Still unsure of himself, Nico took a few faltering steps towards me. I held out a hand and his uncertainty evaporated in a beautiful, honest smile. He crossed the room lightly and quickly, and I was in his arms a moment later.

Just his touch made me feel better, the feel of his hands on my body letting me know I was not alone. His huge arms folded about me and I felt safe and secure, as well as loved. As his tongue slipped into my mouth, the only question in my mind was; why hadn't we done this before?

Somehow, our steps took us back into the bathroom, our lips never parting, but still managing to shed clothes as we went. Nico's shirt hit the floor and I ran my hands across the acreage of his muscular chest.

Moments later, wasting no time, we were in the water, still kissing. It was hot enough to take your breath away, scalding my skin to a flushed scarlet, and yet the heat between Nico and I seemed far greater. We had been so caught up in kissing that I still hadn't really had a chance to look at him. Now, I pushed away from him, relaxing back in the tub, sunken into the bathroom floor, to take in the sheer scale of him. All the guys were big, but Nico was a colossus. I doubted that he could have fit in a normal-sized bath without his legs and arms draping over the sides. In this outsized tub, he looked at home, as it accommodated the breadth of his shoulders, the length of his limbs, and that impossible expanse of chest that gleamed with water. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was giving me a similar appraisal, and he seemed to like what he saw.

"By all the gods, you are so beautiful."

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls you bathe with."

My eyes strayed down to the surface of the water, where bubbles floated in rose-scented clumps. The water was deep, but not quite deep enough. They say that tall men are never “all in proportion”, but that clearly didn’t apply to Nico.

"Up periscope," I murmured as the head of his cock popped up through the water.

He grinned as I scooped up a handful of bubbles and deposited them on his straining member. Nico’s jaw flexed as he reached for the soap.

"Let me."

I wasn't sure what he meant at first but he was apparently following through on his initial goal to give me a relaxing bath. He lathered up his hands, then took my arm and soaped it thoroughly, first one, then the other. Turning me around, he soaped my back, the wash turning into a massage as his large, but surprisingly dexterous, fingers dug into my muscles, seeking out and chasing away every knot and ache. His hands slipped to my waist beneath the water and slowly worked their way back up, leaving me as limp and loose as a noodle.

"Nico..." I purred, too perfectly relaxed to say anything else.

He reached for the soap again and, still with my back to him, he reached around to soap my belly and breasts, not missing a spot, touching every part of me. And every part of me wanted that touch that seemed to make everything alright.

Hoisting my legs, one by one from the water, he lathered me from toe to thigh, strong fingers once again kneading my muscles till they were blissfully limber. There wasn't a tense muscle left in my body, save the hot knot of desire cradled in my loins, and it would take more than a massage to relieve that.

Abandoning the soap, Nico reached for the shampoo, nestling me between his spread legs. As he began to wash my hair, I could feel his rod up against me, hard as iron, desperate for release, and yet here he was, washing my hair. With gentle hands, Nico guided me down so I was lying back between his legs, the shampoo dispersing from my hair as it floated around his massive erection.

I'd had sex in the bath a few times and in the shower more than a few. But it had only ever seemed like a novel place to have sex - an alternative to the bed rather than something different or special. Certainly, I'd never had a man treat me as Nico did, turning the washing of my body into the most sensual foreplay I had ever experienced. It was simultaneously relaxing and frustrating, draining away all my tension and driving me crazy with desire.

I sat up from the water, my wet hair streamed down my back.

"You like that?" asked Nico.

"You haven't washed me everywhere yet."

He reached for the soap again. "Stand up."

I did as I was told, cascading bubbles as I stood before him, my most private area inches from his face. I heard him catch his breath and allowed myself a moment of quiet satisfaction.

"Turn around,” he muttered, his voice gritty.

I turned, and seconds later, it was my turn to catch my breath as Nico's hands closed on my ass cheeks. He massaged my buns firmly so flesh squeezed between his strong fingers. I squealed as a trespassing digit traversed the length of my ass crack, and then clutched at my breasts in frustration as, achingly thoroughly, he soaped every nook and cranny.

"Turn around again, love.”

I was trembling by now, unsure if my legs could even hold me up much longer, but there was one wonderful torture more to endure. I watched Nico's hands closely as he soaped them up again, and then...

"Ahhh!" I keened through gritted teeth as his fingers found my tender folds. Clasping the top of his head to keep myself upright, I tried hard not to writhe my hips too much as Nico, still as slow and methodical as he had been throughout, soaped up my most intimate zone. With deft fingers he rubbed my aching clit with sure strokes and I could hold back no longer.

