A Bruising Kiss I

At Daphne's words and her gentle touch, Atticus felt his entire body heating up. His mouth ran dry, and he could only give a brief, jerky nod. All his words threatened to trip over each other as they tried to stumble out of his mouth. 

He had not imagined Daphne's willingness to once again engage in intimacy. The strength of his desire for her had almost threatened to overwhelm him, and he had to use every bit of his composure to avoid pawing at her like a desperate lovelorn beast and causing her to change her mind.

No, Atticus was a better man than that. Thankfully, the bath had been kept clean even in his long absence, so he didn't have to worry about pests living inside it. Seeing a rat or two would have sent Daphne back to Nedour and put a damper on Atticus's plans of seduction.