Page 66 of Cuffed By Your Love
She didn’t say a word, just climbed into my lap, arms wrapping around my neck, tears spilling silently and steadily.
I held her like the answer had been in my arms this whole time.
She buried her face in my neck, voice muffled. “Damn, Elias.”
“Nah,” I whispered, mouth grazing her ear. “Damn,you.”
She leaned back just enough to meet my gaze. “I’m yours.”
I brought our foreheads together, both of us breathing slowly in sync like we were memorizing the moment.
“Already, lil’ baby,” I murmured. “And I been yours.”
I didn’t even realize how tense my body was until she touched me. Not in that quick, familiar way people pat you on the back after you survive a storm.
No.
Jonay touched me like she was untying knots with her fingers and pouring comfort straight into my bones.
After everything with Kam, after IA, after being watched, questioned, and judged,I needed this.
I just didn’t know it until she pulled me by the hand into the bathroom and whispered, “Let me take care of you tonight, baby.”
The bathroom smelled like calm with a heartbeat, lavender curling through the steam, sandalwood humming low, and sweet orange floating in the air like sunshine exhaled.
Steam curled around us like it knew what we were there to do,not sex, but something more intimate. Something deeper. Something that didn’t always have a name.
The tub was already filled. It was milky with her homemade soak, a blend of oatmeal, honey, and a few dried rose petals that floated like little pieces of beauty. A wooden tray stretched across the top holding a candle, a clean rag, and a small bottle with a handwritten label:
“Stillness – infused with vanilla, bergamot, and unbothered energy.”
She turned to me, eyes soft but firm. “Take your shirt off.”
I didn’t ask questions, just obeyed.
She stood behind me and slowly pulled my shirt off, as if every inch of skin she revealed deserved its own moment. Her hands ran over my shoulders and down my back, like she was relearning me after a war.
“You carry so much,” she whispered, fingertips tracing my spine. “And you don’t even flinch.”
“I’m built for it,” I murmured.
“Built doesn’t mean you’re unbreakable, Elias.”
Then she helped me step into the tub. The water enveloped me, warm and thick, like comfort in liquid form. I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. My head leaned back, and my eyes closed.
The next thing I felt was her hands.
She knelt behind the tub, dipped the rag in the water, then ran it over my chest, slow, intentional, not missing a spot. Hertouch wasn’t rushed or shy. It was womanly. Confident. Bold. Like she knew she had every right to be there.
“You’re always taking care of everybody else,” she whispered, voice honey-slow. “Let somebody take care of you for once, baby.”
She poured a little of the oil in her hands, warmed it between her palms, and then rubbed it into my shoulders. Deeply. Smoothly. She massaged every knot like she had a personal vendetta against my stress.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered, her lips gently brushing against my ear. “I need you to know that I’m grateful for you—for your presence, your patience, and the way you see me even when I’m trying to hide.”
The oil sank into my skin, leaving behind a glow that wasn’t just from the candlelight. She worked in silence for a while with only the sound of the water and my quiet breaths as she traced every curve of my body, like she was learning me all over again.
When she stood and moved around to face me, I opened my eyes. Her locs fell loosely now, free from the wrap. Her face was soft, her lips glistening, and her eyes were full of affection, speaking volumes without words.
