Page 50 of Cry for Help

I didn’t know how long Malphas planned on showering, but it had been an hour, and I was still coated in blood. It was in my hair, under my fingernails, and all over my clothes.

I didn’t have such an extensive wardrobe that I could afford to change before bathing, and I was about ready to pull my hair out if Malphas didn’t finish up soon.

Finally, I heard the water stop and pulled off my clothes, grabbing the single towel from the wardrobe.

I waited a suitable number of minutes before making a beeline down the hallway before Caim could jump in and steal the rest of the hot water.

I was so consumed with washing the blood from my bodythat I didn’t bother knocking as I tried the handle. The bathroom was unlocked, and I strode through the door—a second away from dropping my towel.

The shower was very much occupied, though the water had stopped running. Hunched over at the waist, his hand curled around his cock, Malphas’s eyes were closed, and his mouth parted in pleasure.

Something stirred inside of me, between my legs and in my chest, sending a flash of heat through me.

I must have made a sound because Malphas opened his eyes, his hand slowing but not stopping as he met my gaze.

I couldn’t sign my apology. I didn’t want my towel to drop.

I couldn’t help but look down at the sculpted perfection of Malphas’s body. His hair was wet, slicked back from his face, and water droplets clung to his tan skin.

My eyelids fluttered, and my cheeks turned pink when I realized I was staring.

Malphas didn’t take his eyes off me, even as I stepped out the door and ran back to my room.

If I counted how many times I’d interrupted someone giving themselves a handy—man or woman, I would run out of fingers. Pun intended. Prison blurred the boundaries, especially regarding that kind of stress relief. I was strictly dickly, not for lack of trying, but I’d walked in on so many people touching themselves that it wasn’t a big deal anymore.

Maybe it was because Malphas was male, with a penis. A very lovely penis.

I slapped my cheeks, shaking my head.Come on, Maddie.

Malphas?

Grumpy Malphas, who hoarded cheese like some kind of goblin.

Malphas, who made sure I was fed. Who always made sure to address me directly, even from the beginning. When it would have been so easy to just talk over the little mute human girl.

My cheeks warmed again, and my body hadn’t stopped buzzing—which had nothing to do with the car accident that had left me riddled with aches and pains. I’d put the demons in a box in my head, forgetting that they had needs, too.

Still dressed in a towel, I did what any self-respecting person does when they wanted to forget how embarrassed they were. I went to the kitchen and pulled open the cupboard. Poured a glass of wine and grabbed a wedge of brie. I bit into the cheese like an animal, sucking the wine down as I leaned against the counter, but every time I blinked, I saw Malphas’s hand around his cock.

I was so distracted that I didn’t see or hear Caim as he swanned into the kitchen in a change of clothes, blood still splattered on the side of his face.

He flashed me a wink, and I shook my head to clear it.

“What?” I signed.

“Could you pour me a glass of wine?” Caim gave me a strange look. “You’re blocking the cabinet.”

“Oh.” I jumped away from the counter. “Sure.” I poured the glass and held it out to Caim. My fingers shook. He reached forward, wrapping his fingers around the glass, and I imaginedhisfingers around Malphas’s cock. I jumped, almost dropping the glass. Caim grabbed it from my hands before it fell.

“You’re jumpy today.” He noted. “You almost dyed my shirt red.”

I wiped my sweaty hands down the front of my shirt.

Malphas appeared in the doorway a moment later, the shoulders of his shirt damp as his hair dripped onto his clothes. “Maddie.” He sagged, relieved. Had he thought I would leave? I had no clue.

I stepped back from Caim, even though we hadn’t been doing much more than talking.

If Malphas found anything suspicious about our proximity, he said nothing. Silently, I took a glass out of the cupboard and poured Malphas some wine. I left his glass on the kitchen island to avoid touching his hand—I probably would have combusted if he wrapped his fingers around something else.

---