Page 92 of Emergence and Ascendance

I motioned to the tub and Scotlyn stepped into the water and sighed in pleasure. "God, that's perfect."

She sank into the tub and I hated that her body disappeared under the bubbles. “You’re not joining me?" She tilted her head.

I shook my head and settled on the bamboo bench beside the tub. "Tonight is about you."

"That doesn't sound like much fun for you."

"I disagree. Seeing you relax is exactly what I want."

"So you're just going to sit here?”

"I can leave if you want?"

She closed her eyes, let her head drop back to the edge of the tub, and smiled. “No, you can stay. As selfless as you’re being, I would prefer that you join me, but since you’re determined to make this about me, you can at least keep me company.”

She sank deeper and sighed again. “This feels amazing.”

“Good, that’s the point.”

I reached for a washcloth, submerged it in the water, and reached for the body wash. I moved it softly over her shoulders, up the curve of her neck, and down across her breasts.

“So I’m getting the premium treatment.”

I chuckled and moved the washcloth down her stomach and back up. “You get whatever makes you feel good.”

“Then this definitely makes me feel good.”

“Lean forward.”

Scotlyn sat up and brought her knees to her chest and I moved the washcloth over her shoulders and down her back. “Mmmm. Definitely feels good.”

"You don't have to do this," she murmured.

"Part of taking care of what's mine."

"I'm not yours?" She smiled lazily after I pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

"For the duration of this contract, you are." I pressed my thumbs into a knot at the base of her neck and she moaned in approval.

"Shit, this is so perfect."

I moved my fingers down her spine, over her shoulders, and down her arms, then went back to washing every inch of her body. When I reached for her legs, I lifted them one by one, working my fingers over them before I followed with the washcloth.

"Is this not weird to you?"

"What?"

"You’re fully dressed, washing me like I’m not fully capable."

“You’re saying that like you’ve never had a man make you his priority."

She tensed and my eyes shifted to her face. She was watching me and my answer was there. She hadn’t.

Scotlyn had been married for ten years. I couldn’t find shit about their union other than photos of the two of them perfectly posed at events. I assumed that was just the nature of things. If anyone did a deep dive on my marriage, they would find similar images of me and Aja. We looked like the blueprint for Black love but our private life was a gotdamn fraud. Maybe that was the same for Scotlyn. Conversation for another time. Tonight was about relieving stress and taking her mind off things, not bringing up memories of a past she was trying to move on from.

After a long moment, she dropped her eyes and smiled before they were on my face again. She was pushing past whatever thoughts tainted the moment after my statement. “Are you sure you don’t want to join me?”

I placed her leg back in the water and moved my fingers up her calf and across her inner thigh.

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