Page 39 of Bull Moon Rising
Perhaps I can just be grimy and sweaty for the rest of my life.
There’s a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Hawk enters slowly, his great horned head poking in first. He frowns at me and then closes the door behind him, leaning on it. “Something wrong? I left you time to wash up before I came in.”
I put a trembling-with-fatigue hand to my brow. “I’m too tired to fill the tub. I had people do this for me at home.”
“Of course you did.”
I can’t tell if he’s jeering at me or not, but given how ruthless he is to me in training, I’m going to go with jeering.
“I’ll just stay dirty another day. You did say it would rain tomorrow, yes? That will wash away the grime.” Right now that sounds far better than anything else.
He nods, eyeing me. “Wait right here.”
As if I have the strength to go anywhere else? I sink into the nearest chair, leaning against the tall back. “Sounds lovely.”
The door closes. I’m nearly asleep when it opens again, and this time Hawk has returned with a massive bucket many times larger than I could possibly manage on my own. He fills the tub for me and then gestures. “All yours.”
“Bless you for your kindness.” I strip off the sweaty layers of my fledgling uniform and toss them onto the floor, then remove my corset and chemise, and cast them aside as well. I step into the tub and sit, my knees against my chest, before I realize I just stripped in front of my new husband. I’ve spent far too many years with servants bathing me and I didn’t even stop to think.
I glance up at Hawk to see if he noticed my actions.
Oh, he noticed all right. There’s a peculiar look on his bovine face, even though he doesn’t say anything. After a moment, he clears his throat and gestures over at me. “You want me to wash your back?”
Should I? Part of me does, because there’s nothing nicer than being scrubbed by someone else when you’re tired, but I don’t know what the boundaries are between us, him and I. “I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “Is it just washing?”
He rolls his eyes at me. “It is unless you want more.”
“Right now what I want is a nap and to never see another bag of rocks again.”
“Well, you won’t get either.” He chuckles with a touch of amusement and settles down next to the tub, picking up the washcloth I haven’t touched yet. “Sorry the water’s not hot.”
After the long sweaty day I’ve had? Cool water is lovely against my skin. “It’s fine.” I hug my knees. “Thank you for the help.”
“You’re my wife…at least for now. It’s the least I can do…”
What a thoughtful thing to say.
“…considering I have to sleep next to you and smell you.”
I take it back. All of it, I take back.
He wets the cloth near my feet, and I’m suddenly very aware of how close he is and how naked I am. We’re married, of course. It’s to be expected. But in a few weeks, I’m going to have sex with this man. That was my part of the agreement and I truly haven’t given it muchthought…until now. Now I’m noticing the size of his forearms and the vein that traces along the bulge of one. I’m noticing the warm reddish-brown of his skin and how he’s lightly furred all over, with a thicker pelt going down the front of his chest. I’m noticing that even when he kneels next to the tub I’m folded into, he’s absolutely massive….
Hawk rubs the cloth across my shoulders, and my fatigue wins over my curiosity about his body. I close my eyes, hugging my legs, and bite back a groan.
“I’ve forgotten how long it’s been since I joined the ranks,” he murmurs in a low voice. “The first few weeks under Magpie’s tutelage were pure hell.”
“You weren’t in shape?” I cannot imagine such a thing.
“Oh, I was. But Magpie said that humans were spoiled arses and expected Taurians to be the best of the best, so she pushed me harder than everyone else. She wasn’t wrong, either. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to go in and save a human who wasn’t able to hack it. That’s why I’m going to push your group hard, Aspeth. It’s not out of cruelty. It’s out of necessity. You understand, don’t you?”
I do. “I want to learn. And I want to be the best. So just ignore my griping. Everyone else does.” I manage a weak smile. “When do I get to meet Magpie?”
He sighs, the sound heavy and defeated. “Soon.” He ditches the cloth, tossing it onto my knee, and then rubs one shoulder gently. “You’ve got a bruise here.”