Sometime in the night, St Just carried her to the bathroom and laid her gently in the sunken tub. Turning on the water, he settled behind her, drawing her into his arms. Bianca leaned back with a sigh of pure pleasure as he soaped her body, treating her like she was a fragile thing, made of glass. Lovingly, slowly, he poured shampoo into his hands and rubbed it into her long chestnut locks. Kneeling before him, she did the same, smiling as he looked at her.

With a small moan of ...