Chapter 21

My entire world rests in the pretty hands of my mate. Danielle smiles up at me from the bubbling mixture, the scent of citrus and herbs heavy in the air. The kitchen is rife with the many concoctions Danielle's cooked up.

She's obsessed with perfuming our soaps, something that never once occurred to me. But if it makes her happy, I'm all-too willing to test as many batches of them as her heart desires.

Steam curls from the pot, turning her cheeks pink as she stirs the vat.

"What do you think?" She asks, her eyes lit up.

"It is very strong," I answer truthfully.

"Oh, I forgot about how sensitive your nose is." Her own nose wrinkles as she frowns. "I'm sorry. If it's bothering you, I can stop."

"It smells better than some of the others." I pet the nape of her neck. "I like when you wear your hair like this. I like to see you happy."

Her flushed cheeks turn redder. "You are such a flirt."

"Of course I am. How could I not be? Besides, you like it."

"Maybe I do." She pats the high lump on her head where she's coiled her dark hair. Pulled from her face, it highlights the elegant curve of her jawline, sharpens her cheekbones.

"You are beautiful," I murmur, running a finger down her neck.

"Dabin, you'll make me burn this batch." She swats my hand away, and I let out a low chuckle.

"I can wait. I am a patient man."

She doesn't respond, simply stirs the pot. That is fine. I am, as I said, a patient man. I wrap my arms around her waist, nuzzling at the crook of her neck. Sweat turns her skin dewy, and I find that is the scent I like best.

Danielle's scent. A low rumble of approval starts in my chest, and she sighs, relaxing into my embrace.

"You're making this much harder than it has to be," she finally says, as I press a kiss to her thrumming pulse.

"Mmmm." I kiss behind her ear, the spot I've learned is her favorite.

"The molds are ready?" Her question is breathless, and it only serves to turn me on more, my cock growing hard against her back.

Who knew soap-making could be so sensuous?

"They are ready. Are you ready for me to pour this, then?"

"I'm ready," she says quickly, and I wonder if she's talking about the soap or her body. I want her constantly, the bond between us still intense and new and so, so perfect.

"Then I will pour it for you."

"You're the best." She grins up at me, and I stroke a finger over the lush pout of her mouth.

Then I take the bubbling pot from the fire and pour the contents carefully into the soap molds. It fills four, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why the woman continues to make enough soap to clean an entire village, but it makes her happy, so we make soap.

Finally, the soap molds are full, and I set the empty pot on a towel on the countertop.

"Do you think they'll turn out?" Danielle asks.

"You will be the cleanest woman in all of Vraya, is what I think." I grin at her.

She smooths a hand over her hair, returning the smile. "On Earth, we had stores that only sold bath products. In the fall, it was my favorite place to go and just smell everything. I usually couldn't afford to buy everything I wanted, because you know, grad student and all, but I always wanted to." She give a little shrug. "I thought it might be nice to give all the women that are coming through something… well, something kind of like that, something familiar. I don't know. It's silly, I guess."

I capture her in my arms, my heart squeezing at her confession. "It is not silly. It is thoughtful, and generous, and I would expect nothing else from you, my mate. My Danielle."

"Thank you, my Dabin," she says, using a deep, mock-serious voice that makes me laugh.

Have I ever been this happy before in my life? This woman is everything to me. Everything.

Need pulses through me, as it always does, when Danielle is in my arms. If I had my way, she would never be out of them.

"You know, I'm pretty sweaty," Danielle says, raising one eyebrow.

"I do not care." I want her sweaty, I want her dirty, or clean, or any way that she will have me.

"I think the batch of fruity-smelling soap I made has aged enough to try out." She pulls back and runs her finger across my collarbone.

"The one that smells like rocks? Fruity stones, you said?"

She tips her head back and laughs. "Fruity Pebbles. Yes. That one."

Disappointment wends through me, but I can wait. I can wait for her to take her fruity smelling bath. "I can fetch them for you."

She sighs happily, reaching up and twirling a lock of my hair around her finger. It wraps around it, just like the rest of me. Happily wound around her finger.

"That would be great. I'll go start running the bath." She saunters away, and I swallow hard as I watch the curve of her ass beneath the fitted leggings she prefers.

Soap. More soap. Determined, I head to the cellar, locate the soap, and make my way back to the bathroom.

"Here is your rock fruit soap," I say as I open the door to the bathroom. Steam billows out of the room, thanks to Danielle's ability to heat the water quickly.

"Oh, thank you. You know, there's a spot in between my shoulders that I can't quite reach."

Danielle emerges from the steam, her body bared to me.

The soap falls to the floor, and I pounce on her, pulling her close.

My mouth slants over hers, claiming, her body soft and pliant beneath mine.

Perhaps I am not as patient as I like to think.

"I thought maybe… you could bathe me." She slides her hands over mine, pushing them down until I'm cupping her breasts. I groan, loving this exquisite torture.

"You see, I have a few spots I might need help with." She bats her lashes at me, a wicked smile curving her lips. "I just… I got so dirty, and I think only you can clean me up."

"I will happily spend the rest of my life getting you dirty just so I can lick you clean, Danielle."

She laughs then, a bright sound that brings a wide smile to my face.

"I didn't mean that, but," she sucks in a breath as I press my mouth between her thighs, licking her in long, languid strokes.

"But what?" I finally ask.

She presses her hands against my horns, guiding me back down. "But I'm open to that suggestion."

She widens her legs, opening, just as she said, and I make a low noise of approval.