Wilting Roses (Formerly known as Arranged)

Challanged Thought's

Chapter Twelve

"Ready?" She asked helping him into the bathtub. Dathan replied with a light whisper and slipped out of his robe. She held him still keeping her eyes shut tight, and suddenly he leaned in holding his breath. Dathan pulled away and slipped into the tub hiding his red flaming face into his hands. Blindly, Scarlett made her way out the door and shut it behind her quickly picking up the room.

"How embarrassing," she chuckled as she changed the sheets on the bed. After a while Dathan soon called for her aid. She entered once again her eyes shut and her hands in front of her. Once his slippery wet hand touched hers she heard as he pulled out of the water and into her arms. Scarlett gulped as Dathan grabbed her arm and wrapped it around his naked waist.

"My robe," he whispered into her ear.

She took a light breath and ignored just how wild he was making her head spin. She thought about her sketches, her painting, and most of all her garden anything to make her clam her sudden embarassment. Dathan felt a smile reach his lips to see how she blushed, she helped him to his bed and retreated away quickly.

Closing the door behind her to her chamber door, she took a breath and let it out looking down at her shaky hands. Pulling the string off her corset she felt it loosen and hurried into the tub of warm water awaiting her as well. "It is the last time I wear one of these or at least less tight," she argued, tossing it.

She bathed in the warm water taking her time to clean every part of her, whishing Dathan had already fallen asleep and long forgotten about what he had asked earlier. After stepping out she combed through her long hair and slipped into her night gown wrapping her shivering body into the thick night robe as well. She gulped as she took hold of her door knob and slipped out of her room to blow out the candles. Scarlett then came to his door and stood outside watching as light still seeped from within his room. Silently she bent forward and placed her ear to the door in hopes of hearing his light snores.

Pulling away, she placed a hand over the knob and bit down on her lip as she pulled the door opened. Did she really want to stay in there with him? Why did he all of a sudden ask her to stay? She was going to have to decline; Dathan was going to have to put up with the pain until tomorrow.

"I am merely here to make sure you are comfortable." She said.

"I need you to stay." he protested.

"I've had a change of heart," She explained, tucking him in as quickly as she could.

Dathan suddenly took hold of her arm, locking gazes with her. "Please?" He whispered. Her reply seemed to be lost in his dark gaze as she slipped her arm from his hold and gulped back her decline.

"Alright." She replied, almost distant.

She departed then, making haste to her room she gathered her things and headed back to Dathan's chamber. She has to admit that she felt rather strange to be spending the night with him, but she did the best that she could to push the feeling aside. He was in need of her and she'd leave it at that. Scarlett refused to put any more thought into it.  Making her bed on the floor on the other side she blew out the candle and curled into a small ball. Before her mind could doze off to sleep she said a quick prayer and fluffed her pillow before lying her head down.

"It means absolutely nothing and this isn't bad at all." She thought to herself. As she repeated those words over and over in her mind it was then that sleep came to her. She drifted off, her last wish; that morning would come soon.

It was not long into the night when Dathan woke her. His large arm reached over to shake her awake. Hazy and still heavy with sleep, Scarlett pushed to her knees and fought to open her yes. She rubbed at them before reaching out with her hands to guide herself over to his bed side. When she felt the cold contact of his arm she flinched in surprise.