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  He wanted to make her come.

  “Well?” Mei-Li kept her hands at her sides though it was clear she would have preferred to cover herself with them. “Do you…do you like what you see?”

  “Mei-Li,” he said honestly, his voice coming out hoarse for some reason. “Let me put it this way—if I could have emotions, I assure you I would be having them now. You are…perfect.”

  “Oh…” An embarrassed little smile touched the corners of her mouth and she dropped her eyes. “Thank you, I guess.”

  “You are welcome. Will you please come into the pool with me?” Six asked. “And don’t worry—I promise to give in to your earlier demands. Everything I am entitled to do to you, you may also do to me. It is only fair.”

  “Oh, right…” For some reason she sounded uncertain again. “It’s, uh, only fair.”

  “Exactly.” He reached out a hand to her. “So come to me.”

  * * * * *

  “Come to me,” he said and Mei-Li found that she was doing just that, despite the little voice in her head screaming at her to grab her towel and run.

  The water was hot and she took in a hissing little breath as she stepped into it.

  “Is it too warm?” Six was looking at her with what appeared to be concern. “I can cool the temperature for you.”

  “No, no—it’s fine,” Mei-Li assured him. “I like it warm—it’s like a hot tub.”

  Actually, what was really heating her up was the sight of the big Kindred lounging naked at the far end of the pool, which was by far the biggest bathtub she had ever seen.

  The top half of him was out of the water, his bare, muscular chest and broad shoulders beaded with little droplets that somehow made him look even more mouthwatering. With his shirt off—well, with all his clothes off—she could see that the metal on his left hand extended up to his elbow and then stopped and become regular flesh. But to her shame, that wasn’t what kept drawing her gaze.

  Though she tried not to see it, his bottom half was visible through the clear, pale blue water of the bathing pool as well. God, he was huge—and he looked more than halfway hard too. Why couldn’t he have run a bubble bath at least to cover up some? she thought, trying to look anywhere but between his muscular thighs as she sank slowly into the hot water. At least that way maybe I wouldn’t be tempted to stare.

  As if staring was the only thing you had to worry about, whispered the little voice in her brain. You’re going to be scrubbing that happy stick in a minute, Mei-Li and then we’ll see how much good a little layer of bubbles would be. Spoiler alert—the answer is absolutely none at all. Not only that, but he gets to wash you all over too. How’s that going to be?

  Shut up! she told the voice, trying to push the idea of scrubbing the big Kindred all over and being washed by him in turn to the back of her mind. Try not to think about it. Just enjoy the nice hot bath. Think how soothing it is—how it unknots your tired muscles… But if that was true, why did her whole body feel as tight as a wire and why was her heart pounding in her chest as she waded up to him?

  At last she reached him in the deepest part of the pool. If she stood up straight the water would have been just below her nipples. Instead, she crouched a little so it came almost up to her shoulders. It might be cowardly but she didn’t feel comfortable enough with her own body to just stand there in front of him bare breasted like it was no big deal.

  Six must have sensed her tension.

  “What is troubling you?” he asked. “My scanner indicates a raised heart rate and elevated breathing. Are you certain the water isn’t too hot?”

  “Actually, it is kind of warm in here,” Mei-Li said. As if that was the reason she was sweating.

  “I will add more cold water,” he said. He waved his hand over a panel on the side of the tub and murmured, “Cool.” At once, Mei-Li felt a thin, ticklish current of chilly water winding through the heated pool. She shivered and gave a nervous giggle as it touched her thighs.

  “Oh!”

  “Better?” Six asked, gazing at her with that expression that looked so much like concern again.

  “Much.” Mei-Li tried to smile. “Thanks. Um, you have a really nice bathtub. I didn’t expect anything like this at all. I mean, the rest of the house is so…utilitarian.” Then she realized she was babbling and made herself stop.

  “The bathing pool is one of the few things we still have from our early Kindred roots,” Six explained. “It was always used for the Claiming Period but since we of the Dark Kindred have not had Claiming Periods for centuries, we mostly use them for relaxation.”

  “It’s certainly, uh, very relaxing.” Mei-Li wished her voice wouldn’t come out so high and forced.

  Six regarded her with a level look. “If you do not mind me saying, you do not appear relaxed in the least. Are you concerned with the fact that I am now allowed to bathe and touch you?”

  “I…well, I…” She cleared her throat. “I’m just a little…I mean, it’s been a long time since I’ve, uh, been with anyone. And I just…I mean…”

  “I have never been with a female,” he said, surprising her with the admission.

  “Um, you haven’t?”

  He shook his head. “Nor did I ever expect to want to be with one. Or to want to be with anyone, for that matter. But you…stir something in me, Mei-Li.” He frowned. “I don’t know exactly what to call it. Clearly it is not an emotion and yet…Never mind.”

  “I’m glad you’re uh, stirred,” she said. “I’m just plain nervous. But I guess we should get this over with. Are you uh, going to scrub me or what? Do you have a washcloth and soap or a sponge or something like that?”

  “I do,” he said gravely, reaching for a strange, lumpy looking grayish sponge thing about as big as his fist which was sitting on the edge of the pool. “But perhaps it would allay your nervousness for you to scrub me first?”

  Mei-Li frowned. She had been dreading this entire encounter for hours, ever since she found out they were suddenly diving in (ha-ha no pun intended) to their bathing week early. But the idea of being in control, of being the scrubber instead of the scrubbee held a certain appeal.

  “Actually…it might,” she said, nodding. “So give me the, uh, the sponge thingy, whatever it is.”

  “This is a spoing,” Six explained, handing it to her. “You put your hand inside it and rub your flesh.”

  “Oh, like a sponge glove?” Mei-Li took it from him and was about to insert her hand into the small slit in the center but stopped. “Hey, this isn’t like the beanbag bed that eats dead skin cells is it? There aren’t any teeth in here or anything, right?”

  “Do you think I would give you something that would hurt you?” Six looked almost offended. “It is quite safe.”

  “Of course. Sorry.” Gingerly, she slipped first her fingers and then her entire hand inside. The minute she did, the spoing molded to her hand, fitting like a glove. “Oh—it kind of…grabbed onto me.” Mei-Li tried to keep her voice light but her heart was pounding.

  “Yes, it does that,” Six said patiently. “The firm grip allows you to scrub without fear of it slipping off when you get covered in its slippery secretions.”

  “Slippery secretions? Don’t you mean soap?” Mei-Li looked around. “Where is the soap, anyway?”

  “If you are referring to a cleaning agent, the spoing manufactures its own. Simply begin to rub your flesh—or mine if you prefer—and you will see.” He held out one muscular arm for her, indicating that she should try it on his skin first if she was nervous to use it on hers.

  “So…it’s like a soap filled sponge,” Mei-Li said, rubbing the gray, lumpy surface of the spoing lightly across his extended arm. His skin was a natural, smooth tan with very little body hair which was nice—she wasn’t a big fan of hairy men.

  As soon as she touched it to his skin, the sponge-glove creature began emitting thick dark blue foam. Mei-Li sniffed it, wondering if it was the source of Six’s incredibly alluring scent. But though it smell