Chapter 61

My eyes actually watered at their thoughtfulness - and his. Dermott continued washing me until I was clean, his hands gentle and caressing, even if he didn't spend too much time on my breasts or pussy. Although his erection kept nudging my hip, he was obviously holding back. Once I was clean, he stepped away from me, picked up a bar of woodsy-scented soap and swiftly washed himself. Heavens, he was beautiful. My eyes followed every movement of his hands as they skimmed over his toned physique. Finally, he rinsed and shut off the spray. Waiting right outside was a towel warmer, with enormous fluffy bath sheets. He wrapped one around each of us before picking up a smaller towel and fluffed the dampness out of my hair.
"There's a fresh toothbrush, makeup remover and your brand of face cream in that drawer." He pointed. "Your suitcase should be in the bedroom by now. Do you want something to sleep in?"
"No." It's a little at odds with my uptight persona, but I rarely slept in a nightgown. I'd always loved the feel of good-quality sheets against my skin, and I was pretty sure his would be top of the line.
"I'll go check on things with the brothers and meet you in the bedroom in a few minutes." He kissed my cheek and left. Again I sensed he was being thoughtful. I'd started to squirm, and there was no way I could ever manage to use the facilities in front of a man - whether I'd had sex with him or not. There's another thing people don't think about with vampires. We eat and drink. That means we have all the other normal bodily functions as well.
Once my face and teeth were clean and everything else had been dealt with, I hung up the towels and went back into the bedroom. Someone had left a lamp burning softly and turned down the bed, exposing pristine white sheets. Heaven. The sheer curtains on the wide expanse of windows stirred in the breeze, letting me know the windows were open. Lovely now but potentially deadly for Dermott and me if they were still open in an hour or so when the sun came up. Just for a moment, I couldn't resist the lure of the sea air, and I walked over to the window and peeked out, hoping there was no one outside to see me standing naked in the window.
The ocean was maybe two hundred yards away, down a fairly steep slope, putting the house well out of the range of high tides and storm surges. Stone steps led down from a flagstone patio to a sandy beach where waves gently broke and washed onto the sand. Beautiful. I couldn't wait to explore tomorrow night.
"Beautiful." Dermott unknowingly echoed my thought as he moved up behind me. His bare feet had made so little noise on the thick rug that I hadn't heard him come into the room.
My skin warmed - I knew he was talking about me and his open admiration made me smile. "Isn't this room a risky place to sleep for a vampire?"
"Every piece of glass in this house has full ultraviolet protection built into it. The windows are on a timer - they'll close a half-hour before sunrise. As a backup, the blackout shutters are on a UV sensor. I'm also a very light sleeper. The first touch of sunlight and I wake up before I take any serious damage. But we can close things manually if it will help you sleep more comfortably." He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned his cheek on the top of my head. Since I'm tall - especially for a woman from my era - I didn't find too many older immortals who were taller than me.
"No, the breeze is lovely." I leaned back against him and sighed with contentment. "Thank you, Dermott, for everything. I can't believe you went to all this trouble, just for me."
"Ah, Jess. This is only the beginning of what I'd do for you."
I woke alone in the big, incredibly comfortable bed. The blackout shutters covered the windows, but Dermott had left the bathroom light on, so I had enough illumination to see by. Vampires can see in near-dark, but we have to have some light for our eyes to work with. Before I'd fallen asleep in his arms, he'd told me that the bottom cabinet of the bedside table was actually a fridge, stocked with bagged blood. I pulled one out, pierced the bag with a fang and quickly drained it. A glance at the clock told me it was five p.m. I'd slept for eleven hours. No wonder I felt so refreshed. According to a note in the bathroom, Dermott had unpacked my bag while I slept, so after another shower, this time washing my hair, I stepped into the walk-in closet.
These weren't my clothes. Oh, they were my size, and I could tell they were all brand new, but my girlfriends had pulled a fast one. Instead of the conservative clothing I usually wear, one section of Dermott's closet held skimpy, slinky things I'd have never purchased in a hundred years. Clearly Dani's work.
I reached out and touched a simple sundress. Ah, Dani did have good taste in fabrics. The sky-blue cotton was spattered with fuchsia orchids. The weave was so fine it was almost like silk. The bodice had a built-in bra, so all that would be required underneath was a pair of panties. I couldn't wait to see what my friends had provided in that department. Fortunately, Dermott had left a sticky note on one of the built-in drawers that simply had my name on it. I opened it to find enough sexy underwear to outfit a very upscale bordello.
With a rueful grin, I settled on a stretchy cotton thong in a matching blue. I didn't bother with makeup or jewelry - this was supposed to be a restful getaway after all - just padded downstairs barefoot to see what Dermott and his feline friends were up to.