Nikhil(17)

"Nikhil..." her hands gripped his shoulders.

"I know you are getting tired, Little One." He looked up at her with concerned eyes. "It won't be much longer. Lift your foot." He gently gripped her ankle and lifted it onto his thigh. "You are doing so well," he told her as he began cleansing her leg.

"I don't feel like I am. You're doing it all."

"There is nothing wrong with letting someone else help you when you need it." He carefully moved the cloth between her thighs, cleansing an area he wanted to know more intimately, but refused to let himself linger there. Now was not the time.

He had never actually given any thought to how beautiful and sexy a female's leg could be. How the larger thigh connected to the thinner calf. How that continued on to become a delicate ankle and foot. He'd never considered a foot delicate before, having only ever looked at his huge ones. But Mackenzie's were.

Reaching the end of those delicate bones, he gently massaged each toe, his thumb working its way between them making sure not a single speck of grime remained. Setting her foot back down, he touched her other ankle, and she willingly placed it on his thigh. Carefully, he reversed his actions and worked his way up her other leg.

Mac looked down at Nikhil's lowered head, awed at the attention he was giving each leg. Her breath caught as he cleansed between her legs, brushing her sex, but as before, he paused for only a moment then quickly continued.

She found her hand rising to touch the wide strip of hair that covered the top of his head. It was softer and thicker than it looked, pulled back as tightly as it was. For some reason, she'd thought it would feel slick or oily, but it wasn't.

At the nape of his neck was some kind of clip that controlled all those strands. But what was curious was that when the strands came out of the clip, they were thin braids with a variety of colored beads affixed to them at different levels.

"These are beautiful," she whispered lifting several braids, letting them slip through her fingers, caressing them. It was the strangest sensation because it felt like the beads were caressing her back.

Nikhil's hands stilled, his head snapping up when she touched his beads, his gaze capturing hers. "You find my Suja beads... beautiful?"

Mac gave him a slight smile since she just used the word she'd been giving him such a hard time about. "Yes, I do. Especially on you. Why do you wear them?"

"They signify my lineage, who my parents are, and what I have accomplished in my life," he told her, then carefully stood and moved behind her, blocking the water’s spray. “Tip your head back,” he encouraged softly, and when she trustingly did, he rinsed her long, gorgeous hair one more time. He made sure none of the grime from her back clung to it, then gathering it up, placed it over one of her cleaned shoulders.

"I will cleanse your back now; then you will be able to rest, Little One."

Mac just nodded her understanding and leaned forward slightly giving him better access to her back. It didn’t take him long to cleanse it since the steady stream of water had already removed the majority of it. Only a few spots remained that needed his attention. But he still took his time, amazed at how soft her skin felt beneath his warrior’s hands. He tried not to notice the two sexy indentations just above her rounded ass, or how perfect that ass felt in his hands. Mackenzie was already everything he wanted in a female. How amazing would she be when she regained her health and previous size?

Mac closed her eyes as Nikhil's hands ran along her back. She knew he was only cleansing her, caring for her, and while she didn't understand why he would do this, she wasn't going to deny that it felt incredible.

"Are you okay, Mackenzie?" he asked, his arms wrapping around her waist pulling her back against him as he finished.

"I am, with you holding me," she admitted. Slowly, she turned in his arms, tilting her face up to look at him. God, he was so amazing to watch with the spray of water bouncing off his back. Sinking deeper into the comfort of his arms, she felt her knees give out as the last of her strength left her.

"Mackenzie!" Nikhil swept her up into his arms, carrying her out of the unit. Ripping a drying cloth off the wall, he wrapped it around her. "I will take you to Luol."

"No!" She immediately rejected the idea even as she fought to keep her eyes open. "Just give me a minute and I will be fine."

"You are not fine!" he argued back. "You collapsed in my arms."

"I just need to rest for a minute.”

“You will have all the minutes you need, my Little One.” Carrying her to his bed, he ripped back the covers and gently laid her down.