            "What for, then?" At her silence, the corner of his mouth ticked up. "Unless you simply require a washing basin, I insist on knowing your reason." Lucius dropped the cotton on the desk, reaching over for a roll of bandages. With careful fingers, he wrapped the white cloth around her knee, before securing the ends in a knot. That hand fell away, while the other remained, resting above her knee. His eyes rose to meet hers again as his thumb brushed her inner thigh. The motion was languid, coaxing higher up her thigh until his hand flattened out, his palm flush against her burning skin.