Page 110 of A Foolish Flirtation

She shook her head. “There’s some in my room,” she volunteered. “But it’s far too expensive to use on my whole body. I only use it on my neck and face.”

“From now on, you use it on your whole body,” he said firmly. “Hang the expense. Direct the bill my way, you need not pay it out of your allowance.” It suddenly occurred to him that he had been somewhat remiss on that front. “Have we discussed the matter of your pin money, Emmeline?”

“No,” she admitted. “But I have not yet spent all the money you left me in Bath. You ended up paying Madame de Flores instead of me, so I still have heaps left.”

Jeremy gave a murmur of agreement. He was not sure he had left her enough to settle up that lady’s extortionate bill. Still, it had been worth it. Emmeline’s new wardrobe was a source of endless delight to him.

He knelt down to dry her stomach and hips and work his way down her legs. “I want to go and fetch your lotion, Emmeline, may I?”

“Yes, if you really want to.”

He scarcely waited for her assent, leaping to his feet and hurrying to her bedroom. Having retrieved the bottle of lotion, it occurred to him that he really needed a much more comfortable chair for Emmeline to sit in for what he had in mind.

Hesitating, he peered into her sitting room. Yes, she had been right. There was a pair of chaise longues in there which looked luxurious enough. Making up his mind that instant, he propped the door open, and, setting the lotion down, dragged the nearest one toward the door.

Once he had got it out into the corridor, it was only a few feet to Emmeline’s bathroom. Giving a soft tap on the door, he opened the door and wedged it open with the chair, dragging the purple and gold couch into the mosaic bathroom. It was a good thing the room was a large one.

“It actually doesn’t look too bad in here,” he commented with surprise as Emmeline watched him open-mouthed. He noticed with displeasure that she had helped herself to a bigger towel and was presently cowering behind it. “It all adds to the high Roman theme.”

“I thought you went to fetch lotion!” she commented, looking in confusion from the chaise to him and then rather pointedly at his empty hands.

“One moment.” He disappeared back into the corridor to fetch the bottle which he left in her sitting room. “I have it,” he announced, returning, and turned the chair about to wedge it under the door handle. “Don’t want anyone interrupting us, now, do we?”

Emmie agreed nervously and he approached her, holding out his hand. “Still willing for this undeserving wretch to service you?” he asked, unable to keep the heat out of his voice.

“Of c-course.” She faltered, blushing warmly and placing her hand in his and dropping the towel. His heart swelled at her gesture of trust.

“How about reclining on that for me?” he said, glancing over his shoulder at the chaise. “While I lotion your limbs.”

Her eyes grew very wide. “Like Venus?”

“Like my own personal Venus,” he agreed, walking her over to it and seeing her seated upon it.

“We will have to be careful. The velvet will be quite ruined if we spill lotion on it.” Emmie sounded nervous.

“It is I who has to be careful,” he corrected her, “lest I incur your divine wrath.”

“Oh yes, of course,” she agreed, “that’s what I meant.”

Jeremy hid his smile as he removed the stopper and poured the milky fluid into his hand.

“Warm it between your palms first, shepherd. If it is cold, I will not be pleased,” she prompted him, lowering herself onto the couch. “I’ve decided you’re a shepherd, by the way.”

“So I gathered.”

She shifted around a bit, trying to arrange herself comfortably and yet not indecently. It turned out there was no way that she could recline without showing the patch of curls between her legs. Finally coming to that conclusion, she gave up the struggle and occupied herself by trying to drape one arm across her breasts in a pose that did not look wholly unnatural.

Jeremy watched her below his lowered lids as he massaged the lotion between his palms. “Anything else?” he asked huskily.

“Yes, you may remove your robe. Your beauty is pleasing to mine eye, and I do not see why I should be the only one naked here,” she pronounced grandly.

This time Jeremy could not hide his grin, but as his hands were covered in lotion, he had first to wipe it over her calves and knees before he could shrug off his robe. It was a good thing today had been a warm day in June, otherwise they would both be covered in goose pimples by this point. As for Jeremy, he felt far too hot to suffer from that condition.

“Not cold, are you, beautiful?” he whispered as he smoothed the lotion in leisurely sweeps of his hands over her skin.

“No,” she sighed, and he could see when she finally relaxed to his ministrations, for she let her arms fall and stopped worrying about affording him a view of her spectacular breasts.

“Won’t you put one arm behind your head?” he suggested respectfully. “You might be more comfortable that way.”