would he believe that for ten years she’d pushed herself and her people to atone for the past?
A thump on the stairs pulled her out of her anxious thoughts. She turned to the doorway as Ris and some of the younger members of her household appeared with large buckets of hot water. The two younger women, Ella and Xanthy, looked at Devadas with terror in their eyes, which deepened when they spied the gold chain at the neckline of Lissa’s robe. Both women blushed as they poured hot water into the bath then all but ran from the room. Ris stared hard at Devadas and left more slowly after placing some clothes on the table, muttering all the while.
Devadas sat at the table, finishing his food. Lissa could feel his gaze follow her as she poured more water into the bath.
‘You can stand in it and sluice yourself. There’s more hot water in these buckets and some cloths to dry yourself. I’ll be downstairs when you’re finished.’
‘No,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘No. I want you to stay.’ He smiled at her confusion. ‘I’m tired, too tired to attend to my personal needs. You must wash me.’
Chapter Eight
Pulsing heat poured through Lissa’s body, centring in her aching cunt. Moisture moved inside her, making her want to shift her hips so she could get relief from the teasing sensations inside her.
‘If you insist,’ she said, avoiding his eyes.
‘Oh, I do.’
He held out one boot-shod leg. ‘Take it off.’
She grasped the battled-scarred leather and pulled. First one, then the other.
He stood, and unbuckled the leather clasps of the amour covering his chest. Underneath he wore a battered woollen shirt stained with sweat and in one place on his left side, blood.
‘You’ve been wounded.’ She could hear the note of panic in her voice.
He glanced down at his shirt and shrugged. ‘It’s nothing.’ In one fluid movement, he threw off his shirt, letting her see what the years had done to his body.
Muscle. He was all lean, brown muscle. Scars criss-crossed parts of his chest and on one bicep an intricate pattern had been tattooed. Lissa couldn’t take her eyes of it. Something about it made her want to fling herself at him and lick and suck his whole glorious body, from the top of his dark, closely cropped hair to the bottom of his solid, oddly graceful
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