Free The Devil Rogue by Lori Villarreal Page B

of the tub . The opposite edge supported his other arm, those long, tapered fingers of his casually dangling .
    The mellow glow of the lamps cast golden , shimmering lights over his dampened skin, skin that disappeared beneath the murky water at his waist . Thank goodness ! If her reaction to only half of him was any indication, then seeing his entire naked body would probably have her fainting like a ninny!
    By God, no man should have the right to be put together so deliciously . I t just wasn’t fair ! How could she ever hope he would not be sickened by her scars…her ugliness ? She would just have to get herself through the next three months, and then she would be free to start a new life.
    “Don’t just stand there , slave, your master awaits you. ”
    H is deep, commanding voice sen t a thousand butterflies fluttering in her stomach . Wait a minute – did he just call her slave ? She m ov ed forward with as much dignity as she could muster . “I have a name, my lord . It’s not slave . . . or . . . or princess. ”
    Just the same, she moved toward him as though he reeled her in by some invisible tether . K neel ing on the floor behind him, she grab bed the soap and washcloth that lay on a nearby table . She dipped the cloth quickly into the water and began scrubbing his back with the tenacity of a washerwoman.
    “Ow ! Take it easy, will you ? ” He sat forward , taking care not to spill the liquor in his glass . “ I’d like to keep some of my skin . ” He turned slightly to look at her over his shoulder. “ Listen, I apologize . . . Angela . . . could you please begin again, except without such enthusiasm?”
    Angela felt awful . She shouldn’t have taken her annoyance and frustration out on him . His beautiful, dusky skin was red from her thoughtless actions . “I’m sorry, my lord . It’s just that I was angry . I t was wrong of me to take it out on you.”
    He swallowed the remaining brandy in his glass, setting it on the table where the cloth and soap had been. “It’s all right ,” he said huskily . “ Just begin a gain.”
    Without conscious thought, she ran her bare hands over the reddened spots to soothe them. “Your skin – it’s so hot,” Angela said softly . “Are you always this warm?” I t was an innocent question, asked only out of curiosity . She’d never touched a man before and she found the experience quite pleasurable.
    “I suppose it’s just a little warm in here,” he rasped.
    “And smooth, too . Do all men have such smooth skin and so many muscles?” She wanted to know . Now that she was here, getting a good look, she craved more information.
    “I wouldn’t know, princ– , Angela . I’ve never made it a point to observe other men that closely.”
    Taking up the cloth again, she rubbed some soap into it and returned to washing his back . “Lean forwa rd, so I can reach further down, ” she ordered . This was wondrous ! And she ha d n’ t even gotten to his front, yet!
    “What are you doing?” he choked out w hen she blew a cooling stream of air on the back of his neck .
    “I was just observing the way the tiny little hairs on the ba ck of your neck stick up when I lightly blow on them.”
    “ Angela. ”
    She wasn’t sure how she was doing it , but he was obviously becoming agitated . So she decided to try different things to see how he would react . She knew she was probably playing with fire, so to speak, but the feeling of power and control gave her the courage to continue with her ‘experiment.’”
    “Tip your head back,” she said, reaching for the pitcher on the table . She filled it with water from the tub and poured it over his head . She soaped his hair, running her fingers through its rich thickness, and massaged his scalp . She’d done this before, with Rosemary, but this was entirely different .
    He groaned, and she noticed that he was gripping both sides of the tub so tightly, his knuckles had turned white.
    “There . . . done . Time to