Page 568 of Rage

I gird myself for the vivisection of words he’s about to unleash. His jaw works, shifting away from me, the heads toward the bathroom.

“You will attend me.” The words drift to me after he’s already passed out of the room.

My heart thuds while I remain rooted where I stand.

“Krie.” The whiplash of my name makes me jump into the moment. No thought, only movement as I follow my visibly angry husband into the bathroom.

When I enter the shower area he’s removed his belt. The top of the martial uniform hangs loose.

Stepping into his space, I take in the scents of sweet musk, nascent cologne, and him. I have to bite back the moan catching my lower lip between my teeth. My eyes dart up to his, and I immediately know he didn’t miss my response.

“Oh, none of that little chef,” he tsks, pulling my lip out of the cage I put it in. He rubs the indentation with his thumb, shaking his head at me.

Reaching inside the keikogi, I untie the innermost fastening. When it releases, lean muscle rippling with every breath captures my needy gaze. It’s been so long since he last made love to me. I realize that moment it was a punishment. He withheld himself from me.

My fingers tremble as I move behind him. I get on my tiptoes. Reaching as high as I can, I grab the edge of the material, dragging it over his broad shoulders.

He does nothing to help. Holding his body as rigid as the thousand-year-old statues that populate the gardens here, his gaze simply flicks over me as I move to put the top away.

A hard hand just short of painful grabs my upper arm, halting me.

He snatches the shirt. Tossing it onto a nearby bench.

“Continue.” He drags me to his front. His dick is pressed high against the pants. I pull the string, untying then loosening them. Dick springing up he steps free.

“Join me.” His voice is a cruel seduction. I know better than to believe this is anything other than discipline.

My hair is already up, so it’s nothing for me to pull off the chemise I’m wearing, letting it fall to the floor.

Moving in front of him, I lead the way into the shower that can more than accommodate five more people. The controls have already been set to my preference, and I don’t bother to change them for him. He can suffer a little if he’s so determined to be mean.

Smoothing my hair back more, I secure it as the spray cascades over our bodies.

Taking my net sponge, I begin to soap it. Facing away from the water, I face him and begin washing his torso.

“Did you think I didn’t know?” He asks, looking down at me. Water clings to his onyx lashes. His obsidian eyes bore into me. There is a vulnerability there I hadn’t seen before. His jaw works as he struggles not to let the vipers out to tear me asunder. But I can tell he wants to so bad.

“I didn’t know.” I dip my head down, feeling more than a little silly. “I should have thought to consider the possibility. I just assumed it was my body adjusting to the birth control pills. I guess they hadn’t kicked in before we got pregnant.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me that you removed the IUD?” Tipping my chin up, he makes me meet his gaze. His eyes search mine, waiting. Doubting.

“I didn’t think it would be a big deal?—”

“Everything about you is a big deal to me, Krie,” he scoffs, skewering me with the blaze of his regard. “You know this. So tell me fucking why?”

“You were busy, traveling?—”

Canting his head to the side he blinks, ferreting through what I’m not saying. Slicking his hair back from the water, his gaze hardens.

Unable to take him looking at me like he’s about to peel the flesh from my bones, in silence, I wash him, trying to find solace in the water hitting the tiles.

Smoothing circular strokes over his body, I make quick work of the task. Dropping low, I wash his lower half before standing again, taking his dick in my hands, thoroughly washing him the way he likes. I can’t hide the smirk when I reach his ass, and he tenses like he always does. Switching so he can rinse, I don’t bother telling him I already showered, knowing he won’t care.

He takes the soapy sponge from my hands. He takes particular care in his handling of me. Soon the entire front of my body is covered in luscious bubbles of scented jasmine and musk. It marries well with my signature vanilla-rose. I turn so he can cover my back. Gentle swirls across my tummy make my eyes sting. He turns me away from him, doing my shoulders, back, and bottom. The sponge drops with a sloppy splat on the wet tiles.

Pulling me flush with his hard body, his hand circles my neck massaging the soapiness making his fingers play over the tendons there in a delightful dance.

“You thought I was fucking around.” The surety of his words eats at me. I did.

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