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Feyre couldn’t help herself. In her mind, Rhysand never had a dull thing to say. Now as two candles with a soft light flickered between them, he told a dry and sarcastic joke. Shifting her gaze up from the flames to his sweet, sly smile, she couldn’t help but give into his humor, leaning closer to him, her elbows pressed hard against the table. Apparently, for the last few weeks, he hadn’t been blind as to how stressed she had been. Between running the Night Court, trying to set up a peace treaty, worrying about Koschei, and taking care of their son, she had been running herself ragged. It must have reached a breaking point of some kind, because Rhys had called for a date night. A night where he called the shots, where he was permitted to take care of her and dote on her to his heart’s content.
When Rhys had first called for the date night, she had tried to protest, certain he was as tired from their seemingly endless work as she was. Regardless, when she had tried to lift her voice against him, he had quickly dismissed her concerns. Even if she’d had her usual strength, it would have been hard to put up a fight. A date night sounded lovely right now, especially with the way her mate insisted on displaying how much he cared about her.
When Feyre had agreed, they had asked Mor to take care of Nyx for the evening, and Rhys had treated her to a quaint candlelight dinner. She had no doubt that Cerridwen and Nuala had been the ones to prepare it while he had taken her on a stroll through Velaris. When they had gotten home, together they had eaten, and more than once she had allowed herself to get lost in her husband’s entrancing violet gaze. Each time she returned to her senses, a small smirk laced his lips. When she got lost in his eyes it was usually when he was speaking, and he would stop, matching her loving demeanor until she returned to him with a blush.
‘You there, Darling?’ Rhys’s gentle words sounded in her mind, and Feyre blinked a few times as she realized she had drifted off again, imagining her mate’s eyes were the night sky he loved so.
Biting her lip, she tried not to acknowledge how flustered she was becoming, “Hmm? O-Oh, yeah…sorry…”
Rhys chuckled, leaning forward slightly so he could take her hand in his own. “You’re so cute when you’re distracted…” His brow furrowed slightly, “You seem tired…” Before she could respond, he glanced across the room, “How about this…” Getting to his feet, Rhys walked around to her side of the table. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he spoke softly into her ear. “You go relax on the couch…I’ll set up a spa night for you.”
“Are you sure…?” Feyre trailed off when Rhys kissed her neck.
“I’m sure, my love…” Offering a hand, he helped her to her feet and walked her over to the sofa. “You rest my darling. I’m going to draw you a bath.” Before she could protest, he had disappeared around the corner, leaving Feyre to wonder what she had done to deserve a man as gentle and kind as Rhys.
Laying on the plush cushions of the sofa, she soon found herself missing the gentle violet depths of her mate’s gaze, longing to get lost in his eyes again. Regardless, she leaned back, listening to the white noise of the water running as her bath was drawn. Snuggling deeper into the soft sofa, she smiled to herself. This spa night was going to be perfect. They always were. Rhys always made sure they were-
“Darling?” Feyre’s eyes opened, and turning around she saw the man in question standing by her side, smiling down at her. When he caught sight of her surprised expression, he chuckled once more, “Your bath is ready.”
Getting to her feet, Rhys spoke softly, “You go get in…I’ll make you another glass of wine and bring it to you.”
Unable to hide her affection for her mate, Feyre stood on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Love…” Stepping back down, she made a point to meet his eyes, “On nights like this, you always make me feel so cherished…”
Feyre pretended not to notice the touched smile Rhys now wore as she made her way to the bathing room upstairs. Stepping through their bedroom, she opened the door, happy to see how much steam there was in the air. She liked her baths practically boiling. Rhys had never fully understood why, but he had still made sure it was to her liking. Glancing around, she had to push the tears from her eyes at what she saw. A warm bubble bubble bath had been drawn with soaps smelling of lilac, and candles were dotted around the room, casting their dim glow and adding scents of pine and citus.
