Mira by Leighann Phoenix Page A

bedside and lifted her carefully into his arms.   He carried her cold body to the water and lowered her into the tub, ignoring the water that splashed over the edge and soaked his shirt and pants.   He propped her securely in the tub and left her to warm up while he pulled the blankets and sheets from the bed and replaced them with clean ones.
                Mira was still unconscious, when he returned to her.   Rillan sighed and picked up the rose scented soap he left for her last week.   He rubbed the soap in a soft cloth, then held her with one arm while he gently ran the cloth over her back and arms.   He leaned her back against the tub again and stroked the soapy cloth over her breasts, smiling when she took in a deep breath as if she were enjoying what he was doing.   His hand seemed to lose the cloth momentarily, as he dipped beneath the water to clean her sex.   Rillan cradled her with one arm, while the fingers of the opposite hand combed through the hair covering her mound and then caressed the folds of her pussy. He couldn’t help remembering how she tasted.   Mira moaned softly, and he turned his eyes on her face to see if she was awake, but there was nothing.  
                Rillan sighed again and pulled is hand from her body.   The part of his mind that told him he shouldn’t be molesting an unconscious woman was winning out over the part of his mind that told him she belonged to him and he could do as he liked with her.   He washed her hair, and found the bump that told him exactly how hard she hit her head when she fell.   He growled at himself for not having checked on her sooner and carefully rinsed the soap from her hair.  
                Rillan grabbed a towel from the chair near the tub.   Lifting her, he wrapped her in the in the soft material before carrying her back to her bed.   He found a soft white shift from the chest at the foot of her bed and dressed her.   Laying her back on her pillows, he pulled the blankets over her, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
                Lastly, he went to her store room with the larder and found some dried meat and vegetables.   Taking them back to the fire, he pulled the small pot from the brackets and filled it with the ingredients.   Rillan wasn’t a great cook, but he knew that she would need to eat when she woke up.   He placed the pot back on the brackets and swung it into the fire.  
                With a last look over at the angel lying in the bed, Rillan decided he would go change out of his wet clothes, get himself cleaned up, and then come back to check on her before he got some sleep.   The worst was over.   The more she slept, the better she would feel.   That thought didn’t stop him from feeling guilty for what he did.   He knew very well that it didn’t have to go that far.   He was frustrated by Mira and was trying to scare her.   Obviously it backfired.   Or maybe it didn’t.   When she wakes, she may very well be terrified of the monster that hurt her.   At least this time I know that I can’t blame anyone except myself for it .   To some extent, he thought, it might be better that way.   Fear is what I’m used to.   This one is getting to me far too much.
    * * * *
                Mira rolled onto her side and pulled a pillow to her chest, cuddling down into the soft silky blankets.   Slowly, she started to remember the last time she was awake.   The room smelled of stew or soup or something good.   Her stomach growled.   Mira opened her eyes and stretched, wondering if it had all been a dream.   She still felt sore, but it was nothing like what she remembered.
                A dull ache throbbed in Mira’s skull.   Sitting up, she lifted her hand to the side of her head, where she found a tender knot the size of a small egg.   Proof that it wasn’t a dream .   At least my legs are working this time, she thought, and inched