Chapter 8 #2
I know we have to get this contract meeting over with, but my body aches, and goddamnit, he owes me.
Multiple prolonged orgasms nearly ruined me last night. Rathyn can wait until I feel a bit more human again.
I twist the knobs, turning the water on, and I adjust the heat until it’s the perfect temperature.
There are several glass bottles filled with what looks and smells like bath salts, so I dump several scoops into the tub and watch as bubbles explode under the stream.
The smell is fucking delicious, and as it wafts up in tendrils of steam, my eyes slip closed.
I’m already more relaxed.
Letting my robe slide to the ground, I slip into the tub, and my head rests against the cool metal. Yes, this is heaven. This is almost worth what he’s asking me for.
Opening my eyes again, my gaze lands on the exposed beams above me, and I inhale, smelling cedar and vanilla and something else I don’t recognize. It’s something not of this world, but it’s hard to care where it came from when it makes me feel this good.
I can feel each muscle loosening as I sink deeper into the fragrant water, and I let my eyelids rest again. God, I could sleep like this. I could die like this and feel entirely fulfilled.
After a short eternity of letting myself simmer in the hot water, a low hum meets my ears, and Rathyn’s voice fills my head.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a bath,” I reply, using my voice. “I deserve it.”
The humming stops, and that’s when I feel someone staring at me. My right eye peeks open for a split second, and I let out an annoyed huff when I find him hovering over me.
“What? Don’t look at me like that. I’m sore, and whatever this stuff is for the water, it’s amazing.”
“It is avlise. It’s for after battles, to relax the body and recover from wounds.”
That tracks. I wasn’t necessarily in battle, but I feel like it. “I never want to leave.”
He hums again, and I can’t help myself. I open my eyes and lock gazes with him. He is very…strange-looking, and yet terrifyingly beautiful. I want him to touch me again, despite how exhausted I am.
His ears flutter, and it’s then that I see what he has in his hands. A coffee cup and a brown pastry bag. It smells sweet and delicious, and for a moment, I fall a tiny bit in love with this whole arrangement.
I adore my best friend, but Zane is definitely not the type of guy to bring me coffee and croissants while I’m in a glorious bath.
My bubbly hand lifts from the water and reaches out to him. “Gimme,” I say as Rathyn moves toward me.
He hesitates and looks almost nervous, which is unlike him. “We have an appointment.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Fuck appointments. I need a minute. Please,” I add, begging him with my tone to understand that I’m fragile and need time to recover.
After a beat, he sets the coffee in my hand, and without even sniffing it, I take a big sip. My eyes roll into the back of my head, and I let out a filthy moan.
“Oh hell yes. This is delicious. Where did you get it?”
“I asked the human downstairs for it,” he tells me, sounding overly pleased with himself.
I peer inside the bag and moan again when I see a large pastry with chocolate stuffed inside. I start to reach for it when I realize the scented bubbles will contaminate the flavor.
I move back away from him and sit up a bit straighter. “Feed this to me?” I say. “My hands are wet, and I don’t want soap to ruin it.”
Rathyn stares at me, and I swear I can feel the low hum in the back of his throat moving all around me. I half-expect him to tell me no with the way he’s staring at me, but after a moment, he takes the bag from me and kneels beside the tub.
I force my expression into something neutral as he reaches in and pulls the pastry out with his long, blue fingers. His claws are extended, and he spears the pastry delicately and holds it in front of me.
Part of me wants to tell him to peel part of it off for me, but instead, I part my lips and take a bite.
He watches me intently, almost hungrily, as I chew and swallow, a low, pleased groan escaping my throat. “That’s fucking amazing.”
His eyes meet mine again, then he gives me a subtle nod. “Finish up quickly.”
The moment between us shatters, and I’m back to being annoyed. I roll my eyes and make sure to take an obnoxiously slow bite. “Don’t rush me. I need to be in peak form before I leave the apartment.”
“Your form is fine.” He eyes me appreciatively. So appreciatively that I begin to blush.
“By the way, just so you know,” I add as I swallow another bite of pastry, then chase it down with a long swallow of coffee, “I’m just as tired as I was before. That ruenox doesn’t get any easier to take.”
“Some humans are weaker than others.”
That startles a laugh out of me. He’s not really wrong. I haven’t exactly kept up on my stamina, and the only reason I’ve maintained my strength is because Zane is a gym addict, and it’s the only place he ever wants to hang out. “Fuck you, dude,” I say with a grin.
He cocks his head to the side and frowns. “We don’t fuck. That is a human thing.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” I finish off my coffee and stuff the rest of the pastry in my mouth, letting my lips graze Rathyn’s fingertips as I do. I hear the hum he gives when I do that.
He may not admit it, but it’s obvious he likes it. I’ve started to wonder if the no-fucking and no-pleasure thing is bullshit because he seems to really enjoy it when I touch and kiss him.
“Was that another form of a kiss?” he asks as he stares down at his fingers.
“I mean, sort of, I guess. Here,” I hold out my hand, and he places his in it. I lean forward and press my lips to his fingertips, making sure to give him a proper kiss on two of them.
He watches it all, his ears fluttering, and then when I pull away, he stares for a long time at where our bodies met.
“This seems…inappropriate for public or private.”
I snort a laugh. “Trust me, kissing can get a lot filthier than that.”
His eyes flash to mine as I pull back and sink beneath the water to scrub my hands through my hair. When I emerge, Rathyn is gone, leaving me to dry off alone.
I’m feeling a bit better now that I’ve eaten, had some caffeine, and had a long soak. I’m annoyed when I realize he still hasn’t brought any clothes, though, so I wrap up in a towel and pad through the apartment until I find him.
Rathyn is at the kitchen counter, his eyes still on his fingers, and I wonder if maybe my kissing broke him.
It makes me slightly giddy at the thought, though I have no idea why.
I shake myself out of that thought and clear my throat. “Clothes?”
His gaze flicks up to mine, and he stands, tucking his arm behind his back. His tail is still wrapped tightly around his thigh, and I wonder if he’ll wrap that around me again. He did it last night when I wouldn’t stop trying to wrap my legs around his neck.
He held me down with it, and god help me, I loved it.
I don’t tell him that, though. I watch as he snags a bag from the counter and holds it out to me. After a beat, he mimics me, clearing his own throat and says, “Get changed and then we can go.” His voice is oddly tense, but I don’t ask.
Instead, I give him a mock salute and then drop the towel right where I am. His gaze catches on my dick, and he looks at it hungrily for a second, then turns to give me privacy.
It’s strange. I feel almost rejected, but I also appreciate that he’s learning humans do like a bit of privacy from time to time. But I wonder why he cares now.
My face burns as I pull out a pair of loose pants and a button-up shirt that are nowhere near my size. The pants hang off my hips until I tighten the drawstrings, and I have to roll the sleeves up to my elbows to keep them from hanging past my fingers.
They’re not ideal, but they’ll do.
“Alright. I’m ready,” I say as I do up the last button. Rathyn turns and gives me an irritated look. I know he doesn’t love it when I’m dressed, but I don’t care. I’m not going to be showing everything off to a bunch of strangers at City Hall.
He sighs quietly, then offers his hand out, and I take it. His palm is warm against mine, and I have never stopped liking the odd feeling of his skin. His touch settles me until he tugs me forward so hard I almost stumble into him, but I catch myself on his arm.
He looks down at me, his jaw working like he wants to say something, but in the end, it’s just more silence. I don’t know why that bothers me so much, but I can’t help it.
I suddenly feel very alone.