Lys pushed the bedroom door of his and Selene's behind him, and stood in front of it for a moment. The day had been too long, too heavy. His ribs still throbbed, and every small movement sent fresh sparks of pain through his side.
He was about to drop onto the bed when a strong wave of discomfort hit him. He remembered that he hadn't properly washed since before the hobgoblin fight.
Two days' worth of dried sweat, dirt, and the sticky feeling of old blood made his skin crawl.
Knowing he couldn't sleep like this, he turned around. "Guess I should wash first," he muttered quietly.
Thinking maybe the warm water coming from that manastone powered water-pump would also help loosen up his sore muscles, he picked up a clean towel and made his way downstairs, moving carefully so the creaking steps wouldn't wake the whole house.
When he reached the washroom door, he saw the soft glow of a candle flickering inside and heard the gentle sound of water being poured.
Someone was already there.
He knocked lightly. "Who's inside?"
"It's me," Selene answered from behind the door, her voice was calming and clear.
He was about to tell her he'd wait till she was done when she spoke again.
"Come in."
Thinking she must be dressed or at least covered, Lys pushed the door open and stepped inside.
But the sight that greeted him inside made him stop dead in his tracks.
Selene was sitting naked in the wooden tub, her long dark hair wet and hanging loosely down her back. The single candlelight danced across her bare skin, highlighting the smooth curve of her shoulders. The full shape of her breasts, and the way water droplets slowly trailed down her chest, made the scene more lewd than it might have been. Plus, her nipples had hardened slightly from the cool air touching her wet skin.
She looked stunning, soft, wet, and completely exposed.
Lys's mouth went dry.
"Hey, why did you tell me to come in when you're not even dressed?" he asked, his voice came out lower than usual.
Selene turned her head toward him, with a small teasing smile on her lips. She made no move to cover herself.
"Why are you acting so shy now?" she said lightly. "It's not like this is the first time you've seen everything."
"Still"
Lys hesitated near the door, trying not to stare too obviously. Before he could step back out, Selene shifted forward in the tub, exposing more of her smooth back to him.
"Since you're already here… can you wash my back for me?"
The request sounded so casual that Lys found himself nodding before he could think it through. He closed the door quietly behind him and walked over to the tub. Selene leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees, giving him full access to her back.
Lys dipped the soft cloth into the warm water, wrung it out, and gently pressed it against her upper back. The moment the warm cloth touched her skin, Selene let out a soft sigh of relief.
He started slow, moving the cloth in careful circles across her shoulders. Her skin was warm and slick from the water. Every stroke made the water run down her spine in thin streams. Lys tried to stay focused, but the feeling of her smooth, wet skin under his hands was surprisingly pleasant after the rough day he had.
Without realizing it, his movements grew a little firmer. He enjoyed the way her back muscles relaxed under his touch, the subtle way her body shifted whenever he pressed a bit harder. Before he knew it, his fingers occasionally slipped past the cloth, brushing directly against her skin. Each accidental touch sent a small, guilty spark of pleasure through him.
'Ohh…She feels really good…' he thought, then immediately tried to push the thought away.
He moved lower, rubbing along the middle of her back. The curve of her waist was right there, tempting. Even though he told himself to stay innocent, his hands kept drifting toward her sides, the cloth gliding dangerously close to the swell of her breasts. Every time his fingers nearly touched the soft flesh from behind, Selene's breathing would change just a little.
Selene smiled to herself, eyes half-lidded. She could feel how careful he was trying to be, and how badly he was failing. His hands were getting bolder without him noticing. The way he rubbed her back in long, slow strokes felt less like washing and more like caressing. Heat was starting to pool between her legs from his unconscious attention.
Lys dipped the cloth again and worked it across her lower back, right above the curve of her ass. The motion made his knuckles graze the top of her hips. He swallowed hard. The warmth of her body, the slickness of her skin, the quiet sounds of water splashing, it was all starting to affect him. His cock twitched a little inside his pants as he continued rubbing her.
He told himself he was just helping his fiancée wash. Nothing more. But deep down, he was enjoying this way too much. The way her body responded to his touch, the soft sighs she let out when he pressed harder, made something stir inside him.
"You're really tense here," he said quietly, pressing his thumbs gently along her spine without thinking.
Selene hummed softly in response, arching her back just a little into his hands. "Mmm… that feels nice."
The innocent sound of her voice mixed with the obvious pleasure in it made Lys's heartbeat quicken. His hands moved on their own, spreading wider, rubbing her sides in slow, sensual strokes. The cloth had become almost useless now. His bare fingers were touching more of her than the fabric was.
Selene bit her lip to hold back a moan. While his hands were getting dangerously close to her breasts again, brushing the sensitive skin from the sides, every accidental graze sent sparks straight to her core. She was slowly getting wetter, and it had nothing to do with the bathwater.
After a long minute of this, Selene finally spoke, her voice carrying a sweet, almost innocent tone.
"I heard from Mira… about how you used to give her and Miss Elara very thorough washes back in the old house."
Lys's hands froze mid-stroke. His heart jumped with panic suddenly.
"She said you gave them full body massages too," Selene continued, turning her head slightly to look at him over her shoulder. "She gave compliments on your washing skills a lot, and somehow I get it, too, now."
Lys gulped. His mind flashed back to those system quests when he first arrived on this world, how he had fingered Mira and Elara under the excuse of "washing" and "massaging" them until they came hard on his hands. Even if the system had forced the quests, he couldn't pretend he hadn't enjoyed every second of it.
Selene's eyes met his. On the surface, her voice sounded curious and sweet, but the look in her eyes was pure lust, dark, hungry, and wanting. At least it looked that way to Lys.
"Can you do the same for me?" she asked softly, her wet lips parting slightly. "Wash me thoroughly… the same way you did for them."
The way she said it made it very clear what she was really asking for.
Lys stared at her, his hands still resting on her wet, warm back. And his cock was now fully hard inside his pants. The small washroom felt ten times hotter than before.
Selene kept looking at him with that needy expression, her naked body glistening under the candlelight, silently waiting for him to understand exactly what kind of washing she wanted.