Page 108 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

She took his hand but did not use it to stand. "Now I am curious. What do you want to show me?"

He wrapped his free arm around her. "It is a surprise."

Khiann led Annani to their room, closed the door behind them, then moved to the bathroom.

Annani stood in the middle of the marble floor, taking in the candles, the flowers, and the steam rising from the tub.

She turned to look at him. "You did all this?"

"Yes."

"It is lovely." Her eyes were starting to glow. "What are you planning, sa-mu?"

"A bath."

"I see." Her lips twitched, and he knew she was stifling a smile. "Will you be joining me in this bath?"

"No." He set the crutch against the wall, came to her, and put his hands on the straps holding up her gown. "This is for you. I will be your wash servant tonight."

The smile she had been holding in broke across her face. "I am thrilled. It has been so long since anyone washed me. In fact, the last time was about five thousand years ago, give or take a few."

Had he given her a bath before, and was it the last time anyone had done so for her?

It was nearly inconceivable. But then Annani lived by a set of rules she had created for herself. The most important one was that she would never give her heart to anyone but him, and it seemed another was that no one but him would touch her body in a tub.

She reached up, covered his hands with hers, and pushed the gown off her shoulders.

It slid off her body and pooled at her feet.

She wore nothing underneath. No panties, no bra. Just her magnificent skin.

Khiann had seen Annani naked every night for the past week, but there was no getting used to perfection. Every time was a shock. Every time, he was filled with awe and gratitude that this incomparable beauty had chosen him.

He took her hand and walked her to the edge of the tub, then held it as she gracefully lifted one dainty foot and lowered it into the water, then the other.

She did not sit down right away. Instead, she lifted the great mass of her hair, twisted it, wrapped it around her head, and secured the end inside the loop. The whole operation took seconds, and he marveled at her ability to do it without pins or a mirror. She had done it by touch alone.

Annani sat down, leaned against the slope of the tub, and sighed. "This is wonderful. Thank you."

"It is my pleasure, sa-mu."

He knelt on the floor beside the tub, took the cloth Ogidu had left folded on the rim, wet it, and squeezed out a small amount of liquid soap. He had chosen it ahead of time because it was rose-scented, so it did not compete with the scent of the live flowers surrounding the tub.

He began at her neck, then along the line of her shoulder, down the outside of her arm, all the way to the wrist, then the fingers, and then back. She had to lift the other arm so he could reach it. His strokes were unhurried, and after a moment, she rested her head against the tub's edge and closed her eyes.

"Where did the flowers come from?" she asked.

"Esag and Tula's garden."

"They are beautiful, and the smell is intoxicating."

He smiled. "They cannot hold a candle to you."

Her mouth curved. "You certainly lit a lot of candles for me."

"To demonstrate that the roses had no chance."

He went lower. Her collarbone, the tops of her breasts, and then he set the cloth aside and used his hand, because he had to touch her or die from wanting to.