A short time later, I’m less relieved. How exactly does one bathe oneself? Surely there’s an easier way than simply dropping pitcher after pitcher of warmed-up water into the copper tub in front of the hearth? That’s entirely too much work and I’m far too fatigued to even consider such a thing. I stand in front of the tub (with less than a finger of water at the bottom) because two pitchers in, I realize this could take some time and I don’t have the energy for it.

Perhaps I can just be grimy and sweaty for the rest of my life.

There’s a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Hawk enters slowly, his great horned head poking in first. He frowns at me and then closes the door behind him, leaning on it. “Something wrong? I left you time to wash up before I came in.”

I put a trembling-with-fatigue hand to my brow. “I’m too tired to fill the tub. I had people do this for me at home.”

“Of course you did.”

I can’t tell if he’s jeering at me or not, but given how ruthless he is to me in training, I’m going to go with jeering.

“I’ll just stay dirty another day. You did say it would rain tomorrow, yes? That will wash away the grime.” Right now that sounds far better than anything else.

He nods, eyeing me. “Wait right here.”

As if I have the strength to go anywhere else? I sink into the nearest chair, leaning against the tall back. “Sounds lovely.”

The door closes. I’m nearly asleep when it opens again, and this time Hawk has returned with a massive bucket many times larger than I could possibly manage on my own. He fills the tub for me and then gestures. “All yours.”

“Bless you for your kindness.” I strip off the sweaty layers of my fledgling uniform and toss them onto the floor, then remove my corset and chemise, and cast them aside as well. I step into the tub and sit, my knees against my chest, before I realize I just stripped in front of my new husband. I’ve spent far too many years with servants bathing me and I didn’t even stop to think.

I glance up at Hawk to see if he noticed my actions.

Oh, he noticed all right. There’s a peculiar look on his bovine face, even though he doesn’t say anything. After a moment, he clears his throat and gestures over at me. “You want me to wash your back?”

Should I? Part of me does, because there’s nothing nicer than being scrubbed by someone else when you’re tired, but I don’t know what the boundaries are between us, him and I. “I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “Is it just washing?”

He rolls his eyes at me. “It is unless you want more.”

“Right now what I want is a nap and to never see another bag of rocks again.”

“Well, you won’t get either.” He chuckles with a touch of amusement and settles down next to the tub, picking up the washcloth I haven’t touched yet. “Sorry the water’s not hot.”

After the long sweaty day I’ve had? Cool water is lovely against my skin. “It’s fine.” I hug my knees. “Thank you for the help.”

“You’re my wife…at least for now. It’s the least I can do…”

What a thoughtful thing to say.

“…considering I have to sleep next to you and smell you.”

I take it back. All of it, I take back.

He wets the cloth near my feet, and I’m suddenly very aware of how close he is and how naked I am. We’re married, of course. It’s to be expected. But in a few weeks, I’m going to have sex with this man. That was my part of the agreement and I truly haven’t given it much thought…until now. Now I’m noticing the size of his forearms and the vein that traces along the bulge of one. I’m noticing the warm reddish-brown of his skin and how he’s lightly furred all over, with a thicker pelt going down the front of his chest. I’m noticing that even when he kneels next to the tub I’m folded into, he’s absolutely massive….

Hawk rubs the cloth across my shoulders, and my fatigue wins over my curiosity about his body. I close my eyes, hugging my legs, and bite back a groan.

“I’ve forgotten how long it’s been since I joined the ranks,” he murmurs in a low voice. “The first few weeks under Magpie’s tutelage were pure hell.”

“You weren’t in shape?” I cannot imagine such a thing.

“Oh, I was. But Magpie said that humans were spoiled arses and expected Taurians to be the best of the best, so she pushed me harder than everyone else. She wasn’t wrong, either. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to go in and save a human who wasn’t able to hack it. That’s why I’m going to push your group hard, Aspeth. It’s not out of cruelty. It’s out of necessity. You understand, don’t you?”

I do. “I want to learn. And I want to be the best. So just ignore my griping. Everyone else does.” I manage a weak smile. “When do I get to meet Magpie?”

He sighs, the sound heavy and defeated. “Soon.” He ditches the cloth, tossing it onto my knee, and then rubs one shoulder gently. “You’ve got a bruise here.”

It takes everything I have not to whimper with pleasure when his fingers dig in. “Keep doing that. I’ll wash.”

Hawk grunts, and then continues to massage my shoulders, working out all the stress of the last few days. It feels so damned good that I’m barely aware of my surroundings. I want to just close my eyes and lean into his touch and stay there forever. I half-heartedly swipe at my arms and legs, but when he strokes big hands over my back, I give up and just rest against my knees, enjoying the relief. Hawk digs into my muscles, kneading them with expertise. “This isn’t going to lead to anything, in case you’re worried. You just look like you needed a bit of loosening up.”

“What would it lead to?” I ask with a yawn, my brain in a pleasurable fog.

He pauses. “Sex. Your father really did keep you sheltered, didn’t he?”

“Pfft, no,” I lie. I don’t consider myself sheltered. I had a fiancé once. I let him pet my breasts and caress my thigh. I let him kiss me dozens of times. It’s not as if I’ve never been touched before. But a massage leading to sex? That’s ridiculous. No one’s ever touched me to massage me except maybe a brisk hand massage from a maid when my fingers were cold. “Do a lot of people in the guild massage each other and then have sex?”

“How would I know? You’re the only one I’ve ever massaged.”

Oh. Huh. I wonder if he likes hugs.

His thumbs dig into a knot near my shoulder and my lips part. I arch in pain-pleasure as he works the tense muscle, and this time I can’t help the gaspy noise that escapes me.

“Fuck,” Hawk growls. He flings himself away from the tub, storming across the room. I glance over at him and his tail is flicking back and forth wildly, smacking against the legs of his pants in agitation. I should feel a little guilty, but all I really feel is sad that he stopped. He composes himself while I finish washing with quick, brisk movements, his gaze locked on the wall. When I’m done and I wrap a towel around myself, he turns back toward me. “Remember what I said earlier?”

My brows furrow. “You’ve nagged me all day. You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”

I can see him grit his teeth, setting his shoulders. “Don’t be dense, Aspeth. You know what I mean. When I said we were going to have an anatomy lesson.”

“I do remember that.” My pussy clenches at the reminder, and I desperately hope he doesn’t notice me twitching. “You said you didn’t want me to have any surprises. That we were going to go over everything prior to the, ahem, rutting time.”

“Good. You actually listened.” His dry humor makes me prickle. “Fine, then. If you’ve no objections, I’m going to show you what an engorged Taurian cock looks like so you’re prepared.”

And he unbuckles his belt.