“Are you sure you won’t be in trouble for bringing me with you?”
“Course not, baby doll. There was never any chance of us leaving you, but even if we had and the princes found out, they’d likely kick our asses. Well, they’d try to.” He grinned. “This ass ain’t so easily kicked.”
She grinned. “Did you just call yourself an ass?”
He sighed and winked as she giggled.
“I’ve missed the sound of that.”
“What?” she asked.
“Your laugh. Sweetest thing I ever did hear.”
“I missed the sound of yours too. So big and booming, sometimes it felt like it rattled my bones, but I always knew that no matter how bad things were, you’d cheer me up.”
“And I always will,” he told her.
She let out a shuddering breath as he reached her panties. Her nipples were calling to him, begging him to touch them again.
But right now, she needed care. And he wasn’t going to mess up again. Not when the stakes were so high. He breathed through the knot in his stomach.
Don’t think about that right now. Maybe he didn’t deserve her. But she needed him.
He’d get over this feeling of failing her. He just needed some time. He lifted her with one arm and pulled her panties down with the other. That’s how light she was. It wasn’t any harder than helping a small child undress.
She squeaked a bit as he set her back down, her hand covering her pussy. He raised an eyebrow. “Gonna be hard to clean you if you’re covering yourself up.”
“I can do that part.”
“Well, I want to do it, guess who will win.”
“Stubborn goat,” she muttered.
He had to grin at the insult. Someone else might call him a bastard or asshole. Not his girl. He ran his lips down her neck, kissing her soft skin. She smelled like the soap he’d just used and he missed her usual jasmine scent. They’d need to remedy that.
“Move your hand, Vivi.”
“I haven’t had a chance to groom down there in a while.”
“Baby girl, I don’t care.”
She groaned but moved her hand. He continued to wash her tummy then moved to her feet and legs. Finally, he reached her pussy. He spread her legs wide, cleaning her pussy with gentle wipes of the cloth.
He heard her breath quicken. Before he could be tempted to do more, he lifted her in his arms and using the mirror, washed her bottom.
“Aleki,” she squeaked.
“Hush,” he told her. “This is what I need to do to make sure you’re all right. Wolfe might fuss over your food and safety. Caleb gets to lead the way and lay down the law. I do the things for you that you can’t or don’t need to do for yourself. Like this.”
He placed her back down and grabbed a towel to dry her. Then he rested his hands on the counter on either side of her. “Now for my reward.”
“Your reward?” she squeaked.
“Fuck yes, you don’t think I did this out of the goodness of my heart, do you?” He winked at her.
She rolled her eyes.
“I can’t wait to taste you. To touch every inch. When I can, I’m going to spread you out on my bed and eat you for hours. I want to relearn every curve, to hear all those cute sounds you make when you come. But I know you’re not feeling up to that yet so just let me just kiss you. Nothing more, I promise.”