Page 32 of How May I Please You

She lets out a long exhale before answering, “I wouldn't call it rough. Just long. I missed you.”

I smirk, my heart reacting to her words. “I missed you, too, Little One.”

“You smell good,” she says, taking in a big breath.

“Just got out of the shower.”

“I need one but I’m too exhausted to get up from this spot.”

Chuckling, I reach down and take her by the hand as I stand. “Come with me.”

I lead Journey into the bedroom, where I sit her down on the mattress to wait while I start the shower. As it heats up, I go back to her and begin unfastening her buttons, pulling off her shirt before dropping to my knees to remove her shoes, socks, and pants. My eyes instinctively glance at her pussy when I slide off her panties, but I maintain control over my urges like a good Dom should. Once she’s undressed, I guide her to the shower, but before helping her inside, I remove my clothes, dropping them at my feet.

“I thought you said you just had a shower,” Journey says.

“I did. I’m not washing myself. I’m washing you. Now get in.”

With a quick bite of her lip that she tries to hide, Journey steps into the shower and plunges her head beneath the water. I follow her, and as she wets her face, I grab her loofah and drizzle it with body wash before placing it on her back. I slowly move the loofah around on her skin, licking my lips as I clean every crevice on her backside. When she turns to face me, I do the same thing, coating every inch of her with suds until she relaxes and steps back into the water, her stress spiraling down the drain with the soap.

Once she’s all cleaned off, Journey glances down at my aroused cock and licks her lips. I’m not surprised. There has never been a time where she and I could shower together and not play afterward, but when she reaches for me this time, I politely push her hand away.

“No. Not now,” I tell her. “Just let me take care of you, Little One.”

She nods as she says, “Yes, Sir,” but her eyes stay glued to my cock.

I smile as I help her out of the shower and into the bedroom, where I wrap her in a towel while using another to dry her off. I go over each limb before repeating the process with her lotion, then I climb onto the bed behind her and pull us all the way back until we reach the headboard. With Journey comfortably between my legs, we lean back and I brush her hair for her.

“Why are you so good to me?” she asks.

“Because you're mine,” I answer, continuing to run the brush through her wet hair.

I take my time, brushing slowly to give her enough time to unwind completely from her day. After a few moments of silence, I finally say what has been waiting impatiently in the background since the moment she walked in.

“Tell me about your day,” I say. “How did the fire investigation go with Andrea’s?”

Journey clears her throat and sits up straight, whatever she’s about to say requiring a straight back and hardihood.

Almost as if it’s rehearsed. I wear a mask every day, Little One. I can recognize the signs.

“Everything went fine,” she begins. “Summers and I took a little trip to Chad Swanson’s house in Fairmont and talked to him and his parents. The kid is definitely a little troublemaker.”

I keep stroking her hair. “I’m sure he is. But did he start the fire?”

“It’s hard to say right now. He has a weak alibi, so … he’ll be the one.”

I pinch my lips together, taking a second to build up to it because I know there’s a chance she’ll be offended. But I have to ask her outright. Fuck all of this beating around the bush.

“Journey … did you set the diner on fire?”

After being completely loose and relaxed, the muscles in her neck and shoulders turn to stone.

“What? Of course not,” she answers quickly—confidently. “What would make you think that?”

I set the brush down on the nightstand and wrap my arms around her so that she knows I’m not judging her, but my brow furrows.

“I know that kid offended you,” I respond. “I know you were pissed about the way he talked to you, and I know that if he were an adult, he’d either be missing body parts or face down somewhere secluded because I would've handled it. But he was a kid—a teenager that I chose not to hurt because he was having a rough day. It’s okay if that bothers you. I just want you to know that you can tell me anything, Journey. I’ve always got your back. You and I have wreaked havoc before, and I would wreak it with you again, even if I disagree with your decision. You come first. You're above everybody on this god forsaken planet to me. So if you did it, just tell me and we’ll deal with it together. Did you do it?”

Journey lets seconds that feel like hours pass by before finally replying, “Evan, I didn't burn down the diner.”

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