Tempted by the Prince (The Raminar Family Book 4) Elizabeth Lennox (little bear else holmelund minarik TXT) 📖

“I’m just going to take a hot bath and that will fix all of my problems.”

Turning on the water, she sat on the side of the tub as she stripped off her clothes, dumping them on the floor because she was just too sore to put them away.  When the tub was half full, she used some of the bubble bath on a whim.  Normally, she didn’t allow herself the luxury of bubbles.  But tonight, she poured them in with a heavy hand, feeling extra decadent.

She’d just slipped into the hot water, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the tub when a knock sounded.  “I’m fine, thank you!” she yelled, assuming it was the housekeeper.

The door opened and Tarin stepped into the bathroom. A moment ago, the bathroom had been decadently large, but with his huge frame standing by the tub, the room shrunk!

“What are you doing in here?” she gasped, trying to gather the bubbles closer, hiding her nudity.

He set a glass of white wine on the edge of the tub.  “Just bringing this in for you,” he said, then glanced at the floor and froze.

Rachel knew exactly what he was looking at.  In slow motion, she watched as he bent down and picked it up.  When he straightened, there was a pretty pink bra with small sparkly gems dangling from the spot between the barely-there cups.  “Is this what you were wearing today?” he asked softly.

Her eyes widened, but she couldn’t form the words to respond.  When he looked down at her, his eyes moved over the bubbles, obviously trying to see through them, and compare what he saw there to the small bra.  “Nice,” was all he said, then turned around, walking out of the bathroom.  “The massage table is ready when you are.  Just come on out in your robe.”

Then he closed the door.  Biting her lip, she struggled to come to terms with one thing; he’d kept her bra!  The man had stuffed her pink bra, one of her favorites, into his pocket!

Rachel took a fortifying sip of her wine, leaning back against the tub again.  But after his visit, the warm bath was too warm.  It wasn’t relaxing.  She turned her head and wondered about the massage.  Should she do it?  What harm could there be?  She’d never had a massage before, so maybe she could indulge.  Just this once?

Stepping out of the bathroom, she eyed the long, cushioned table with the soft sheet draped over it.  There was a note that instructed her to cover herself with the sheet and lay face down.  Sitting right next to the table was a cart with oils that looked to be in some sort of warming system and the whole thing looked…surprisingly inviting.

“Fine!” she grumbled.  Dropping her robe, she moved to the table and took the sheet, shaking it out and draping it over her body as she lay down.  The soft music and dim lights relaxed her more than the bath had.

She heard the door open and felt hands on her foot, trailing along her leg.

“This is my first time,” she told the person.

“You’ll be fine,” Tarin’s deep voice assured her.

Instantly, Rachel stiffened and tried to sit up.  But his firm hand on her shoulders gently pressed her back down.  “Don’t worry, Rachel.  This will feel good.”  He chose one of the bottles of heated oil and spread some in his hands.

“Tarin, this isn’t…!”

He leaned down, very close to her ear.  “Relax, Rachel.  I’m very good at this.”  He put his hands on her shoulders and slowly pressed into the stiff muscles there.  Immediately, she felt the pressure ease and moaned.  “Wow!” she sighed, relaxing into his hands.

“I told you I know what I’m doing,” he replied with a laugh.

“Good grief, that feels incredible!” she sighed blissfully, as his strong fingers pressed into her sore muscles.

He continued to knead the knots in her shoulders and, when those were soft and pliant, he moved to her arms, starting with the right before moving to the left.  He even pressed the tips of his fingers along her hands, stretching each finger carefully.  As he returned to her back, she sighed with relief as he pressed into the small of her back.  He soothed the muscles and every bit of tension in Rachel’s body released, easing with the pressure of his hands.

There was sexual awareness too, but with the way his hands were moving over her body, in an assured, non-sexual way, she could push the awareness to the back of her mind.

He moved higher, pressing his thumbs into the muscles along her spine and her shoulders, then lower and lower on her back but, when he started to get too low, she shifted, tensing slightly.

His soft chuckle washed over her.  “Too low?” he asked, tugging the sheet higher, covering her whole back.  That’s when he moved to her feet, pressing against the arch and her heel, her toes, in places she hadn’t even realized she was tense until he pressed a thumb or the heel of his hand into that spot.  When he finished with her feet, he moved up one calf, then the other.  He didn’t venture higher than her knee and she appreciated that.  Any higher than her knee was dangerous territory.

“Still okay?”

“Yes,” she sighed sleepily.

“Good,” he replied.  “I’m going to pick you up and put you into bed now, okay?”

“Oh!” she gasped, starting to sit up, surprised at how sleepy she was.  “I can…”

“Be quiet,” he ordered softly.  He carefully lifted her up, wrapping the sheet around her as he went, and tucked her into the bed.  “Go to sleep, Rachel.  I’ll see you in the morning,” and with that, he turned off the lights, bent low to kiss her sweetly and