The Duke's Masked Wife

166 Closer (3)

Alessandra pointed at the large tub which she honestly thought couldn’t be considered a tub and asked, “Do you want me to get inside of there with you? Without any clothes on?”

“It would be a hassle if you get inside with all of your clothes on. To ease your mind, you can get inside with your undergarments and I will remain in mine. You can run away if you wish,” Edgar tossed his shirt to the side. “Though it would defeat the purpose of us becoming closer.”

Alessandra remembered the conversation they had in their bedroom a while ago. She did promise not to run away anymore but this was such a big leap for her to take. She kept her eyes in another direction while Edgar got undressed without a care in the world. How nice it must be to be so confident in your body.

She heard the water splashing which meant Edgar had gotten in.

“If you do not want to get in, at least pass me some of the wine from the basket and leave.”

“I never said I was not getting in. I just need a moment to build up my confidence,” Alessandra honestly replied. Had he told her this was what he had been planning she would have mentally prepared herself for it from the time he left her alone. “Everyone is not as confident as you.”

Alessandra took a deep breath and decided to get over it quickly before she could overthink it. It was only her undergarment which would be no different from what she wore to bed at night. Luckily, the buttons to undo her dress were at the front so she did not need Edgar’s help taking it off.

Meanwhile, Edgar was amused by the fact she had not asked him to close his eyes while she got undressed. Though she had not asked him, he decided to look away to offer her a moment of privacy. He was well aware of how much it took for her to do something like this without any warning. The way she kept surprising him even in moments like this was why he would always remain entertained and intrigued by her.

Alessandra’s dress dropped to the floor after she slid the sleeves off her shoulders. She was surprised when she looked at Edgar sitting in the water facing another direction. She had expected him to stare and tease her. She was glad he had looked away without her having to ask.

.....

“Careful,” Edgar stood up to help her get inside without falling. “The rocks there are slippery. I will need to have them done over.”

Alessandra accepted his help inside as the steps were slippery and a fall around the rocks would be painful. “Where did you get the idea to do something like this?”

“It was the idea of the person who built this home from the ground up. It is meant to resemble a spring for relaxing so it can hardly be called a tub. There is something like this in the palace that is even bigger with plants and trees to match. If you like it, one can be added to our home. During the winter, it would be nice to have warm water you can sit around in.”

“The warm water does feel nice against my skin. I am curious how someone was able to come up with the idea to warm up water in something like this. The person had to be talented to also have the water flowing out the rocks without spilling on the floor. The things money can buy,” Alessandra said as she sat down. She never witnessed anything fancy like this in her father’s home.

“There are many people who dedicate their days trying to improve the things we use daily. Enough about that,” Edgar stated as he had not brought her here to talk about this. “I’ll pour you a glass of wine.”

Alessandra went back to being conscious of herself now that the conversation was over for now. She slid further into the deeper end to have more of her body below the water. She sat in a spot where from her shoulder up was out of the water and her mask would not get wet.

“I will rest the basket to the side until you are ready to eat something. Here,” he handed her the glass of wine. Edgar had it planned out in his mind how this would go. First, he wanted her to enjoy a bit of wine to relax her nerves or maybe it would give her a bit of courage, and then he would make his move.

Being alone with no one to disturb them, he felt the need to be closer and touch her but nothing too far. He planned to take their intimacy slow as there was no need to rush. As husband and wife, they vowed to be together for an eternity therefore he had enough time to become a bit closer to her before going to the final step.

Edgar watched with great interest how she down the glass of wine in one sitting. She was nervous but he did not want to get tipsy before anything could happen. “You should slow down, Alessandra. I don’t need you passing out in the water.”

Alessandra held out her empty glass for him to pour her more wine. “Wine is not enough to get me drunk. I told you before that I can handle it. I’d bet money that you pass out before I do.”

“I’d hate to see you cry after losing but you should slow down. Whatever happens while we are here, I don’t want it to be blamed on the fact you were tipsy. Or perhaps, should I leave you be as wine in your system is the only way you can sit with me like this,” he teased her.

Alessandra was tempted to splash Edgar with water but she did not want to create a big mess for the servants to clean. ‘Why does he always need to try teasing me? Would he stop if I did the same to him?’

Edgar filled her glass midway and gave it back to her. As Alessandra stood up to reach for the glass, Edgar froze for a moment but then he snapped out of it. “Why did you choose to sit so far away from me in that corner? That was a big mistake on your part.”

“Why?” Alessandra questioned.

“Your white undergarment has become translucent in the water and I am provided with a glorious sight,” he mused and took a sip of his wine to calm down what he felt. Now that her undergarment was glued onto her body thanks to the water, he could see her brown nipples pushing against the fabric.

Alessandra looked down and found that her undergarment was not leaving much to the imagination for the top half of her body. Though her chest was underwater, the water was clear enough for him to see what was meant to be hidden. Alessandra covered her chest with her hands, feeling self-conscious.

“You should come to my side if you don’t wish for me to have a clear view,” said Edgar.

Alessandra felt like his suggestion was leading her into a trap. Still, she couldn’t understand why without thinking she moved to his side. Perhaps she was secretly anticipating something to happen between the two of them.

“I changed my mind,” Edgar placed his arm to block her from taking a seat beside him. He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. The sudden action created small ripples in the water which spilled over onto the floor. “This is better.”