Page 23 of Reclaimed

He seemed slightly startled that I wasn’t putting up a fight, but I knew he was right. He lifted my top slowly up and over my good arm, then my head, and finally down my bad arm.

“Good girl.” He slid my bra strap down my arm and then brought the ice pack up to my skin. I gasped as the cold made contact, and Ray used his free hand to stroke my arm reassuringly while he applied the ice in different places until my shoulder went numb. If he was appreciating the sight of me topless, he didn’t let on, and his touch stayed platonic. Afterwards, he brought me some painkillers, and a different, looser top that was easier to put on.

“How does that feel?”

“A bit better. Thank you.” I reached for him, and he smiled and came to sit beside me so I could lean against his chest.

“I’m sorry I interrupted your work.”

“Don’t be silly, I’m glad you came to find me. Work can wait.”

“How long do you think it’ll take to get better?”

“Not sure, maybe only a few days if you rest it properly. No more morning workouts for a while, little one.”

Oh. So he did know. I don’t know why I was surprised. But there was no anger in his voice, and something about him knowing the truth calmed me even further, enough that I was able to fall asleep on his chest.

*

Over the next few days, Ray was a diligent carer. He iced my shoulder for me repeatedly before switching me over to hot baths, which mercifully, he allowed me to take on my own. He took over all my responsibilities around the house and even tended the garden for me so my hard work wouldn’t be undone while I was out of action.

Sure enough, a week later, my shoulder was almost back to normal.

Ray asked if I thought I’d be okay in my room again for a couple of hours while he went out. My reluctance must have shown on my face before I could answer.

“I know you don’t like it, pet, but it’s important.” He smiled warmly at me. “Someone I know is about to turn twenty, and I think she deserves some presents.”

“Oh.” I’d kind of lost track of dates since arriving, and I’d definitely had too many other things on my mind to think about my birthday. “When is it?”

“Next week. Only six days.” He stroked the back of his hand down my cheek while I processed this news. “You’re not excited?” I had no idea what I felt. I knew Ray would want to make a big fuss of me on my birthday, but this wasn’t exactly how I’d imagined spending it. What I wanted more than anything was to be able to go somewhere outside the confines of the house, but I knew that would never be allowed.

“Sure, yeah, I had just forgotten about it.”

“So you’ll be okay in your room?”

“Can… can I wait in the cage instead?” I could tell Ray was surprised, but he couldn’t know how much I relied on my time in that cage. He’d wanted to pause our nightly routine while my shoulder was healing but I’d insisted on sticking to it. I couldn’t explain why, but it felt soothing. Being locked in my room made me feel like a disobedient teenager but being locked in the cage made me feel… treasured, like it wasn’t so much about keeping me under control but about keeping me safe.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes. Please.”

I’d made the right choice. There was no feeling of abandonment this time. I was in Ray’s room, and I knew he was out getting things for me, and I knew he was going to rush back to me. At some point, I’d switched from wanting to be away from him as much as possible to wanting to be around him as much as possible.

When he came back, I felt a rush of warmth towards him. The way he smirked as he came over to let me out sparked something else too. I felt… playful. As if he could sense my walls crumbling, Ray decided not to let me out straightaway. Instead, he sat beside the cage and reached a hand through the bars to stroke my cheek. I made a show of nuzzling into his hand, like a cat, and enjoyed the appreciative smile it earnt me. I no longer doubted the extent of his care for me, and that security helped me feel freer than ever before. He guided my face up towards his, and I couldn’t help the coy smile that formed when our eyes met. He could tell I was enjoying our little playful moment. His thumb brushed over my lower lip, and I could feel my eyes glazing over with lust. I remembered now why we used to do this kind of thing. For a second, it felt as though no time had passed since we were together, and I wanted nothing more than to take his fingers into my mouth and just allow my mind to empty of everything other than my devotion to him.

Then his hand was gone. If he noticed my disappointment while he let me out of the cage, he didn’t let on.

“Come on, pet. Come and relax with me for a while. I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” He planted a chaste kiss on my hair before leading me downstairs. I kept hold of his hand as he guided me over to the sofa. My mind still felt pleasantly blurry from our encounter in the cage, and I didn’t feel ready to let go of that feeling. Ray sat beside me and encouraged me to lean into his chest. The hand that had been holding mine started stroking gently, slowly, maddeningly, up and down the inside of my arm, skimming each time over the sensitive skin towards the crease of my elbow. How could such an innocent caress be so erotic? Each time his fingers made their way up my forearm I could feel the changes happening inside me. Heat flushed through my core, and I became hyperaware of each breath entering and leaving my chest. David never touched me like this; we were either having sex or we weren’t. This kind of sensual touch, just for the sake of it – only Ray had ever given me that.

“You’re very responsive to my touch, aren’t you?” He murmured it as if he didn’t want anyone to overhear, and the sound of his husky voice so close to me only made it harder to breathe. I could feel the need to submit clouding over me again. It wasn’t just that he had so much power over my body that turned me on, it was that he knew it.

“Is it that obvious?” I whispered, no longer bothering to hide how breathless I was under his touch.

“Is it a problem that I can read your body so well? I think that served us quite well in the past, didn’t it?” I couldn’t answer; I was too busy savouring every second of his fingertips on my skin and his breath on my neck. Having no secrets from Ray seemed like less of a problem then than it ever had before. If this was what being truly known felt like, I’d let him see everything.

Ray’s breathing had changed too. I was glad I at least seemed to have the same effect on him as he did on me.

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