Wanting to take advantage of the niceties which had been set up for her, Feyre was quick to remove her clothes and cast them into the hamper by the door. Despite now being nude, she didn’t shiver, and realized that Rhys heated the room for her. He had thought of everything.
Walking over, Feyre got into the bath, slipping into the water with a contented sigh. Letting her eyes flicker closed, the hot water quickly began to sooth her frayed nerves. She wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there when there was a soft knock at the door. “Come in…”
At first Feyre wasn’t sure her Rhys had heard her. She was so relaxed that her voice had barely been audible, still the door opened and gentle footsteps across the tile betrayed that her mate grew nearer. A soft clink came from her right, and Rhys spoke into her ear, “Your wine my, Love.”
Feyre’s eyes flickered open as she looked up at him, her voice hopeful, “Port?”
A warm smile was cast her way, the stars in Rhysand’s eyes twinkled in the candlelight, “Of course…” His lips were cool as they pressed against hers, “Only the best for you.” Rhys turned to head out of the room, but in that moment, Feyre realized how desperate she was for him to stay with her. Using every ounce of her strength, she lifted her hand out of the water to grasp his. As her fingers weakly held to him, water dripping to the floor from them, he turned back to her, eyes glittering in the halflight, “Feyre…?”
Feyre cast her eyes down, suddenly self-conscious. Swallowing hard, she forced her voice out, “Could you stay with me…” She took in a calming breath, “P-Please…?” She hoped the warmth of the water was masking her blush, “H-Having you around always helps me relax…”
It was the truth. Something about Rhys’s mere presence was comforting. When he was around, she knew she was safe, allowing her to fully relinquish her worries. When she dared to look back up at him, he nodded, stepping across the room to move something from the chair in the corner to the counter before moving the furniture piece to the side of the tub.
Rather than sitting down however, he knelt down until he was whispering into her ear, “How about this…” Before she could so much as turn to give him a questioning glance, he continued, “I go get your favorite lotion and give you a shoulder massage while you take your bath?”
That sounded absolutely heavenly, prompting her to lean back once more, “I-If it’s not too much to ask…”
The way Rhys chuckled sent a shiver down her spine, “Never my Love…” He was standing in the doorway before he spoke again, “Now would you prefer your lilac lotion?”
Feyre shook her head, “Could you get the jasmine one?”
“Your favorite?” She smiled with a contented sigh, “Alright…I’ll be right back.”
His footsteps retreated into their room, and suddenly she was very aware of how empty the bathing chamber was. This was why she had wanted Rhys to stay with her. Now that she was alone she could hear her own breathing echoing off the tile floor, and she felt the walls closing in. She didn’t want to be alone…
Feyre was just about to call out for Rhys to come back when she heard his footsteps enter the room once more. Listening closely to remind herself that she was in his presence, she heard him cross the room as sit down in the chair he had moved a few moments before. Once he was seated there was a few seconds of silence before the bottle of lotion was set down on the side of the tub, and a moment later his hands rested on her shoulder.
The initial cold of the lotion caused her to tense, but she couldn’t help but sigh as he began rubbing it in, working the knots from her tense muscles. The way Rhys held her was divine as he somehow managed to be firm yet gentle at the same time. Wanting nothing more than to be close to him, Feyre leaned back into his touch.
The massage of her shoulders grew a little more firm, and soon his lips pressed against the upper part of her neck again and again. Once or twice they drifted up to her jaw as he spoke against the soft kisses, “You’re safe with me, Feyre…” She didn’t doubt that for a second, but she relaxed even further as he gently pushed her body down into the warm, silky water. Rhys’s next words were warm against her skin, “Relax honey…and let me take care of you tonight…”
Unable to deny how heavenly of an idea that was, she did as he asked, settling into the water as more lotion was applied to her skin. When he managed to work out one of the more stubborn knots, she giggled softly, “You should consider a career as a masseuse…”
His voice was playful, “And give up being High Lord?”
