Page 137 of House of Pain
Alecto had to bite her lower lip to stop herself from jumping him right there. Somehow, she still didn’t want him to know just how much of an effect his hands had on her.As if she would be more vulnerable and naked than she was right now, standing just in her underwear in his room.
Blaze’s eyes flickered hot as coal, lips parted as his eyes roamed her body, taking in the black lace bra and the matching underwear. His fingers trailed the curve of the side of her breast, her waist, stopping at her hips, and Alecto let her head fall back, savoring the sensation.
“Come here.” His voice was a whisper, and she didn’t argue.
She let him lead her into his bathroom, where a clawfoot bathtub waited already filled with steaming hot water. Blaze guided her to the bath, letting her go for a moment as he shed his pants and underwear.
Alecto almost whimpered at the sight of his long, beautiful cock, already hard.
Blaze caught her glance, tilting his chin. It was her turn to get naked.
Slowly, Alecto unhooked her bra. The straps slid down her shoulders, freeing her breasts, which were already sensitive.
When his heavy eyes landed on her nipple piercings, Alecto arched her back slightly, she slipped fingers underneath her panties and pulled them down.
She had never experienced the sight of someone as hungry for her as Blaze was right that moment. In fact, it wasn’t just this moment.
When they first met, when Alecto came into the House of Snakes for the first time, and he backed her against the wall in the corridor, his black eyes seemed intense and even scary.
But now she knew Blaze well enough to recognize that same hunger in his eyes. The same hunger he had that day on the stage during the ritual. In that classroom. At the library.
It was seeing that hunger that prompted Alecto to climb into the bathtub, settling between Blaze’s legs, leaning back against his hard chest.
“That feels nice,” she said with a sigh as the hot water worked its magic on her stiff muscles.
The water was steaming and smelled like a mix of lemongrass, eucalyptus, and peppermint. Blaze had added some essential oils to the bath, and the thought made Alecto smile.
They lay in the bath in silence for what seemed like forever, only the sound of rain and thunder outside. While their naked skin touched, sending delicate sparks of pleasure through Alecto’s body, it wasn’t needy or even sexual.
It felt much more than that. Deeper.
Alecto’s eyes followed Blaze’s thumb resting on her thigh, making lazy circles and lines as if he were writing poetry on her skin. The kind that was invisible and could only be read by heart.
His other hand reached for the ashtray on the windowsill, and he brought a half-smoked joint to his lips.
“You’re warm?” Blaze asked as he lit the blunt, smoke streaming through his parted lips.
She didn’t answer, watching his lips and his throat move. Instead, she just gave him a nod and then turned her head away to look through the window at the storm raging outside.
It was weird, this feeling. Feeling safe in the hands of someone who tried to hurt her.
His hand appeared in front of her, offering the joint. Alecto wrapped her lips around the base of it, sucking in a long drag, and then pulled away, letting the smoke burn her lungs.
When she released it, letting it stream through her lips, her head was light once more, muscles relaxing. Alecto sighed, her cheek falling against his chest. Blaze’s heart drummed against her ear, just as fast as hers.
“I truly never believed you to be the soft kind,” Alecto said.
“Is that so?”
She looked up at him. “You can’t blame me for imagining you as cruel and rough. You certainly look the part.”
His eyebrow cocked. “You’ve beenimaginingme?”
It was fitting for Blaze to cling to that word. Alecto might as well indulge him.
“I have.”
His tongue peeked out, wetting his lips, and for a moment, memories of it all over her came back to her.
