Page 38 of Devotion

I’m pulsing with pleasure—both physical and emotional—as I give his soft cock a few gentle sucks.

“You make me feel so good. I never thought I could feel so good.”

I hum around his flesh in my mouth.

Then his hands fall back to the bed, and I can finally lift my head.

His eyes are closed and his body fully relaxed. I carefully pull up his shorts. Then I stroke his bare chest and use my fingertips to caress his face.

He mumbles out something wordless. I draw the covers up over his body.

He’s asleep already.

And I’ve never felt so safe and secure and proud of myself in my life.

11

I nearly always wake up whenGabriel does. He attempts to move quietly, and he never turns on any light except his fairly dim bedside lamp. But I wake up anyway.

I’m usually aware of him sitting up on the side of his bed for a minute, probably rallying the energy to get moving. Then I hear him walk to the bathroom. The click of the latch. The water in the toilet and then the sink. After a few minutes, he’ll come out of the bathroom in his swimsuit and pool robe and then leave the room to head downstairs for his swim.

Sometimes I’ll lie in bed for an hour or so, taking it easy before I get up. I like to be dressed and ready when Gabriel returns from his swim, but he’s always more than two hours, so there’s plenty of time.

On some days, however, my mind is whirling with too many thoughts for me to lie around doing nothing, and I get up right away.

The next day is my eighty-second day as Gabriel’s partner, and it’s one of those days.

As soon as Gabriel steps into the hallway and quietly pulls the door to the room closed, I jump up and head to the bathroom.

It smells faintly of Gabriel’s toothpaste as I pee and then pull off my gown to get in the shower. I only wash my hair twice a week since it’s naturally straight and smooth and rarely gets dirty in the palace, so I twist it up with a clip to keep it out of the spray as I rinse, scrub up, and rinse off again.

When I’m done, I dry off and leave the bathroom to pick out a dress from my small closet. I always walk out naked because I’m the only one in the room.

I’m so surprised I jerk to a stop with a little squeak when Gabriel turns around from shutting the door.

He’s still in his robe. His hair and skin are dry. He appears every bit as surprised as I am, and his eyes run up and down my naked body with an urgency that’s almost hungry.

He’s never seen me without clothes before.

This isn’t how I’ve ever imagined it.

“You’re back early,” I say when I finally rediscover my voice. I have the weird impulse to cover my breasts and groin with my arms, but I don’t. That would be an immature and inappropriate response.

“Yeah.” He’s still openly staring, his eyes lingering on my chest and the cleft between my legs. “Sorry. There was some sort of mechanical problem yesterday evening, so they have the pool closed today for maintenance.”

“Oh. I’m sorry you’ll have to miss your swim.” I’m doing a good job of acting casual and composed when I’m not. I’m way too excited and self-conscious and jittery. My cheeks have gotten hot, but my voice sounds almost normal. “I was just getting dressed.”

“I’m sorry.” His brain finally catches up to his eyes. He turns his head away with an awkward jerk.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” I tell him, smiling as I move toward my closet. “It’s your room. You can come in whenever you want.” I pause. Find the courage to add, “And you can look at my body anytime you wish.”

He’s still standing motionless near the door. Only his eyes are moving, raking back down from my face to my breasts and then even lower and back up. “You are… beautiful.” His voice is decidedly thick in a way I well recognize.

If possible, my cheeks get even hotter. “Thank you. If you want…” I get the suggestion started but then lose my nerve.

Gabriel and I have fallen into a routine and relationship that’s working for both of us. He’s finally comfortable with what I can do for him, and asking for more from him as I was about to do is likely to backfire.

Yes, it’s obvious that he likes how I look.

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