“You would be safer…” Feyre knew however that she could never keep going without him beside her, “I don’t think I could continue to be a High Lady without you though…” A fierce wave of envy and jealousy washed over her, and she leaned back against her mate’s touch a bit more. “And I don’t know how I would feel about you touching other females like this…”
Rhys merely chuckled as his lips once again caressed her shoulder, prompting her to relax. The wave of jealousy dissipated, she had nothing to worry about. Even without the bond, Rhys was a loyal male, he had proven that through his actions more times than she could count.
When he hummed against her skin, her lips curved up in a small smile. “I love you, Feyre.” He was so sweet.
She sighed softly within his hands, “I love you too, Rhys…”
Time slipped by without meaning as she lay there, relishing in the warm water, the massage and the sweet smell of jasmine. So much so, that when she finally looked up, she had no idea how long they had been like that.
Leaning her head to the side, she rested her face against his forearm, whispering his name, “Rhys…”
His hands settled until they were merely resting on her shoulders, “Yes Feyre Darling?”
“I feel a lot better now…” She smiled as a soft kiss was pressed to her cheek, “Once I get out and dry off, can we cuddle?”
“Of course we can, baby.” He got up from where he had been sitting, glancing across the room, “By the way, I set some clean clothes on the counter for you. If you need me, I’ll be in our room.”
Feyre nodded as he left. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the water, pulling the stopper to let the tub drain. Once she was standing on the mat, she noted that the clean towels had been warmed, so they were nice and toasty for her.
Dry and warm, she walked over to the counter to see what outfit her mate had chosen, expecting initially for it to be something thin and lacy. She was pleasantly surprise to see instead that it was a comfortable one, consisting of her favorite pair of sweatpants, and one of his shirts, which she was thankful for as she relished in the citrus and sea scent of him. Hugging herself to get lost in it, she couldn’t help but think about how lucky she was to have such a true gentleman as her mate.
Making sure her hair was brushed and pulled out of her face, she put on her slippers, blew out the candles, and made her way into their room. What she saw made her heart melt. On one of the bedside tables was a charcuterie board and two glasses of wine, and on the bed was a plethora of soft blankets and pillows.
As she looked over the room, a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her back against the male standing behind her. Feyre was quick to relax into the embrace of her beloved, “You’re so sweet, Love…”
Rhys hugged her a little tighter for a moment before taking her hand and leading her over to the bed. It wasn’t long before she was curled up in his arms enjoying everything he had set up for her. She ate some cheese and drank some wine before fully snuggling into her mate’s side. The world could have burned around them and neither would have noticed as they were more focused on the soft nothings they kept exchanging. If not that, then the gentle kisses that Rhys kept peppering her with.
Feyre had never felt more relaxed in her life. Something she was thankful for after the stress of the last few weeks…months… years . More than that however, was how loved she felt. Rhysand had set up this whole spa night for her because he knew how tired she’d been. He had made sure she had the chance she needed to unwind without expecting something in return.
Still, regardless of how much he would inevitably protest, Feyre would be returning the favor tomorrow night. She had her own ways of pampering him, and she knew the work of ruling their Court weighed just as heavily on him as it did on her, if not moreso. Something to let him know how much she appreciated both him and his efforts. He would pretend it wasn’t needed, but the glitter in his eyes would betray how much the gesture touched him.
All of that was tomorrow though. For now, she enjoyed the moment. Thankful for the warm embrace of her mate, as their words grew softer and further apart as sleep took them both.
—
Feyre blinked at the light which filled the room. The sun was up, shining in through the windows. Sighing contentedly, she nuzzled into the pillows and the embrace she was still wrapped in, she smiled to herself as she noted Rhys’s warm presence next to her as he snored softly. He was so cute when he was asleep. She didn’t have the heart to wake him, so she settled back in, happy to stay in his arms until he eventually woke.
*****