Her body slid close, breasts pressing against his back as she reached her arms around his side, loofah still in hand. "Now I'll wash your front. Unless you have any objections?" Her breath was warm on the ridges of his cheeks as he shook his head. Her hands were slow and deliberate as she soaked the sea sponge, dipping it beneath the surface of the water to sweep from the plane of his abdomen to his shoulders. She was thorough, covering both his left and right half with equal attention. The feeling was wonderful; he felt completely renewed when she'd stilled her hands and set the loofah on the side of the tub.

"This part's a little more delicate. Best to do it by hand." Shepard's voice was low and provocative as she slid her hands around the sides of his waist, dipping them to take him in hand. She apparently took his throaty moan as assent, working each hand along his shaft in turn, twisting and slipping over the ridges and brushing the tip. Her hands worked him in this circular motion until he was painfully hard, leaning back against her and breathing shallowly.

"Siha, you must stop." His voice sounded weak and gravelly to his own ears as he took her wrists in his hands, stopping her motions. Turning his head, he gazed at her. "I would enjoy the chance to wash you in return."

She quirked her lips in a half grin as she turned her back to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Reaching back she tugged his erection with one hand. "I don't like leaving you like this, love."

He moved her hand gently to the side, resting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm not at all worried, my lovely siha." Reaching over, he picked up the large, porous object from the tub ledge. "What do you call this delightful implement?"

She leaned forward, sighing as he rubbed it across her shoulders. "It's a loofah. They grow on ocean floors and act as filtering mechanisms in marine reefs." As he continued down her back, she wriggled against the scrubbing motions, voicing little exclamations of pleasure as he worked. "It's so hard to reach your own back. I love having someone else do this for me."

He laughed quietly, raising an eye ridge as he continued. "I would hope that I'm the only one washing your back, siha. Unless there's something that you wish to tell me…" His voice several registers as he released the loofah, letting it float aimlessly off to the side. Trailing his hands over her arms, he grasped her shoulders and pulled her flush against him, cupping the water in his palms and pouring it over the back of her neck.

"Of course not." She was wriggling against him now, which was wreaking all kinds of havoc on his concentration. "I spend ninety percent of my time with you and the team. Unless you think that I'm seeing Grunt on the side." She tilted her head back to throw him a little smirk, which he successfully wiped from her face by dipping his hand below the surface of the water to graze her hardened nipples. "Oh my." She dragged the syllables out as her eyes slipped closed.

Thane traced the shell of her ear with his tongue, whispering. "You're correct, siha. The front is very delicate work; best left to the gentle touch of a hand." The hands in question were cupping her breasts, while his thumbs stroked her erect nipples, rolling around the areola's as they moved. Her back was arched as she pushed more firmly into his palms, creating a gap between their bodies that was filled with quickly cooling bath water. That will not do, he thought, moving his right hand down the flatness of her stomach to rest on the curls at the intersection of her thighs.

Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a yellow bottle on the ledge of the tub. Reaching out with his left hand, he grasped it, holding it in front of a suddenly grumpy Shepard. "Siha, what is this?" He turned the bottle in front of her, swinging it back and forth.

"It's bath gel. Lemon, to be precise." Her voice was obviously irritated and he could picture the pout sitting on her full lips without even looking down to verify it.

He shook it again. "What does it do? What is its purpose, so to speak?"

He could actually hear the pout in her voice as she replied. "It's for cleaning yourself. You put it on your hands or a sponge, like the soap by the sink. Seriously though, why did…"

As she was explaining its use, Thane was pouring a liberal amount onto the fingers of his right hand. Before she could even finish her protestation he had sunk his hand beneath the water again and dipped it between her legs. The gel had admirable staying power and it worked well, lubricating his fingers as they worked their way between her folds.

When he hit the small button of nerves nestled within, her hips jerked and she moaned a short "Yes, Thane" in response. He obliged her, stroking the area broadly at first, and then alternating with short caresses. His siha mewled, her head thrown all the way back onto his shoulder, her breasts jutting out of the water as she rocked her hips against his hand. Her hips were creating a delicious friction as they slid against him, but he ignored it, concentrating on her gratification over his own for the moment.

He varied his approach, circling the area broadly, then narrowly, flicking the little bud with his thumb as he approached. She purred his name over and over, the motion of her hips growing wilder as he increased the pressure of his thumb, stroking hard and short over her. She cried out when she came, shuddering against his hand and holding it in place with both of hers as she ground against it. "Damn." She whispered hoarsely, turning to kiss the side of his neck. "I'll never look at bath gel the same way again."

This struck him as funny, for no particular reason and he laughed as he wrapped his arms around her. "This was a very good idea, siha. I'm willing to admit that there is something to this bathing ritual that you humans obsess over."

"I can't believe you doubted me." She sounded pleased as she snuggled back against him. "Give me one minute to recuperate." Thane played with the wet ringlets on the back of her neck as she rested, twirling them around his finger and watching them spring moistly back into place. He had a sudden urge to wash her hair, burying his fingers in the soapy lather and washing it clean. Hair was still a novelty for him.

She turned in his arms, placing her hands on his shoulders and her thighs on top of his. "So." She began, her eyes bright and twinkling. "There's still the rather important matter of satisfying you, love." Her right hand moved down his shoulder, over his firm pectoral muscle, down the hardened mass of his abdomen to take him in her hand. "I still feel a bit guilty for leaving you hanging." She slipped her hand up and down the length of him as she spoke, keeping her grip firm.

Moving forward, she positioned herself over him, kneeling on either side of his thighs. She guided him into her with a sigh, resting her forehead against his. They stayed that way for a moment, quietly enjoying the intimacy. With small movements at first, she lifted herself to the point where they were barely joined, then slid back down, taking him in deeper each time.

He moved them backwards until he could lean against the side of the tub, bracing himself there. Sliding slightly downward, he changed the angle so that he could move his hips to meet hers with each downward thrust. The feel of her clenching around him was pure bliss; the way she ground her hips against his at the bottom of each stroke was maddening. Each time brought him closer and closer to the sweetness of culmination.

Through unspoken communication they quickened the pace; she rolled her hips fiercely and he responded with equal fervor. His hands buried themselves in the softness of her hair, pulling it from the pins holding it away from her face so that it fell around his head like a curtain as she leaned over him. "Thane… love…" She murmured her eyes locking with his as they moved against each other. Release came swiftly, a jolt of pleasure that stiffened them simultaneously. Her head drooped forward onto his shoulder as she fell against his chest, her breathes slow and even, matching his. She kissed him tenderly, fingers tracing the red ridges in the sides of his neck. His hands rubbed the length of her back, dipping into the water as they moved languidly. "I told you that you'd enjoy bath time." Her voice sounded sated, if a voice were capable of that.

"How often do you require a bath, siha?" Thane tried to keep his voice as casual as possible. "I was thinking that perhaps tomorrow I could wash your hair?"

She laughed, kissing the tip of his nose. "After tonight, I'll indulge you anytime you like." Her look turned considering. "I think that I might start ordering that bath gel by the case."