“You men,” she said. “The bra clasp defeats you every time.”

“I think a demonic engineer must have designed these things. I may have to get the bolt cutters.” Wesley finally got the clasp undone.

“Watch out. Bras are often booby-trapped,” Nora warned.

“You’re out of your mind,” Wesley said as she slid the straps of her bra slowly down her shoulders. The bubbles were up to her neck now. She tried to let the heat seep in and relax her, but the tension remained.

“You keep saying that. Do you really think I’m crazy?”

Wesley turned the water off.

“I’m the virgin living with an erotica writer. I think it’s pretty safe to say we both need our heads examined.”

Nora reached out a wet hand and laid it on top of his halo of blond hair.

“You have a good head.”

Wesley took her hand and kissed the back of it.

“So do you. And a wet head.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and dunked her under the water. She came up spitting and laughing.

“That,” she said, dragging wet hair off her face, “was uncalled for.”

“It was totally called for.” Wesley took a bottle of shampoo off the tub ledge and poured some out in his hands. He began massaging it into her soaking hair.

Nora sighed with pleasure as his fingers ran through her hair and rubbed her scalp. Wesley really did have amazing hands. The combination of strength and gentleness threatened to undo her. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to start crying.

“You’re pretty good at this, kid. You’ve given a lot of grown women baths?”

“Nope. But I have groomed many a filly in my day. This isn’t that different.”

“Thank you for comparing me to a horse.”

“You compared me to one,” he reminded her with a faint blush.

“That was a compliment. A big one.”

Wesley didn’t say anything to that. He leaned her back into the water to rinse the shampoo out of her hair. His fingertips brushed her cheek and forehead.

“Wes, are you okay with what happened the other night with us?”

He gave her a little half smile as he pulled her back up out of the water.

“Of course I am. Is any guy on the planet going to complain about that?”

“I was just worried that maybe, I don’t know, you thought I took advantage of you in your weakened condition.”

“I had a hard-on, not cancer. I don’t think we should make a habit of it, but I don’t know.” He wiped the soap off her face with a dry towel. “I liked it. Nothing more to it.”

“Is there more to this?” She nodded at her naked body hidden under the bubbles.

“Sometimes a bath’s just a bath,” he said and flicked water at her.

She laughed as Wesley took the bottle of conditioner off the shelf and began running it through her hair. Before she realized it, tears were mingling with the water and running down her face. She knew Wesley saw but he said nothing, just kept scrubbing her down.