Page 251 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

Normally our aftercare was much more intimate and private. I realized I needed it more than she did.

“How about a bath? We didn’t do a bath last time.”

I traced her snake tattoo down to her belly, swirling my finger around the entwined heads. “Baths are more something I do for you, little bug. Doyouwant a bath?”

“You... you only take them for me?”

“I don’t mind them, I just don’t love them.”

“You’re so nice to me.” She stuck her bottom lip out and lowered her eyes seductively. I couldn’t help but let a finger fall across her lip.

“No I’m not.”

She opened her mouth and pulled my finger into her mouth, sucking it and sighing.

“Bad girl.” I pulled my finger out of her mouth and she popped her lips on it.

“You like it. Ooh! How about ice cream! I know you sneak bites of my strawberry ice cream at night when you think I’m not looking.”

Damnit. I thought I’d been sneaky about that.

“How about I put it on my nipples and you can lick it off.”

“Why are youalwayshorny?”

“Because I live withyou! What do you expect? Do you want another drink?” She nodded to my mostly empty glass.

“No, but thank you. I need to get up and cook dinner.” Before I could remove my hands from her waist, she put her hands over mine to keep them there.

“Well... you could... or...”

“Or?”

“Or we could order junk food and you could jack off in my hair.”

I dropped my head and laughed. The offer was surprisingly tempting. “Is sex your solution to everything?”

“It’s free serotonin!” She grinned.

“Horny little slut.”

“Yeah... but I’myourhorny little slut.”

My fingers tightened as I gripped her harder. Maybe I’d avoiding finding her for so long because of my past failures and insecurities, but she was here now, and I’d be damned if I let anything happen to her. “You’re damn right you are.”

She made a contented noise, and lifted a hand to my cheek. “Gotcha.”

“Yougotme?”

“Yeah. I made you smile.”

You make me more than smile, little bug. You make me feel a lot of things. Things I’m not ready to put a label on yet, and things you’re not ready to hear, because they’ll scare you away.

“Isn’t that how we got into this mess? You trying to make me smile by the pool?”

“While you ogled my tits? Yeah.”

“I was not ogling.”

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