Page 57

"I know. It's embarrassing. But just get you started and you can do the rest."

I gazed into his warm blue eyes and handsome face. He was so close to me, my cold breath was instantly warmed by his. He undid the top button of my blouse and then the next and the next, working gracefully, but quickly. When the blouse was completely undone, he paused and looked into my eyes. My whole body was still trembling, but not only from the cold. He smiled softly and took my right hand into his and then rubbed it quickly.

"You'll be all right," he said. "Once you're soaking in the bathwater."

"My mother . ."

"She's just upset. I'll calm her down and send her right up. Don't worry," he said. He seemed so considerate, so gentle. I felt the wall of hatred I had built between us begin to crumble, but I fought that back. I wanted my daddy. More than ever, I needed my daddy, but he wasn't here. He was far, far away, too far to even hear my voice on a telephone.

"Come on," he urged. He stood up, still holding my hand. I lowered my feet to the floor and stood up. As I did so, he brought his fingers to the collar of my blouse and gently pulled it back over my shoulders and down my arms. In a moment I was only in my bra and panties. "Go on," he whispered, his breath hot on the base of my neck. Without looking back, I walked to the bathroom.

The huge whirlpool tub was filled and bubbling. Nothing looked more inviting. I turned around and started to close the door. He was standing there, still holding my blouse in his hands, a wry smile on his face,

After I closed the door, I got out of my bra and panties and stepped into the warm, blue-tinted water. At first my ankles ached, but moments after I lowered myself completely in, I felt a wonderful flush of heat drive away the chill. I moaned with delight and closed my eyes. Then came the relief, flooding over me, inundating me so I could breathe, relax, and even manage a tremulous smile. I heard a knock on the door and opened my eyes.

Momma has finally come up, I thought.

"Yes?"

The door opened, but it wasn't Momma. it was Tony. He poked his head in.

"You forgot the robe," he said and opened the door wider. I lowered my body as far as I could into the water. The soap foam hid some of my nakedness, but I still felt so exposed and terribly flustered when he entered to place the robe on a hook. "How is it?"

"It's good"--

"I knew it would be," he said gazing down at me. I didn't see how he could be so blind to my embarrassment, but he acted as if he really were my father. "Don't feel bad. Troy will be all right," he said as though he thought that were the reason for my look of discomfort.

"I didn't think we would get lost because we would be able to trace our footsteps back in the snow, but the new snow came so fast, it covered everything and . ."

"It's all right. Really," he said kneeling beside the tub. "Water still warm enough?" He put his fingers into it, only inches from my thigh. "Yes, that's okay. Well, will you be all right, now?"

"Yes," I said quickly. I folded my arms over my breasts. "I could wash your back for you. I'm an expert when it comes to washing backs," he added, widening his smile.

"No. I'm going to get out soon."

"Take your time. You're not embarrassed, are you? We're family now," he added. "We'll be as intimate and close to each other as possible, just as if we have been living together our whole lives. You'll see." He leaned forward to kiss my forehead tenderly, cupping my face between his palms. He kept his face close to mine and stared into my eyes, his luminous and deep. Then he stood up and wiped his hands on a towel.

"Well, it's a good thing you have most of your things here already. Do you want me to get anything out for you? I can play the valet, too, you know," he added with an amused smile.

"No. I'll be all right now."

He nodded, but continued to look down at me.

"Okay," he finally said. "I'll see about your mother and Troy."

I released a deeply held breath when he stepped out. My heart was pounding so, I thought it would make the water over my chest splash. No man, even Daddy since I was ten, had ever seen me naked, and here I was covered only with this foamy warm water and Tony just inches away. It had been mortifying, but it had also excited me in a way I had not expected. How confusing this was all going to be with him thinking he could be my daddy. I closed my eyes again, and the moment I did so, I envisioned his blue eyes searching my face, almost touching me with his intense gaze.

When I brought the soapy washcloth to my bosom, I was surprised at how hard my nipples had become. Was that because of the cold and the hot or did it have something to do with the tingling that moved up my thighs and down the small of my stomach when I thought about Tony's fingers in the water, just an inch or two from my naked body?

Before I could think any more about it, Momma came bursting into the bathroom. She had regained her composure, but she was still very angry.

"How could you do such a stupid thing, Leigh? And you, a bright girl who gets such high marks in school?" she asked pacing back and forth.

"I thought we would be all right. We would have our footsteps to follow and ."

"Mrs. Hastings went out to look for Troy and then came in and asked if anyone had seen you two come back inside. So Tony sent the help out to search, and they returned claiming no sign of either of you.

"You know how Tony is about his little brother, unreasonable and obviously overprotective as it is, but when he heard you and Troy were missing, he went wild with worry. A search party was formed and sent out into the storm. And had all these people here." Whap. Her hand came down on the marble counter.