Devon Morgan [Seven Brothers for McBride 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) by Anitra Lynn McLeod Page A

tub. The image of the big, tough man in a bath full of bubbles made Karsten smile.
    Without thinking about what he was doing, Karsten lifted his hand and tapped on the door. “Devon?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Can I come in?”
    “Um…sure.” Devon gave him permission after some hasty-sounding splashes.
    Karsten opened the door and discovered there weren’t any bubbles, but Devon didn’t need them.
    “I know how this looks.”
    “How does it look?” Karsten was struggling not to laugh, but a few chuckles managed to slip out anyway.
    “It looks like I’m some kind of odd…duck.”
    That comment caused Karsten to laugh so hard he almost doubled over. Devon was in a very large tub surrounded by bright-yellow, floating ducks.
    “Can I get in?” Karsten almost took it back, but again, he felt safe with Devon. A man who took baths rather than showers and allowed a battalion of ducks to fill the surface of the water wasn’t a man driven to hurt anyone.
    “Sure.” Devon swept some of the ducks aside. “Come on in.”
    Karsten slipped off his robe and then stepped into the water. At first, it felt so hot it almost seemed to sting, but then he grew accustomed and found the heat was soothing.
    “Go slowly.” Devon was trying to keep the ducks corralled on his side of the tub, but the little guys managed to slip through and float over to Karsten.
    As the ducks pressed against his legs, he giggled. “Friendly little things.”
    “They are.” Devon gave up trying to direct the ducks. Instead, he turned to the faucet that was mounted to the side of the tub. “Do you want me to cool the water off?”
    “No. It’s good.” Slowly, Karsten sank down until he was sitting cross-legged in the water across from Devon. The tub must have been custom made since it was quite deep. Now that he was fully submerged, the ducks seemed to lose interest in him and drifted aimlessly.
    “I feel the need to explain.”
    “Okay. But know that I think finding you in a tub of ducks is the cutest thing in the world.”
    A smile transformed Devon’s face. He went from cute to devastatingly handsome so fast it was like magic. “Is that so?”
    “Very so.” Karsten reached out and pushed one of the ducks toward Devon.
    “I find them very soothing.” Devon gently nudged a duck so that it drifted toward Karsten.
    “They are.” Watching them move about the surface of the water was like watching leaves fall. “During autumn, I liked to sit by the big window in the parlor and watch the leaves tumble off the trees. Since the thrall house had dozens of different kinds of trees, the leaves were all different sizes and colors. It was like nature’s confetti, and it was very comforting to see.”
    “It sounds beautiful.”
    “It was.”
    “Do you miss the thrall house?”
    “In some ways I do but in other ways not so much.” Karsten pulled one of the ducks under the water then watched as it shot to the surface. “I miss the camaraderie. My fellow thralls spent a lot of time together, talking about what we’d learned and speculating about what kind of a slammer we might be given to.”
    “That’s why I like living with all my brothers.” Devon took a bottle from the side and then proceeded to shampoo his hair. Since it was very short, it didn’t take much time or product at all. “We were lucky to be bought in a group.”
    “Did you talk about getting mates?”
    Devon nodded. He pulled a large cup from the side of the tub, filled it with water, and then dumped it over his head, washing off the bubbles. Karsten watched as the suds sluiced down his shoulders and then his bronzed chest. Looking at Devon made Karsten keenly aware of his own body.
    When Devon handed the bottle over, Karsten’s first thought was joy at getting to rub soap all over him, but he realized Devon wanted him to wash his hair when he handed over the cup, too. Dutifully, Karsten wetted his hair and then soaped it up. In keeping with the tone of their shared bath, he