Page 98 of Dark Awakening: New World

The others responded in kind, and then they were off, walking toward the bedroom.

"So," Jasmine said. "What did you think?"

"I like your friends a lot. They were so genuine in their welcome." He sighed. "It's nice to have friends. I've never had any."

Jasmine felt a lump form in her throat at his words. "Well, you do now." She opened the door to their bedroom.

"Thanks to you." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I owe you everything."

"How about a bath?" she suggested, an idea forming as she spoke. "It's a special treat that you haven't experienced yet. It will help you relax after such a busy day."

"That sounds interesting." Ell-rom followed her to the bathroom. "I just hope I won't fall asleep in there." He eyed the large tub. "That is big enough for two, but not lying down."

"You are not supposed to lie down in the tub. You are supposed to recline. Do you see these holes?" She pointed. "Those release jets of water that massage your muscles."

"I need that." He chuckled. "I'm aching all over."

"This will definitely help." She plugged the drain and started the water. "It's a big tub, so it will take a while to fill up. You should sit down and start undressing." She pointed to the bench where she'd left a stack of towels.

Poor guy. He hadn't complained even once, so she hadn't known. Not that there was much she could have done for him. When her muscles hurt after a workout, she usually popped a pill. Bathing was a rare luxury that she'd enjoyed once in a while when staying in a high-end hotel. The bathtub in her apartment was child-sized, so it hadn't offered much relaxation.

Oh, right. She didn't have that place anymore. Jasmine was glad that she didn't need to pay rent anymore, and she was staying in a luxurious penthouse, so she wasn't homeless, but she felt displaced.

Ell-rom must feel so much worse.

She cast him a sidelong glance to see how he was doing, but all he had accomplished so far was to toe off his shoes. "Do you need help undressing?"

He shook his head. "You said it will take a long time to fill up the tub, so I'm not in a rush."

She smiled at him. "Take your time."

He was no doubt embarrassed to undress in front of her, but that was silly. She had seen him in his swimming trunks twice already. And yesterday, they had even made out in the pool.

A smile tugged at her lips at the memory.

Ell-rom was still skin and bones, but it hadn't detracted from the pleasure she'd felt straddling his hips and rubbing herself over his hard length.

As she added foaming bubbles to the water, a small worry niggled at the back of her mind. What if Ell-rom really fell asleep in the warm water? As skinny as he still was, she knew she wouldn't be able to lift him out of the tub herself, and having to call one of the gods to help her would mortify Ell-rom. He was so proud.

She had to ensure that he stayed awake.

66

ELL-ROM

As Ell-rom unbuttoned his shirt, he hesitated before shrugging it off.

Jasmine had seen him shirtless before, but they hadn't been alone when he had removed his robe and entered the pool, and she hadn't been focused solely on him because Julian had been there to distract her.

Now, that was what a male should look like. Perhaps if Ell-rom hadn't seen the medic bare-chested, he wouldn't have been so self-conscious about the way he himself looked. He was so thin that he could count each protruding rib, and his belly was concave as opposed to the rippling muscles on Julian's midsection.

Jasmine added some liquid to the tub water that created a layer of foam on the surface.

"Most men think that bubble bath is girly, but I think it does wonders for sore muscles, and the smell is amazing. Right?"

He nodded. "The smell is nice."

The shirt was still on him, just opened at the front, and he hadn't done anything about the pants.