Candlelight flickered around the
room. The scent of roses and lilies mingled
with the candles and wafted through the room.
He stood back and studied his handiwork.
It looked pretty damn good if he did say so himself. He owed her this much, at least, for all he
had put her through in the last few weeks.
He had been an ass not only to the band but to her as well and she hadn’t
deserved any of it. Even though he
apologized and things seemed to be back on an even keel between them, it
couldn’t hurt his cause to spoil her just a little bit.
He crossed to the bathroom and
double-checked his work in there. Music
played quietly, the tub was full and a few candles floated in the frothy,
steamy water. More flowers and candles
surrounded the tub and a bottle of her favorite wine sat chilling in a bucket
on the stand next to the tub. He rubbed
his hands together as he crossed back to the door and out. Now he just needed to find his wife.
Stepping into the hallway he
caught the missile that was his daughter as she came barreling at him.
“Daddy!”
She was always so happy to see
him. It never failed to bring a smile to
his face and an extra beat to his heart.
“Baby girl!’ he answered with
nearly the same enthusiasm as he scooped her up. He accepted the smattering of kisses she
peppered over his face. “Where are your
clothes” he asked as she laid her head against his shoulder.
She had run from the bathroom and
away from her mother and bath time.
“Bafroom” she pointed down the hall toward an open door.
He nodded and walked down the
hall, back the way she had come, “I should have known.” He found Stephanie in the bathroom shutting
the water off after filling the tub. “I
found this naked girl running around out there.” He set Lily on her feet. “She says she left her clothes in here.”
Stephanie helped Lily into the tub,
“she took off before I could grab her.”
She looked up at Richie, “she’s too damn fast.”
Richie chuckled. “that’ll change once she gets older.”
He took a good look at his wife. She had put in several hours that day on her
latest habitat project, chased after a toddler for the better part of the
afternoon, started getting ready for their trip to Kentucky and New Jersey and
she had been dealing with his reluctant ass.
It was no wonder she looked a little worn out.
“Why don’t you let me handle bath and bed
time tonight, Sweetheart?” It was just
the opportunity he needed to get her to find his little surprise.
Never one to look a gift horse in
the mouth, she looked at Lily, “what do you think Baby Doll? Do you think Daddy can handle bath and
bedtime stories?”
Lily splashed her delight,
getting Stephanie’s shirt wet in the process.
“Yay Daddy, he can do it!”
Stephanie laughed and stood,
tugging at her wet t-shirt. “I guess you
have your answer, Rich. Just try not to
flood the house.” She knew full well how
much water their daughter could displace from the tub when she got her mermaid on.
Richie took her hand as she made
to move by him, “why don’t you go change and relax, Sweetheart? I’ll come find you when we’re done here.”
Reaching up, she pressed her lips
to his, “a glass of wine actually sounds pretty good right now.” She kissed him again, “thanks.”
Their laughter followed her down
the hall and was completely forgotten when she stepped into the bedroom. “Oh, Richie” she whispered to herself. She was utterly charmed and enchanted by the setting he had
created with the flowers, candles and soft music. She stopped at her dresser and buried her
face in the bouquet of lavender roses he had left there. Straightening, she smiled softly and pulled her
shirt off, so that’s where he had
disappeared to after dinner. He had
left to “run an errand” after they had eaten.
He wouldn’t say where and she hadn’t seen or heard him come back. She glanced around again, now she knew
why.
Sneaky
man.
Stripping off the rest of the
clothes she dumped the pile into the hamper and headed to the bathroom. She stopped in her tracks at the full tub and
the wine chilling next to it.
Backtracking to the counter, she picked up an elastic band and bundled
her hair up on top of her head before moving back and stepping into the
tub. Pouring a glass of wine, she sank
to her chin in the fragrant water and let the heat and steam ease her tired
body and mind.
She sipped and soaked and had
nearly dozed off when Richie stepped into the room. Her
eyes traveled the length of him where he stood, leaning against the
vanity. He had changed into his robe,
the hem resting just below his knees.
His bare feet were crossed at the ankle and the light smattering of hair on
his chest peeked at her from the vee above his crossed arms. “Did Lily go down okay?” She licked her lips and set her glass aside.
The heat and steam had put color
back in her cheeks and a sheen of sweat shone on her forehead. A limp curl escaped her messy topknot and
trailed along her cheek. His eyes dipped
lower, her bare shoulders were all that he could see for all the bubbles in the
tub. His hands loosened the belt at his
waist. “She was out before Cinderella
got her shoe back.” He slipped his robe
off and hung it on the hook on the back of the door. “Mind if I join you?”
She watched him move around the
bathroom and heat that had nothing to do with the bathwater rose in her. It had been too long since they had been
together, too long since she’d had her hands on him and vice versa. “Sure, come on in.” She slid forward and he stepped in behind
her.
He settled behind her and pulled
her back so she was resting against his chest.
She laid her head on his shoulder
and pressed her lips to the side of his neck.
“Thank you for all this” she gestured around them with her hand. “You know it was unnecessary though, right?”
“Not from my perspective.” He handed her the wineglass she had abandoned
when he had come into the room. “I
fucked up and this is my penance.”
She sipped and nearly snorted, “some
penance. A bubble bath is hardly
punishment.”
He chuckled along with her, “maybe
not, but I still needed to do something to make things up to you.” He turned his head and found her lips with
his. “I’m glad you like it.”
Reaching over him, she set her
now empty glass on the edge of the tub, “you’re a sneaky man, husband.”
He trailed his fingers up her
slick, bubble-covered arm as she settled back against him, “gotta be a little
sneaky to get a surprise over on you, darlin’.
You can read me too well and would have known what I was up to.”
His fingers got more brazen as
they languished in the tub. They found
their way under the bubbles and he traced light circles around her hardening
nipples.
“Rich” she murmured as she
shifted restlessly his fingers never ceasing their circling, his burgeoning
erection teasing her from behind. “Maybe
we should get out of the tub?”
He shifted her around in front of
him and had her straddle his thighs, “but I like it here” he told her as he
palmed a breast, lifting it from the water.
Lowering his head he lightly blew the bubbles away and took the hard tip
into his mouth, sucking gently.
Gripping his shoulders, her head
dropped back and she groaned, “there’s more room…” her voice trailed off and
another groan escaped her as he repeated the delicious torture on her other
breast.
Water sloshed over the edge of
the tub as they shifted and moved. She canted
her hips and the tip of his cock slid across her center, pausing at her
entrance. Widening her knees she slid
lower and he pressed up, filling her in one smooth motion.
Neither moved for a long moment,
the feeling of relief, of overwhelming rightness held them on a precarious edge
before she lifted and settled back down on his lap. “Fuck, Rich” she muttered as she moved.
