Forgotten Read online

  Kate wasn’t sure what to think about that and she was kind of afraid to ask. But she did think that letting him start with her hair was a good idea. It was s safe, non-sexual area. She just hoped the freaking goop from the pool would come out of it.

  “All right,” she said at last. “But I didn’t see any shampoo so…oh.”

  “What is it?” Rone asked, clearly attuned to the surprise in her voice.

  “It’s just…I was saying I didn’t see any shampoo but when I looked back up to where I got the body wash, there it was.” Kate reached for the familiar blue bottle. “It just somehow appeared. And it’s my favorite brand again, too.”

  “The one that makes your hair smell like honey and flowers?” Rone asked hopefully. “Gods, I love that one.”

  “Um, I guess. Here…hold out your hands.”

  He was still blindfolded but he held out his hands blindly and Kate poured a generous dollop of the shampoo into his palms. Then she stood in front of him with her back to him. Normally, she wouldn’t have put her naked back to anyone, not with her scars clearly visible. But Rone was still blindfolded so she felt safe.

  “Go ahead,” she said. “I’m right in front of you.”

  The big Kindred fumbled for just a moment but then she felt his long, strong fingers rubbing the shampoo into her hair and scalp.

  Oh God, that feels good! She couldn’t help the little moan of pleasure that escaped her at his firm yet gentle caress. He seemed to know just how to touch her. Well, he should—he’s had years of practice, whispered the little voice in the back of her head. But Kate felt too good to care what it said.

  Rone finished with her hair and helped her rinse. Then his hands came back, using the remains of the shampoo to start on her shoulders. He was rubbing and kneading in just the right way, finding the knots of tension that had been there for what felt like days and melting them away. This felt even better than having her hair washed and it was a moment before Kate could make herself protest.

  “Hey,” she managed to say at last. “I thought…thought you were supposed to be washing me, not giving me a massage.”

  “You seemed so tense, I thought it would help,” Rone rumbled. “Do you want me to stop?”

  Kate bit her lip. “No…no, I guess not.”

  “Good,” he said simply and kept massaging.

  “Um…did the gook come out of my hair?” Kate asked, trying not to melt under his touch. She grabbed a strand of her long hair which looked very dark red since it was wet. It seemed clean enough and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, I think it did.”

  “Good,” he rumbled. “I love your hair, baby. Would be a shame if you had to cut it because of that stuff.”

  “I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Kate said, rather breathlessly.

  His hands were gliding down her arms now and everywhere he touched her, the black slime was melting away. It felt so good to be getting clean again—almost as though his touch was purifying her in some way.

  “Mmm…” Kate couldn’t help herself. “That feels so good.”

  “Glad you’re enjoying it,” Rone murmured. He was finished with her hair and shoulders and arms now and Kate expected him to turn his attention to other, more sensitive areas. She tensed again. She wasn’t sure which was going to be worse—having him run his hands all over her naked breasts and belly and sex…or letting him touch the shameful scars on her back.

  But to her surprise, Rone sank to his knees behind her and began washing her hips and legs instead. He rubbed her ass too—his big hands cupping her cheeks briefly before moving on, obviously trying not to linger too long in any one place. Then he came around to her front and began rubbing the front of her legs and thighs.

  Kate felt her breath catch in her throat. His face was very close to an extremely sensitive area. It made her feel nervous and uncertain and yet it gave her that strange quiver in her stomach too, at the same time.

  “Rone?” she asked uncertainly.

  He looked up, blindly. “Is this working? I can’t see but your skin feels clean as I’m rubbing it.”

  “Uh, yeah…Yeah, I think so.” She decided not to say anything about the proximity of his face to her sex. After all, he was going to have to touch her there in a minute. Since she’d been naked, the goop from the pool had gotten all over her. In fact, she was terribly afraid that some of it might even have gotten inside her. But she didn’t want to think about that now—not until she had to.

  “Give me some more soap,” he said, holding up one hand. “I want to do your feet.”

  “Okay.” Kate squirted some into his searching palm. “But be careful. My feet are really—”

  “Ticklish. Yeah, I know.” He sounded like he might be smiling but his head was bowed so it was hard to tell.

  He started to lift one of her feet and Kate gave a little squeak of surprise and almost overbalanced.

  “Oh!”

  “Sorry—hang on to my shoulder,” Rone said. “You got this stuff all over you, baby—I need to do the soles of your feet too. And between your little toes.”

  Feeling awkward, Kate leaned over him and grabbed his muscular shoulder and back as he lifted first one foot and then the other. She couldn’t help noticing that from palm to fingers his hands were larger than her feet were from heel to toes.

  Rone scrubbed gently, giving her another mini massage as he tended to her feet. He was very careful not to tickle her which Kate appreciated since her feet were extremely sensitive. She had to bite back another moan as she felt herself melting against him while he worked on her—God, he was good at this! She caught herself wondering if he’d massaged her often when they were together and if so, where else she’d let him massage…

  She tried to push the thought away but it didn’t want to go. However, at last the big Kindred stood, facing her again though his eyes were still blindfolded.

  Kate looked down at herself—her legs and feet and thighs and arms and head and shoulders were squeaky clean. But her torso—her breasts and belly and sex and her back where the ugly scars showed, were all still coated in a layer of black slime.

  “Uh…Rone?” she asked uncertainly. “I know you can’t see but I’m not really, you know, all clean yet.”

  “I know that, baby,” he said softly. “But I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I think for the next part, you need to guide me.”

  “Guide you?” Her voice came out squeaky and high and Kate had to clear her throat and continue. “Guide you how? What do you mean?”

  “I mean put my hands where you need them,” he said softly. “Show me where you still need to be cleaned and I’ll wash you there, but only as long as you keep my hand on you. When you’re clean and ready to move on, just move my hand. That way you don’t feel like I’m, uh, taking advantage.”

  Kate was touched by this consideration on his part. She knew a lot of guys—most guys actually—would definitely have taken advantage of this situation to grope and squeeze and pry into every orifice they could. Rone clearly wasn’t like that—he wanted her comfort over his own pleasure. That was nice—really nice.

  “All right,” she said softly. “I think…I think that’s an excellent idea. Um, just let me give you some more soap.”

  Wordlessly, he held out his big palms and she noticed how well formed his hands were. His fingers were long and artistic and elegantly shaped with short, clean nails. Okay, that was a definite turn on—she liked nice hands on a man—liked it a lot.

  But she tried to put the thought out of her head as she put down the body wash bottle and took him by the wrists.

  Okay, here goes. Might as well get this over with, she told herself. Taking a deep breath, she put his big palms firmly on her breasts, letting him cup them in his hands.

  Rone made a low, indistinct noise in the back of his throat but he said nothing aloud. Instead, he began caressing her gently, rubbing and massaging just as he’d done with the rest of her body.

  Kate had to bite