Wanted Man (Loki Fanfiction - Book #1)

Chapter Seventeen

She peered over her shoulder to find he was laying on his stomach, a pillow bunched beneath his head, just watching her. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I did," he replied.

She pulled open the doors and stepped over the threshold, her jaw going slack at the pure splendor around her. "Oh, my God... the taps are... is that... gold?"

"Turn them and see what happens," he called.

The tub was the size of a small swimming pool, made of black marble, with gold taps. Only, unlike every other shower or bathtub she'd ever seen, there weren't just two taps. This tub had four taps in addition to the spigot. "What do the other ones do?"

Loki appeared in the doorway. "Try them."

"I'm almost afraid to."

"They're all safe. Trust me."

"You keep saying that. I do trust you."

"Then turn them, including this one," he reached around her to tap his fingers against the second third fixture.

She did. Water flowed from it, crystal clear and when she dipped her hand into it, it was the perfect temperature. "How does it know?"

"I have no idea. The one on the far right is purely cold and the one on the far left is only hot." Loki perched on the tub's edge and tapped the fixture alongside the hot tap. "Try this. It was my favorite when I was a boy."

She smiled at him, trying to picture him as a boy. Impossible. He had to be born a full-grown man. She turned the tap and Loki pulled her down into his lap, his arm tight about her waist as bubbles spilled from the golden tap to mingle with the water. The suds sparkled like diamonds. Or butterflies.

And the smell! The scent of strawberries touched her nose, sweet and heady, and she peered up at him over her shoulder. "You liked bubbles?"

"I loved them. I'd spend hours swimming in this tub. Frigga used to say I'd be forever pruny because of it. But she never told me not to." He pressed a kiss against her temple. "And you are the first woman to ever set foot in here. In any part of these chambers."

She shivered as he kissed over her ear, and with his free hand, swept her hair to the side to continue his way along her neck. Her eyelids grew heavy and she let them close, let the sensations sink into her.

"I look forward to splashing about in there with you, love," he whispered, his breath hot on her nape. "But for now, I'll allow you to bathe in peace, and with privacy."

With that, he eased her from his lap and stood. "And when you've finished, you will eat and then sleep. I'll be right outside, should you need anything."

She nodded, swirling her hand in the water. The bubbles sparkled even more brightly. "Do I need to lock the door?"

"No, McKenna. I promise, I won't come in, unless you need me to. Enjoy your soak."

With that, he left, only to return a moment later with an armful of blue fabric. "When you're finished," he explained, setting the fabric on the black marble vanity. "And I promise, that was the last time I'll barge in."

He pulled the door by again and as the tub continued to fill, she peeled off her dirty clothes. Her back ached. Her wrists ached. But Eir had healed the cuts and bruises on her face, so she hoped by morning she'd feel like herself again.

The hot water seeped into her and she groaned in appreciation as she lowered into it. She found it was deep enough that when her feet touched the bottom, the water still came to her neck. The bubbles popped softly, but the level of suds never sank.