Page 25 of There's No Place Like Oz

“Don’t stop on my account.” He dipped his fingers into the water and drew languid circles in the surface tension. His dark eyes practically burned into me. “The last thing I want is for a woman to ever have to walk away from me still unfinished.”

I backed up, inching toward the opposite edge of the pool, away from him and all of my clothing. There, I found a spot where I had better footing and could more easily keep my head above water. I scooted back a little more, until I found a rock I could sit on. If I was mortified, my clit didn’t seem to get the memo.

“This pool is big enough for two people.” I somehow said without shaking any words. “I mean if you want to clean up, too.”

Crowe kept that gaze locked in mine. His sights didn’t wander down to my completely exposed breasts, nor did he so much as glance at the way I was clenching my legs together, trying to keep some amount of low key friction. “Is that right.” His demeanor was no longer playful. He spoke in a serious and probing tone, while those fingers just kept drawing those taunting circles.

His eyes stayed on me as he picked up my dress from the pile of clothes beside him. He dipped the material into the water, and he started wringing out the dirt and muck. I watched as he took care to assure every stain was fully and clearly dissolved.

Then he spoke, deep and severe: “Keep going.” He cocked his head back. “Show me how you like to be fucked, Dorothy.”

“What?” My eyes were so wide they were straining.

He didn’t repeat himself. He narrowed his own gaze and continued. “If I don’t see you orgasm by the time I’m done washing your clothes, I’ll come over there and finish you myself.”

My heart jumped into my throat, my blood scorched through my body, and I near came just at the threat of it. Yet still, I listened. I was shaking like a leaf as I slowly spread my knees again. My whole body was trembling as I placed my hand back down between my legs. His eye contact was unyielding, even as I slipped my first finger back inside. It seemed he was more interested in watching my expressions than anything else. I leaned back, supporting my shoulders on a large rock, I squeezed my tits in clear view, and then I demonstrated for him,exactly, how I like to be fucked.

He laid out my clean dress on a rock, letting it dry in what sunlight remained, then he picked up my panties and dipped them into the pool. He washed the thin lace with extra care, then he set them beside my dress, and he picked up the first of my silver shoes.

I don’t know if I’d ever been more painfully aroused than I was with Crowe’s vicious eyes watching me while his strong biceps flexed and softened as he washed my clothing for me. Is it possible to have a chores kink? Because it was triggering something deep and domestic in my soul that was hard to put into words.

I bit into my lip and let myself make some noise as I pressed on that perfect spot again. And again. And again.

Crowe took extra care to clean any traces of dirt from the shining silver surface of my shoes. He scrubbed gently, then paused for an extended second as he admired its sheen. He picked up the second shoe. Careful again, he began cleaning that last piece of my outfit. I knew I was running out of time, and a rebelliousness in my gut almost wanted to fail on purpose. See if he’d really come over here. See how someone like him makes love to a woman.

Love?

No. Crowe was the type to fuck a woman senseless. He didn’t know what love was.

Maybe I didn’t either. We were all broken puppets here.

“Crowe— “A sharp gasp filled the air between us as I found the edge. I lost myself to that feeling. It was a struggle to keep my eyes open as that perfect wave hit, but I didn’t want him to miss any part of me. If he wanted to watch, I wanted him to see all the way into my soul when I was riding the top of the world.

I sat against that rock, panting heavily, with eyes glazed over, and overflowing with too many endorphins to remember to be ashamed of what I just did for him. Crowe’s expression remained attentive and calm as he finished cleaning my last shoe.

Then with the utmost care, he placed my silver shoes beside my dress on the opposite bank, he stood up, and he placed his hands in his pockets.

“Interesting.” He said. “I’ll keep that in mind for later.”

Without another word, he took a silent step back. He turned on his heel. And he left me alone to get dressed in my wet but clean clothing.

In a way, I was glad he hadn’t said anything more, because I never would have been able to find words to explain myself in that moment.

I waited until my heart stopped racing before I swam back to shore and sat down to put on my little silver shoes. I stroked the shiny leather and remained there on the edge of the water in silence, trying to process what the hell had gotten into me since I arrived in this strange place.

Chapter 18

Pacing. I was pacing through the woods, hesitating to go back to camp at all now. I’d had them in my hands.In my fucking hands.The silver shoes I needed, so carelessly and neglectfully discarded where anyone could come up and steal them, and she left them there without a second thought. It would have been effortless to steal them. Such a careless girl she was.

A carelesswoman. I should have taken them. I could have left her there, so vulnerable and defenseless, and taken back the object that cursed me. That’s all I’d need to free my mind of its damage, then I’d never have to bother with her again. So why…

The way she’d said my name as she came was fuckingringingin my head, and I couldn’t un-hear it. That look on her face, the hard nipples, the whimpers and the trembling and that prim little package looking so completely undone—

I clenched my hand in a fist, and I turned back towards my chosen guard station.

Talos stared at me with pronounced suspicion in those heavy silver eyes as I returned to our position just out of sight and earshot from the rest of the group.

“What is it?” I spat with a sudden unexplained burst of irritation.

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