Free The Secret of Excalibur by Sahara Foley Page A

stairs, and end up in a small gymnasium, with three big tubs in the center and tables scattered around the room. A few tables are heaped with big, thick towels.
    Pointing across the room at a closed door, Ruth says, “That's the sauna, but it's not on now. This is the only tub I use, so it's always ready and hot. This used to be my father's private place, where neither Mother nor I could enter when he had important businessmen or government officials with him. They held secret meetings down here.” With a sad sigh, she says, “It's my private place now.”
    Placing the bottles on the edge of the tub, she turns a switch; the water starts steaming and swirling with millions of tiny bubbles. She switches off the main lights, then switches on a smaller one over by the sauna, with just enough light to see by after your eyes adjust. Turning her back to me, she hurriedly undresses, then climbs slowly and gingerly into the tub.
    “Ooh. It's pretty warm in here, be careful,” she warns, giving me an eyeful of soft skin.
    Realizing she's had no sexual experience with a man, I wonder whether she knows the effect she's having on me.
Does she understand what she's implying by sitting naked in a hot tub with a man?
Ruth's leaning back against the edge, and the bubbles do indeed go up to her neck. But I can still see her breasts, bobbing slightly in the swirling water.
    The hot tub is set halfway into the floor, so the rim stands at crotch level. Once I'm undressed, I crouch down as my hormones are fighting for attention. She glances up at me, sensing my hesitation and gives me an inviting smile.
    Ruth slides over to the bottles, sloshing water around in the tub. “While you adjust to the water, I'll pour us a drink. C'mon, get in.”
    With her back to me, I step into the bubbling water. Even though I'm trying not to be, I'm fairly hard, and embarrassed because of it. Doesn't make any sense, but there it is. I slowly sink into the hot, steamy water. She's right. The water is a hundred degrees and the bubbles feel as if I'm getting a massage.
Oooh, feels wonderful.
My muscles begin relaxing, except the one between my legs.
    Ruth slides over by me, handing me a snifter glass of brandy, then slides back to where she's sitting across from me. We drink in silence awhile, me trying not to ogle her beckoning breasts. As I take a sip of brandy, she catches me staring at her erect nipples, and I quickly look away.
    I have no idea what she's thinking, and I promised her I wouldn't invade her privacy any longer with my mental probes.
Is she still afraid of being touched by a man? Should I make the first move?
Becoming frustrated and unsure of myself, I try to stem my rising libido by thinking some unpleasant thoughts, like Reshan's skunk breath.
Nope, that's not working.
All these warm, caressing bubbles aren't helping my condition either. I shift on my seat in discomfort and embarrassment.
    With a soft, sexy smile and smoldering, jade eyes, Ruth begins to slowly, teasingly stroke my outer thigh with her foot.
    The little minx, she's been toying with me the whole time.
Finally able to relax, I release my pent-up anxiety with a loud sigh and settle more comfortably in the bubbling water.
How had I managed to live without my mental probes before?
It's the pits trying to second-guess people
.
    Still trying not to spook Ruth, I slowly stroke her outer thigh with my foot. Our eyes are locked on each other as we take several sips of our drinks. The sexual tension's mounting, and I'm finding it harder and harder to restrain myself. I'm going to have to make a move, soon.
    As if reading my mind, Ruth sets down her glass, then slowly half-crawls to me, like a lioness, kneeling over me. With a seductive smile, she takes my glass, then gives me a long, passionate kiss. My hormones immediately stand at full attention, which she acknowledges by grinding her hips into me.
    When she finally pulls away from her long, probing kiss, I tell her in a breathless,