Page 25 of Captive Heart

She wanted to hug him and cover his beautiful face with kisses. But he hadn’t given her permission, so she gave him what words she could instead. "It's okay," she told him softly. "I'm used to far worse things."

Wasn't that the truth!

Micah paused when she said it, and Melody knew he was thinking the same.

It took time - lots of it. A wide toothed comb. A ton of conditioner. And infinite patience. But finally, Micah had managed to run a brush through Melody's hair from root to tip.

There was a disconcertingly large mass of tangled hair, which had pulled out with the knots, now sitting on the bathroom floor and, although she'd been careful not to complain, her scalp was a little tender.

It was worth the small sensitivity to have hair this clean, untangled and sweet smelling. She would happily have traded another beating or a round of brutal punishment sex for the same privilege. To get it for free was almost beyond comprehension.

Micah had encouraged her to wash her face and… down there herself, and now Melody was feeling cleaner than at any time in living memory.

Oh, she knew she’d been clean before, in the past. But until you lost that very basic provision, it wasn't something you ever considered. Just something you took for granted.

She didn’t think she’d ever take it for granted again.

Finally rinsing everything off, Micah helped her up and moved her to a dry section of the bench, swaddling her in the huge fluffy bath sheet while he tidied up.

"If you're feeling up to it, I've filled the hydro pool as Xavier suggested." He eyed her critically. She was starting to flag a little. Just sitting in the shower and getting cleaned up had taken more out of her than she could have imagined, but actually, the thought of sitting in the heavenly warmth of the gently massaging bubbles sounded blissful.

"I'd like that," she told him with a small smile, and before she had time to blink, he had swept her up in his strong arms and was carrying her through a concealed door at the back of the water playroom and out into a domed, glass atrium which stood on a balcony.

Completely enclosed and heated, it still gave the impression of being outside. The lighting was subdued, coming from hidden recesses at the base of the hydro pool, enabling her to see her way, but not so bright that it obliterated the sparsely lit countryside and the night sky that surrounded them. Somehow, the space managed to feel exposed and yet private at the same time.

It was spectacular.

After he'd dropped her carefully into the deliciously bubbling water, Micah pressed some unseen button, and suddenly, the glass walls became opaque, closing in around her like a blanket so that only the sky through the peak of the dome was clear.

As she lay there, submerged, allowing the warmth and the effervescence to lull and relax both her body and her mind, she could make out a few stars twinkling in the inky depths of the darkness and it felt quite magical, like she had been miraculously transported to some charmed, fairy-tale place. An alternate reality where the evil and the pain that had encompassed her life no longer existed.

She floated, wondering if it was all a dream, a tragic attempt by her mind to escape the truth of her pitiful, painful existence.

Except Micah was right there next to her.

She could feel the strength of his gaze as he quietly watched to make sure she was okay.

If she reached out, she could touch him, and he would be solid and real under her hand.

And right now, Melody wanted nothing more than to touch him, to feel his beauty as a genuine thing. To give him a little bit of pleasure in exchange for the care that he had given her.

Master or not, he hadn't asked anything of her yet and she didn't know when he might, but here in this magical moment, Melody found she wanted to give rather than to have something taken on demand as had always been the case in the past. She wanted to show Master Micah her gratitude, and while her servitude ran deep, she felt as if, with this man, it might be acceptable.

Rolling onto her stomach, she reached out a tentative hand and brushed it across his rock-hard abs. For a moment, Micah did nothing but stare intensely into her eyes. She gained confidence from the fact that he hadn't chastised her, so she swallowed and trailed her hand lower, bracing against the unexpected desire to feel all of those glorious muscles.

"What are you doing?" Micah croaked hoarsely, stilling her hand with his own as her palm closed over the growing bulge in the boxer shorts he still wore.

"Giving you pleasure," she whispered in return, massaging at his semi rigid length beneath the hand that hadn't yet pinned her own enough to make it immovable.

Except that even as she experienced that thought in her subconscious, Micah pressed harder, effectively stopping her movement but also restraining her palm against his throbbing length so that she could feel him grow.

A satisfied smile drew up her lips and she squeezed her fingers around his shaft, drawing a gurgling hiss from his full, sensuous lips. What would they be like to taste? she wondered, momentarily distracted.

She didn't think she dared go that far. Masters were funny like that. They'd let a slave near their cock, but their mouth was far too intimate.

Not that they seemed to mind pushing things into a slave's mouth. They were, mostly, just fussy about their own, in her experience… although maybe her experience wasn't the most accurate.

"Melody?" She was brought out of her musings by the harsh rasp of his voice, his usual calm and velvety tones lost in that moment.

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