Page 91 of Emergence and Ascendance

“I had to do what I needed to. If I didn’t marry you, it would have been someone else…”

“I did what was best for me…”

Her words cut deep but the minute she delivered them so much about her made sense. I was a way out. The best of the worst, and as much as that shit hurt, it was necessary for me to move the fuck on and completely shut Aja out of my life. I didn’t feel bad and didn’t give a fuck what happened to her.

“Hey…” I slowly turned my head to find Scotlyn frowning at me. “You okay?”

“I’m good.”

“You sure? You got quiet and now you look angry.”

“Work shit. It’s hard to shut it off sometimes.” I nodded at the empty wine glass. “Leave that. We have plans.”

"Plans that involve your playroom?"

"Not tonight but I promise you’ll be taken care of.”

I stood and extended a hand, which she accepted, and I gently tugged her to her feet, guiding Scotlyn through the living room toward my wing. "Taking care of me how?"

"You'll see."

We bypassed her room and ended up in mine, which was strategic and also a terrible decision on my part. The goal was to have Scotlyn in my bed tonight and not for any reason other than I liked the idea of her body wrapped around mine while we slept. But that also was pushing boundaries. At the end of our month, she would go back to her life and so would I. I had a feeling I wasgoing to struggle with no longer having this kind of access to her, so again, I was selfishly taking all I could. Her in my bed was a luxury I planned on enjoying.

As soon as we made it to the bathroom, I filled the tub with steamy water and added the cedarwood and mandarin bath products Cress purchased for me after we argued about a bath changing my life. I still hadn’t used them but was grateful she’d been so damn persistent.

“Is this part of you taking care of me?”

“Yes, test the water to make sure it’s good.”

She grinned and moved to the tub, dipping her fingers in before she leaned closer and inhaled. “It’s perfect and smells amazing. What is that?”

“Mandarin and cedarwood. Cress swore it would change my life.”

She turned, watching me gather washcloths, towels, and a bamboo bench from the corner. “Has it?”

“No, but I haven’t used any of it. So you’ll have to let me know if it’s worth the money she wasted on it.”

“Why did she buy it if you weren’t going to use it?”

“Cress is stubborn as hell.”

Scotlyn stared at me, looking amused, and I thought about her comment from a few days ago. “Okay, so it might actually be a family trait.”

Her smile spread wide. “You don’t seem like the bubble bath type.”

“I’m not, but I’m guessing you are, and this is for you.”

The bathroom filled with steam and I dimmed the lights.

"Clothes off.”

She pulled her shirt over her head, exposing a white lace bra. I took my time admiring the way it defined the curve of her breast. She removed the rest of her clothes, and with every inch of exposed skin, I knew this was going to be a fucking disaster.My dick was already hard but I needed this to be about her, not me.

“White is your color.”

She smiled, hooking her fingers in the sides of her panties and working them down her hips. “You don’t like it?”

“I do. Especially on you.”

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