The Hidden - Jessica Verday [86]
Caspian advanced, fingers coated with sticky cookie dough, and I laughed as I retreated. The kitchen was a mess, we were a mess, and I had dough on my face, sugar down my dress, and the threat of more coming my way.
“Truce, truce,” I called, throwing my hands up in mock surrender.
“Aye, for there to be a truce, ye will need to pay a bounty,” he growled in a terrible fake pirate accent.
I couldn’t stop laughing at the sight of his white eyebrows, and I doubled over in a heap of giggles. He pounced, and pinned me down, sticky fingers grabbing mine as he straddled me.
“The bounty,” he said. “I think we can come to an agreement.”
Pulling one of his hands down to my lips, I licked his finger clean. “Mmmmm,” I said. “Chocolate chip cookie dough has never tasted so good.”
His eyes went dark and his lips met mine. “You are so right.”
Chapter Twenty-two
LOSING TIME
But if there was a pleasure in all this, while snugly cuddling in the chimney corner of a chamber that was all of a ruddy glow from the crackling wood fire …
—“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
We left the kitchen behind and stumbled back upstairs. We were almost to the bed when I realized that we were still covered in baking supplies. “We’re all dirty,” I said, taking my mouth from his. “We’re covered in flour and sugar, and …” I wiped my cheek. “Cookie dough.”
Caspian pulled back. “You’re right. I have an idea. Stay here.”
I sat on the edge of the bed as he left me behind and went to the bathroom. An instant later I heard the sound of bath water running.
“Wait ten minutes and then come in,” he called out.
I sat and waited. An excruciating ten-minute wait. Then I got up and went over to the closet. I had an extra bathrobe in there. After pulling off my dress, I hung it up and put on the robe.
The water stopped. The bath was full.
“Are you ready?” I teased, moving closer. “It isn’t big enough for two people, you know.”
I stepped into the bathroom. Steam was scorching the mirror. Caspian was waiting by the edge of the tub, his jacket off, shirt sleeves rolled up, hair and face all clean. A matching set of purple towels and a washcloth sat on the counter. Mounds of fluffy bubbles practically overflowed from the water’s edge.
He made a short bow. “This bath is for you, milady.”
“You made a bath for me?” I was impressed. And just a little bit nervous about taking off the robe in front of him. I dug one toe into the bath mat. “Can you …?” I glanced down at my robe.
He gave me a half smile, but turned his back. “Better?”
I slipped off the robe and hurried to the water. “Much.” Sinking down into the tub, I let out a groan of satisfaction. It was heavenly. Just the right temperature. I tipped my head back and slid under the water for a second, wetting my hair.
When I surfaced, Caspian had turned back around and was leaning on one knee, settled on the floor beside me. “Good?”
“The best. You’re amazing.”
His smile was beautiful, and I moved forward to kiss him. My fingers lingered in his hair, and I didn’t want to let him go.
But I’ll have to …
My throat tightened, and I cleared it brusquely. I didn’t want thoughts like those to intrude on our time together now.
“So,” I said. “Now that we’ve had our dance and made some cookies—even though we forgot to put them in the oven … What should we do next?”
“The moon?” he suggested. “Vegas? Russia? Thailand at midnight?”
“Oooh, you’re a romantic. What else?”
He rattled off a list of things to do, and places to see, and I leaned my head back and listened. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t do any of those things. Just hearing him talk like we had a future was enough for me.
I reached for the orange burlap bag of pumpkin spice bath salts that I always kept on the edge of the tub, and poured a handful in. The salts were rough beneath my fingertips, and I moved my hands through the water to make them disintegrate faster, while a memory from another time and place hit me. Another bath, where I’d put bath salts into the water.