Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 130947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
“Wow, those are beautiful,” she said admiringly when Baird started to arrange them on the low, flat table beside the bed. “Are they from your home world?”
“This one is.” He showed her what looked to be the oldest bottle. It was a faded bluish green and there was a fine patina of cracks in the glazing that looked like a field of strange alien flowers when he held it at a different angle.
“May I see?” Liv sat up, making sure to cross her legs and drape one arm across her breasts before holding out her hand.
If Baird noticed her strategic cover-up, he didn’t say anything about it. Carefully, he placed the fragile bottle in her palm. “Each bottle holds a different type of oil for a different part of the bride’s body. This one has been in my family for generations.”
“Different oils for different body parts, hmm?” Liv examined the bottles with interest. The top of each one was a different design. Several looked like exotic alien blooms in red and green and vivid purple and a few were shapes she didn’t know. One seemed to be worked into the subtle shape of an animal face—a cross between a monkey and a fox. She hoped that didn’t mean the oil in it came from that particular animal, whatever it was. She really didn’t want to be rubbed down with ode de chimp or fox musk.
“The oils come from different plants on the Kindred home world as well as our three trade worlds,” Baird said, putting her fears to rest.
“And…you’re going to put all of them on me?” Liv looked at the array of bottles crowding the small table.
He shrugged. “More or less. I’ll decide as I go along.”
“Uh, but won’t that make me smell like an explosion in a perfume factory?”
“Not at all,” Baird assured her, taking the ancient blue bottle from her and urging her to lay down with a gentle nudge. “Most of them are odorless or made to enhance your own natural scent, like the fragrance I used on you in the bathing pool.”
“Oh. Okay.” She settled herself on her stomach again and turned her head to the side to look up at him. “But if the point isn’t the way they smell, then why have so many different oils? I mean, I’m sure that something that would work to relax my back would be just as good for my arms and legs. Right?”
Baird smiled. “To a certain extent, yes. But most of these oils aren’t for your arms and legs, Lilenta.”
“Then what are they…oh,” Liv ended in a small voice. Does he seriously have fifteen different types of alien lube he’s going to rub on me? Or…into me? The thought made her extremely nervous. But then Baird’s big, warm hands were on her back and, just as it had in the bathing pool, her tension seemed to melt away.
She would give the big warrior one thing—he could certainly give a hell of a massage. A girl could really get used to this, she thought drowsily as his hands, covered in some kind of warm, smooth oil, slicked over her shoulders and down to the small of her back. I wonder if Kindred males do this for their women after the claiming period is over or if this is a one time thing? Well, one way or another it didn’t matter because she wasn’t going to hang around and find out. Although if a nightly massage as good as this one was included in the deal, she might be at least a little bit tempted…No, think of Sophie and Kat and your nursing degree, she reminded herself. You didn’t just bust your butt for the last four years to lounge around on a spaceship getting massages and eating alien bon-bons.
Obviously unaware of her internal conflict, Baird spent a long time on her back and arms and legs. The oils he used all felt pretty much the same to Liv except for the special oil for her feet which felt cooling, whereas the oils he used on the rest of her were of the warming variety. By the time he was done, Liv’s muscles felt like melted butter. She couldn’t even get up the strength to feel embarrassed when he flipped her over, exposing her breasts and sex.
“But I’ll get oil all over the bedspread,” she protested feebly as Baird opened yet another bottle and poured an amber stream of the viscous liquid into his palm.
“It’ll wash out,” he assured her. “Close your eyes, Lilenta.”
“Why? What part are you going to massage next?” She looked up at him suspiciously.
“Still don’t trust me, huh? Close your eyes and you’ll find out.” Baird sounded amused.
“Fine.” Liv closed her eyes and braced herself. Despite his gentle touch in the bathing pool, she kept expecting him to go for it and grab her breasts like Mitch would have. Not that her ex would have spent forty solid minutes giving her an all over massage with fifteen different exotic oils. Come to think of it, no man Liv had ever dated would have done that. Not without expecting some hefty payback. She wondered suddenly if the massage thing went both ways. Was she supposed to return the favor when Baird was done? A sudden image flashed through her brain—a picture of her pouring a stream of slippery massage oil over Baird’s long, thick shaft and then rubbing it in…Stop it! she scolded herself. As if things weren’t bad enough without you fantasizing about that!