Page 27 of Vicious Hearts

I clap my hand over my mouth in shock, nearly dropping my towel. “Ohno. Ben, that’s so–”

“What?” He has a can of shaving foam in one hand and a cut-throat razor in the other. He flicks his wrist, and the silver blade appears. “I’m good with this, I promise. I’ve never cut anyone unless I meant to do it.”

He sits on the rim of the bath and swings to face me, his feet in the water. His face is level with my pussy, still covered by the towel.

“Put one foot up here,” he taps the rim beside him, “and hold that towel out of the way.”

“I feel so stupid. I can’t.”

“Come on.” His voice is soft and coaxing. “You want to be a good girl for me, don’t you?”

His hand slips beneath the towel, warm on my thigh. He lifts my leg, and I settle my foot in a good position. I hold the towel out of the way and close my eyes, shy of his scrutiny as he takes a good look at me.

I hear the sound of the shaving foam can as he piles the foam into his palm. Then it’s cold against my skin as he smooths it where he needs it.

I open my eyes, looking down at him. He's concentrating on what he's doing, using his thumb to hold the skin taut. He swipes the razor through the hair on my mound, and I feel the coldness of the blade against my newly-exposed skin.

"Stay still," Ben says. I feel his breath against my pussy lips. "You don't need to do anything. I'll move you where I need to."

I tense my legs, trying to stop them from shaking. He chuckles and kisses my inner thigh.

I'm getting wet. Ben might not be able to tell because I'm soaked from the bath, but I canfeelit. His fingertips flex against my skin as he maneuvers the razor, removing the fuzz and leaving me smooth and super-sensitive.

"I intend to bury my face here before the night is through," he murmurs, "so I'm gonna shave youveryclose. Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Good girl. You’re doing so well."

My pussy gives a little involuntary pulse deep inside. It’ssohot when he talks to me like that.

He uses two fingers to gently part my pussy lips so he can pass the sharp edge over my most intimate places. He laughs as he dips the blade in the bathwater to rinse it off.

"Your pussy tells it like it is,charodeyka. You're glistening like a jewel." He grazes my clit lightly with his tongue. "Let me get done here. I wanna feel you come on my tongue more than I wanna fucking breathe."

* * *

I'm warm and comfortable, the pillows under my head.

Ben settles beside me. He's shirtless and wearing pajama pants, just like he was that night in Hawaii.

Usually, I'd be more abashed about my nakedness, but we're beyond that now. He touched me so carefully, exposing places no one else had ever seen. There’s nothing more to say, nowhere to hide.

Dangerous, harsh, tender, intimate. Ben is all these things at once. He confuses me, but I want him. There's no getting away from it.

My nipples are large, and when they’re stiff, like right now, I swear I could hang my coat on them. Ben rolls one between his thumb and forefinger, teasing a moan from my lips.

"Try to understand, Rox." Ben doesn't smile as he fixes his eyes on mine. "I want you too much. It's why I wouldn't do this before, why I kept my distance." He touches his fingertip to each bruise on my neck. Bruises made by his hand. "I don't usually fuck people I care about because I might hurt them. And I care aboutyouto the point where I had to put entire continents between us to ensure I stayed away."

"I don’t care if youdohurt me," I whisper. "All I want is you. I never wanted anyone else. I tried to get over you, I really did, but no one else I dated could ever take your place."

He lowers his face to mine, touching his lips to my ear. He kisses me, his tongue reaching for mine as he lowers his weight onto me, his cock digging into my thigh.

Then he stops, pushing back onto his hands to look at me.

“Rox, did you fuck anyone?”

His tone jars me out of my reverie, and I furrow my brow, confused at his sudden coldness.

---