Day 23
Ashri finishes lathering John's face with a greenish cream that smells like a cross between bananas and passion fruit and leaves his skin warm and tingly.
He tried to shave the beard with his knife, but only managed to thin down the growth a little bit since his knife is in serious need of sharpening. Besides, dry shaving hurts like hell. Surreptitiously, John found that Ashri seems to be hair free on her arms and legs at least from what he's glimpsed. Of course, women have all sorts of secret rituals men never know about. It's more likely she has some crazy herb that keeps her stubble free. John grins. Screw ZPM's, the ladies of Atlantis would kill to get their hands on something that useful. He'd love to investigate his theory, but lately, Ashri's been a bit more modest about her body. John wonders if maybe that came from him.
Yesterday, he tried to explain to her that he wished to be rid of the beard and how he was going to go about it. Ashri seemed to understand after about twenty minutes. She disappeared for the rest of the afternoon and this morning she brought out this fruit concoction, a bowl of water and a flat disk of stone, very sharp on one edge. Grateful, John tried to take the objects, but Ashri refused to let him leave. She raised the lights in the temple to daylight level and indicated that he should sit so she could shave him. John suspected she was asking for his trust, so he obliged and she lathered him up.
Expecting her to work from behind, John leans back in the chair only to have her motion for him to sit up. Ashri then moves before him and sits on his lap, straddling his legs. John's breath catches, but being the innocent person that she is, Ashri has no clue what she's doing to him. He blanks his mind, concentrating on anything but the woman sitting on him, so close he can smell her…see the flecks of gold in her dark eyes, the black outline of her irises, the long black lashes... C'mon, man, it's not like she's giving you a lap dance. Chill!
The stone blade touches his cheek. Ashri tilts her head, her eyes following the careful descent of the stone. She rinses it off in the bowl of water set on the table then returns to his face for another stroke.
John's fascinated by her focus as much as her gentleness. He doesn't even feel the nick on his jaw and never would have known about it if she hadn't suddenly stopped with her eyes wide in worry. John touches the spot, seeing blood on his fingertips. He grins easily. "I do it all the time," he says. Ashri sighs with relief, cleans off the stone razor then presses her right palm against his jaw, instantly healing the cut.
Before he realizes it, she's done and ready to get up, only to look down and see…his hands on her thighs. John didn't even realize he was touching her, let alone holding her in place. He'd managed to clear his mind of all lusty thoughts, but still his body craves contact with her. She catches his gaze, tilting her head in that questioning way he's gotten used to, staring at him for a moment until her eyes widen a bit and a blush colors her cheeks. Ashri quickly drops her gaze.
John grudgingly, slowly pulls his hands from her, and she rises, still not looking at him. He's gone too far. She must have seen what he's been trying so hard to ignore, but can't possibly hide or deny. And it must have scared her.
He rubs his face; it feels great, incredibly smooth. As the lights slowly dim in the temple, John rises from his chair. He leans over and whispers, "Thanks," in her ear followed by "and…sorry." John's about to walk away when Ashri reaches behind her and grasps his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.