Elizabeth stood and brushed down the skirts of her dress. Her loosened hair fell around her shoulders. She looked uncertainly at the little valet. "Does the duke mean now?"

Jacques gave an eloquent shrug of his shoulders and a loud sniff. "Oui, Madame and I apologize if you are shocked by his commands. I told him it was not fitting, but he refuses to listen to me..." Jacques retreated and Elizabeth made her way to the duke's bedchamber.

She knocked on the door but received no answer and, not wanting to be caught loitering in the corridor, let herself in.

"Good evening, my dear."

Elizabeth gulped and clasped both hands to her breast. The duke was in his bath and there was no sign of Jacques.

"Elizabeth, please close your mouth. I would not want an errant fly to choke you." The duke's eyebrows rose as she continued to gape at him. "What is it? Have you never seen a man take a bath before?"

She shook her head, her eyes glued on the magnificence of his naked chest, gleaming with water, and his bare feet crossed at the ankle on the edge of the tub. The slight olive blush of his skin made him look like a Greek god in the firelight. His hair was wet and clung to his skull like sleek sealskin. Elizabeth struggled to draw breath as her eyes followed the lines of his muscles and the dark hair on his chest until it disappeared into the soapy water at his waist.

"I need your help, cherie." The duke raised a languid hand and rubbed at his chest. "Jacques stormed off in a huff because I suggested you should join me and now I've no one to soap my back." His hand dropped below the water level and he produced a large sea sponge from between his knees.

Before she could stop herself, Elizabeth found herself moving toward the bathtub, her hand held out ready to receive the sponge.

"Thank you, my dear," the duke murmured. "I had begun to fear I might have to wash myself."

Elizabeth knelt by the side of the deep bathtub and slowly dipped the sponge into the warm, lemon-scented water. She squeezed the sponge between her fingers, her mouth dry, and contemplated the duke's body. Where should she start? Her only experience of bathing a fully grown man had been when Michael was too ill to care for himself and this, this was an entirely different matter.

"May I make a suggestion, Elizabeth?" The duke's intimate use of her first name shocked her out of her trance. She stared at him, hand poised over his chest and watched, mesmerized, as droplets of water fell from the sponge, caught the light, and slid down his flat stomach. "If you take off your gown, the silk will not get spoiled."

She could only nod and mutely present him with her back. His wet fingers felt warm against her skin as he parted the ties of her gown and allowed it to slip to the floor. She picked up the sponge again and he sat forward, allowing her access to the long supple line of his back.

"I've been thinking, my dear," he said as she began to rub the sponge in slow circles over his firm flesh, "It is time for you to start wearing lighter colors again. We shall pretend that the late, departed, unlamented Mr. Waterstone has been dead a year. The lavender and gray gowns from Madame Charles should look well on you." He groaned and rotated his broad shoulders as Elizabeth pressed down on his spine. "Ah, now that is good, Elizabeth. You are so much better at this than Jacques."

With an indignant sniff, Elizabeth leaned closer and scored her nails down his spine. "Really, Your Grace?" She inquired sweetly as his muscles flexed and bunched under her hands. He caught her wrist, pulled the sponge away from his back and looked at her. A slow smile widened his sensual mouth and his gaze lingered on her body.

"Oh yes, my dear, really. That is so much better."

She followed the direction of his gaze downward. Her corset had soaked through and clearly showed the outline of her breasts and nipples.

"Come here," he whispered, and extended a wet hand around her neck, drawing her to her knees and against his chest. His mouth sought entrance to hers and he kissed her with a leisurely enjoyment that left her breathless. After a while, he lay back against the end of the tub and allowed her to continue to wash his chest and arms.

Without waiting to be asked, Elizabeth soaped the duke's feet and legs, stopped short when she reached his knees, and started all over again. His hand closed over hers again and stilled her movements.

"Did you think that I would let you get away with not washing all of me?" He chided.

"No, Your Grace, I..." For the second time in her life, Elizabeth couldn't think of a single thing to say. The duke gave a soft laugh, released the sponge from her grasp and dropped it into the water between his thighs.

