Page 85 of The Obedient Lie
But not from cold.
“Your back’s tight,” I said quietly, brushing her hair to one side again. “Shoulder pain’s referencing down… you’ve been holding tension here.”
She nodded, still avoiding my eyes.
Guilt lingered on her face, like she wasn’t sure if she’d disappointed me.
I leaned in and pressed my mouth to her temple, letting her feel how steady I was now.
How much calmer I was since she ended that call.
“You don’t need to explain,” I murmured. “You did the right thing.”
Her breath caught.
“Lay down for me,” I added, voice softer now. “Let me take care of it.”
She hesitated only for a second—then slowly shifted, slipping her legs onto the bed as I guided her down. The curve of her hips settled into the mattress, and I followed her with my hand, palm grazing her back, down to the small of it.
Fuck.
That satin. That skin.
And the way she just let me touch her.
Like shewantedto be taken care of.
Like part of herneededto be owned.
Her body melted into the mattress.
My knee slid onto the bed beside her hip as I leaned over her, one hand steadying myself, the other slowly peeling thesatin strap down her shoulder. I didn’t rush. I didn’t speak. I just watched as the fabric slipped—revealing the delicate line of her back, all that soft skin, bare and waiting for my hands.
She didn’t flinch.
Not when I touched her.
Not when I lowered my weight to press a little closer.
Just a soft exhale— the kind you let out when something finallystops hurting.
“That’s it,” I whispered, voice low by her ear. “Just like that, baby. Let me in.”
I started slow—pressing my thumbs into the knots along her spine. The tension was worse than I thought. Weeks of it, maybe more. She’d beenholding it all in.Pushing herself through Academy days and lockdown rules and our moods, like it didn’t affect her.
Like she didn’tfeeleverything.
“Tell me if it’s too much,” I said.
But she didn’t.
She just sank deeper, her breath catching as I dragged my palms down the middle of her back, then up again in a smooth, steady rhythm. She was already sighing into the sheets, lashes fluttering, lips parted.
My hands found the base of her spine, then smoothed back up—slow, possessive.I slipped the other strap off her shoulder, letting the top of her satin dress pool around her waist.
“You’re so fucking beautiful like this,” I said, more to myself than to her.
Bare.