I wailed out loud, my legs gave way beneath me, and I collapsed onto him and into the soapy water. Waves of pleasure flowed through me as I cried out, my pussy clenching and twitching. As I lay, weak and helpless, Nico gathered me to him, and I clutched at him like a muscular life preserver.

"Thank you," I murmured before kissing him. He returned the kiss and gently caressed my trembling body.

Without really intending to, my hand sought out the heat of his shaft and I began to stroke up and down its impressive length. My head was against Nico's chest, and I heard his breathing change and heartbeat quicken as I took him in hand, but he mastered himself quickly. For a long while, I was happy to lie there in the water, letting my hand make the long journey from base to tip. But soon enough, the pleasure of this was augmented by the sharp sensation of anticipation. As my strength returned, so did my desire.

Moving slowly, and kissing Nico's lips every few seconds, I clambered astride his massive body. Nico gazed up at me, an almost desperate need in his dark eyes. He growled as I took his throbbing cock and guided it to my core. On another day, I would have found Nico's size intimidating, but after my massage and my first devastating orgasm, I was more than ready.

A rumble of satisfaction sounded from Nico's chest as he slipped inside me and I let my hips descend with self-indulgent slowness until I had all of him, right to the hilt.

"Oh, Cat..." If he had wanted, Nico could have picked me up, could have hurled me across the room, probably could have even juggled me. He was the strongest man I had ever known, but also the gentlest and the sweetest. His hands slid down my back as I began to undulate my hips in a slow, gentle rhythm, in time to the thrumming inside me.

I leaned down to kiss him and he held me to him, stroking my body, not possessively but carefully, like I was the most important thing in the world. Coming upon me, slow but sudden, I felt that strange sensation I had experienced with both Alexei and Christoph and was quick this time to put a word to it. Love.

Time ticked by and our pace remained slow and languid. Pleasure did not come in hard, quick shocks but was drawn out over long minutes like molasses poured from a jar. It spread over us, thick and sweet, getting into our skin so just the brush of Nico's fingers on my hip was ecstasy. I wondered if I would ever orgasm, or if we could just keep going like this forever. Then I decided that maybe this was what it was like with him. If I had started to come when Nico had first pushed into me and had not stopped yet. A slow motion orgasm - all the pleasure that was usually concentrated into a matter of seconds, strung out endlessly…

That proved to be dead wrong. My body, slowly filling up with pleasure, doubling over on itself time and time again, had finally reached its capacity and the pleasure had nowhere else to go. I whimpered as a sharp sensation penetrated me and set me moving suddenly faster, grinding against him. Nico grunted as I moved, now accustomed to our slow love-making, he was unprepared for this change of pace and style and it had laid him low. I felt his powerful organ buck and swell inside of me as my body strained toward the apex alongside of him.

"Yes, Nico, yes!”

His hands took hold of my fast-pumping hips and took control of my movement, working me over his straining cock, faster and harder so the water splashed around us. His breaths were coming in growling rasps as he held my gaze. We were nearly there, sharp seconds dividing us from the ultimate pleasure, and then...

"Fuck!" Nico groaned.

I screamed a split second later as the dam burst that had, for so impossibly long, held back sensations, which would now not be denied. How he had held back for so long I did not know, his strength and stamina had been taxed to the limits and his final reward was almost overwhelming. I threw myself flat against him, biting his shoulder to stop myself from screaming any more as my body exploded into a mind-blowing orgasm. I half expected the water around us to hiss as his cock jerked and swelled, spurting inside me in a hot rush.

For a long while, we stayed that way, our bodies coming down from the incredible high. I was the first to recover the power of speech. “Water’s freezing,” I murmured.

"Should probably get out," said Nico.

"I don't think I have the strength."

"Me neither."

I was a little proud of that. How many people could wear out someone like Nico?

"That was amazing."

I shook my head. "Amazing is just a word. That was..." I pulled a face and Nico laughed.

"I don't know if I should... Cat," he looked into my eyes with a childlike expression of honesty, "I think I love you."

"I'm damn well sure I love you."

Well, I had said it now and there was no taking it back. Nothing had been solved. I still had a whole trunk of baggage between us - all of us - to unpack and deal with. But here and now, I’d spoken my truth and so had he.

We managed to drag ourselves out of the tub and dried each other. Wiped out and aching all over though I was, when Nico dried the tenderness between my legs, I felt a throb of fresh desire. How could that possibly be? And it seemed to be mutual, as when I rubbed the towel as gently as possible along the swinging length of Nico's member, I felt it stirring.

We padded back into the bedroom, naked and unashamed.

"I laid out your pajamas for you," said Nico, pointing to the bed.

I looked back at him steadily. "I don't think I'm going to need them tonight. Do you?"

As I looked, I could see his cock stiffening.

“No." He crossed the room and took me in his arms.

Tomorrow would come soon enough.