The battalion were already arriving. She could hear the murmur of deep voices and the restless clopping of hooves out on the main street. Feeling a lurch of excitement, she lifted the basket full of dirty linen and hurried out of the back door of the main building. As she crossed the deserted cobbled courtyard, she mused about how her sleepy village would soon be bustling with activity and people. She wanted to ensure her inn was fit for such honoured guests as Soldiers of the Realm to stay and recuperate whilst they journeyed to the lowlands. She almost tripped over her skirts as she walked, her breath steaming in the winter sun. She could barely see over the woven basket piled high with bedding, and she had to balance it carefully to push open the heavy wooden door of the laundry outbuilding. She stepped inside, and bent down to put the basket on the stone floor. When she straightened up, she saw she was not alone and let out a quiet gasp.
In front of her was a male solder with his back to her, stood before the large wooden tub she had filled with hot water mere minutes before. His tunic and trousers were draped over the side of the tub, and he appeared to be washing himself with a rag. He was completely naked. She should turn around and leave immediately. But instead she stood frozen, watching his chestnut hair fall across his shoulders and the muscles twitch across his back as he cleaned his chest. He was taller than her, with a soldier's broad but athletic build. There was a loud bang as the wooden door swung closed behind her, and the man paused and looked up. She should leave, she thought, right now. She instead remained transfixed as he slowly turned around to face her. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of him.
Rivulets of soapy water made their way down his muscular, toned chest and stomach. She looked up and he met her gaze with his deep brown eyes. He stood before her openly, not the least bit embarrassed at her interruption. She breathed heavily as they stared at each other. Why couldn't she look away? She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out as he slowly looked her up and down. His expression grew darker and his gaze returned to hers with a serious look that made her skin feel like it was on fire. The soldier took a few confident strides towards her, and she could not will her body to run away. She didn't think she wanted to run away. He stopped just as he reached her, and gazed at her imploringly. She looked into his eyes as he lifted a hand to her cheek. His touched ignited the spark of the desire that had been building inside her, and she let go of her last shred of restraint as she inclined her lips towards his. What was she doing? But she knew she could not stop.
The stranger began by kissing her lightly, carefully, tentatively exploring her lips with his own. Then, when she parted her lips, he deepened the kiss and pushed her back against the door. He pressed his bare body against hers as she dared to wrap her arms around his back, pulling him closer. As she stroked her hands across his shoulders she could feel his hardness pressing against her body, and she sighed into the kiss. He ran his hands down her soft neck, across her shoulders and back, to her sides and waist. Their kiss became deeper and more urgent. Next, he briefly broke their kiss to bend down and lift up her skirts with one hand. With the other he pulled her hip towards him as he stood up and his mouth again met hers. As they kissed, she felt his warm, steady hand slowly slide up the inside of her bare leg. She felt herself shiver with anticipation as he got towards her inner thigh, where he paused. She kissed him harder and he took the signal and lightly ran his fingers over her underclothes between her legs, rubbing her slowly, gently. After a few seconds the pressure and speed slowly increased, and she let out an involuntary moan of pleasure. She felt him grin against her mouth as he continued his rhythmic rubbing and caressing. Moving his fingers to make slow circles around her inner thighs before once again returning to her dampening centre.