"Find it, cherie. I will help you if you become confused."

Elizabeth shut her eyes and tentatively lowered her hand into the swirling water. The soft skin of her inner arm brushed against the duke's hard thigh. Hardly daring to breathe, she dove down to the bottom of the tub and spread her fingers in a desperate search. The water was so deep that it almost reached the top of her arm and lapped against her chest. Her corset soaked up more water and one of the straps slid down her arm.

She gritted her teeth as her outstretched fingers brushed one of the duke's legs and he gave a little murmur of pleasure. She shuddered as he toyed with her breast with his long fingers.

"With your eyes shut tight like that, and your tongue caught between your teeth, you look like a little girl at the county fair rooting for prizes in a bran barrel."

His other hand slid down to join hers in the water and he laced her fingers through his own. She tensed as he drew her hand along the inside of his thigh and brought it to his groin. His teeth bit into the side of neck and he increased the rub of his fingers against her breast. Her breath came in uneven gasps as he curled her fingers around his cock.

"Well, my dear? What did you win? Is it to your liking?"

"I don't think that it is the sponge, Your Grace, but it certainly is of interest."

The duke's body shook with silent laughter and he dug his fingers into her hair, tilted her face up to his and kissed her.

"Oh, Elizabeth, you always have something educational to say, don't you?"

He held his hand over hers until he seemed to think she had recovered her composure. Then he moved her fingers over him into a sliding, compelling rhythm, which mimicked the slick thrust and withdrawal of his tongue. Elizabeth tried not to think about what she was doing and then was unable to think at all as the duke's kiss intensified.

Her fingers seemed to move over his shaft with a will of their own, keeping time with his tongue and the pulsing fire that spread downwards from her tight nipples and pooled low in her stomach.

"That's it, ma belle." He whispered hoarsely against her mouth. "Pleasure me as I will pleasure you."

She was almost shocked when he pulled away from her but it was only to lift her over the side of the bath and place her on his lap. Her thin petticoats clung to her legs and covered the duke's thighs as she steadied herself. His fingers worked against the wet laces of her corset and freed her breasts. With a growl, he arched her backwards and bent his head to her.

The first touch of his mouth on her already sensitized nipple made Elizabeth moan and rock against him. She was shockingly conscious that the only thing that separated her from the duke's nakedness was the layer of her petticoats. She could feel his heat and the thick pulse of his cock through the thin fabric and pressed urgently against him.

With a muffled oath, the duke went rigid and his hips thrust back at hers in a rough demand. Then he gave a groan and collapsed against her breasts. When he had lain still for a few minutes, Elizabeth tentatively raised her hand and stroked his hair.

"Gervase, are you all right?" she asked and was answered by a flick of his tongue over her nipple.

"Mmmm..." he murmured and levered himself away from her. "I must apologize for my immature behavior." His teeth flashed out in a grin. "I've not had a woman since I met you and I confess to being overcome by the effect you have on me."

Elizabeth frowned. Whatever was he talking about? She moved her hips and realized that the duke's body had... altered. Her gaze wandered over the duke's flat stomach and chest to find him watching her, a glint of amusement and something more sensual in his silver eyes. Understanding dawned in an unwelcome rush.

"Oh, Your Grace, I thought I had injured you in some way." She waved her hand distractedly at his lap. "I didn't realize that a man's pleasure would be so, so..."

"Inconvenient?" The duke finished the sentence for her as he helped her out of the bath.

*** *** ***

She shivered and Gervase drew her into the circle of his arms and stripped away her wet shift. Without releasing her, he pulled his thick robe from the back of a nearby chair and put it on, wrapping her within its folds, close to his body. She rested her cheek against his chest with an odd little sigh. Looking down, he could still make out the remnants of her blush against the creaminess of her flawless skin.

He drew her even closer and marveled at how well she fit against him. His whole body purred with a sense of release and pleasure. It still surprised him that a woman who was neither beautiful nor talented in bed could affect him so deeply. Without further thought, he began to dry her. Her long mane of brown hair curled up at the ends and caught in his fingers.