“Oh, Neil. How can you worry about that?” The question was never if she wanted him but if he wanted her.

“I’m not a prince.”

“I already told you that isn’t what I want.”

“You might…later.”

Gwen leaned forward and touched her lips to his. He softened and drew her close.

She was scared, down to the core of her being. When he was close all her worries were washed away.

“You know what we need?” she asked when she drew away.

“What?”

“I noticed a large bathtub upstairs. I know my back could use a good scrub.”

He smiled and lifted her to her feet.

Twenty minutes later, she pulled him into the bathroom and removed the borrowed bathrobe from her shoulders. When he reached for her before they made it into the warm water, she batted his hand away and laughed. “It’s your wedding night, soldier. Do you really think I’d deny you?”

He grinned, and let her pull him into the water. He sighed as he sat back. His huge frame filled the space and left little room for her, but she didn’t mind. She’d added bubble bath to the water and regretted it once half of his amazing body disappeared in the white foam.

“When was the last time you took a bath in a tub?” she asked.

“I couldn’t tell you.”

“Life’s little pleasures. Here,” she said as she moved in the water until his back was in front of her, “let me do you, first.”

Like the first time they’d made love, she traced the ink over his shoulder and back, but this time she did it with soap and hot water. The small space of the tub and the hot water surrounding their bodies added to their intimacy.

Something else filled the mix of desire. When Gwen ran her soapy hands over his broad back and shoulders, she realized what it was. It was the comfortable hum of knowing she could be herself with this man and not fear him running away.

“Have I told you how much I love this tattoo?”

“You mentioned it.”

She smoothed her hands over his shoulders and eased some of the tension from his neck. “How often do you have to work out to make these as large as they are?” She squeezed his shoulders as she spoke and moved to his back and waist.

“Four, five nights a week.”

“You must be going through withdrawal running across the country the way you are.”

“Our personal exercise routine has its rewards.”

She laughed, once again surprised by the humor behind his stoic exterior. The front of his chest held a slight amount of hair and tickled her fingers as she scrubbed him. “We haven’t exactly slept.”

She let her hand drift lower and he clasped it in his, stopping her from touching him intimately. “I’ve slept more with you than I have in years.”

On some level, Gwen knew that. Her hand stalled and she allowed him to shift them inside the tub until she rested between his legs and his hands traveled her shoulders and back. At first, his touch was innocent enough. When he cupped her br**sts in his soapy hands, she went lax in his arms and let her head fall into his shoulder.

As he touched her, she felt him harden. “This is going to be a short bath, I’m afraid.”

“Depends on how you look at it.”

His hands moved below her br**sts and to her stomach. She twitched under his fingers, wanting them…

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

She swallowed. “I’d have remembered if you had.”

He kissed the side of her neck and dropped his hands lower, sliding between her hip and thigh.

“You’re beautiful, Gwen. Much more than a man like me deserves.”

His confession broke her heart. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “You deserve everything.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

She twisted in his lap. “Well it’s too late to back out now.”

His lips found hers in a slow sizzling kiss. She moved closer and the water sloshed out of the tub to the floor below. It didn’t matter. The only thing that did was getting closer to the man who held her. To let him know how much he deserved her. How worthy he was of her and so much more.

She opened for him, accepting his tongue, his touch. Slow wet hands moved over her body, down her hip and bum. With little effort, he picked her up and had her straddling him. His lips left her and moved over her neck and shoulder. The water lapped at her waist and the bubbles dripped off her br**sts.

Slow teasing hands moved between her legs and played. He knew exactly where to touch to render her mind to nothing. The thought of leaving the tub to find protection filtered in. She scooted closer, grasped his c**k in her hand. “I’ve not been with another man in years,” she managed. “The doctor’s given me a clean—” Neil slipped a finger deep inside. “Oh, do that again.”

He did and she squirmed.

“I don’t want to think of another man touching you,” he said in her ear.

“No one has…not like this.” He pressed against her nub with the perfect amount of pressure. “It’s wise to ask about our sexual health before marriage.” She rolled her thumb over the tip of his penis and took pleasure in his moan.

“I would have told you if there were any issues before we made love the first time,” he said.

Of course he would have. She stroked him hard and he lost his pressure on her. When his hand fell away, she slid up his body and positioned herself over him.

He grasped her hips and held her motionless as his gaze found hers. Gwen smiled and leaned forward to take his lips. Her knees bumped the side of the tub as he lowered her onto him. Between the warmth of the water and the thickness of her husband, Gwen couldn’t remember ever feeling so full. Neil moved within her, guiding her hips with his strong hands in a way she couldn’t inside the tub.

Water splashed from the tub but neither of them bothered with the mess. It was the only time Gwen had made love to anyone without protection and she was going to savor every moment. It was the first time she made love to her husband and not just a man she’d grown to care for…and she’d do everything she could to fulfill his needs.

His strong fingers gripped her hips to move her faster. She squeezed him tight inside of her. “I’ll lose control if you do that,” he told her.

She did it again.

He growled and slid a hand between them, found the center of her pleasure and forced a moan from her. The angle of the tub made it hard to get closer but Neil worked her into an explosive orgasm within seconds. He followed her into bliss, spilling himself deep inside her womb.