Page 73 of My Lovely Tragedy
I work around the chains skimming the surface of the water. They are beginning to rust more, and the color nearly matches that of his blood.
I pinch his chin, forcing his eyes to open and meet mine. I swallow the instinct to look away and instead focus on the black pits at the center of his eyes. “Give me what I need, and you will never have to fear a thing as long as I have you.”
His throat bobs, eyelids lowering, bottom lip quivering. “And how long will that be?” A pause. A whisper. “Forever?”
My lips quirk up in a twisted smile, more despondent than joyful. I press the pad of my thumb against the crack in the center of his bottom lip, splitting it open again. “My lovely tragedy, I could not keep you forever. You were born to fly, and try as I might, my gilded cage could never be enough for you.”
Tears slip from the corners of my eyes, a softplinkas they fall into the water. “My chains are a temporary tether keeping you with me. One of pure selfish desire, which is why I am willing to give you what you need to keep you here—just for a while longer.” I smear his blood over his mouth, adding more pigment to the pretty pink tint.
He parts his lips, giving me his maw. The shudder that wracks through me as I coat his tongue in his essence has my eyes rolling back. A vibrant strike of heat simmers in my gut, unfurling and uncontrollable. It zaps along my nerve endings, and my blood burns into a rolling boil. Compressing my chest and locking my limbs in place.
“I just need more time,” I croak as I gather more of his saliva. My other fingers curl under his jaw so I can feel every swallow. I prod at the soft flesh of his cheeks before regretfully pulling out and dragging his spit over his lips and down the line of his jaw.
His head falls back against the porcelain with a soft thud, but his eyes remain at half-mast. “Time is infinite, Tobias,” he whispers softly, and this time, my lips twitch with a smile of contentment.
“Everyone’s hourglass empties eventually, darling.”
It’s quiet as I scrub my way across his body, slow and worshipful, absorbing every inch of him with greed.
“Then, I guess you have me ‘till the sand settles, and we’re both bathed in blood.”
“The only ending to our story, I suppose,” I murmur to myself, low enough Brooklyn does not hear as I finish washing his hair. I spend long moments carding through the glossy strands, watching the way they glide over my fingers, soft and silky.
Brooklyn hisses as soapy water sinks into the cuts on his arm, but I pretend not to hear as I grab another cloth and set about cleaning him up with soap this time. Any reason to touch him twice.
The water has cooled significantly, so while I drag the cloth over his feet, I turn the knob to add more heat and ease the prickle of gooseflesh spreading out over his skin bare to the air.
His muscles twitch and flex as I grab him, lifting limbs to scrub. Working the cloth into every crease. Washing his blood and sweat down the drain so they can be replenished anew another day.
By the time all but his groin has been cleaned, I’m panting, glasses poised on the tip of my nose and fogged over from my own breaths retracting back at me as they bounce off the skin of Brooklyn’s knee—inches away.
There’s a loud squawk as he shifts, legs spreading apart until his left knee knocks against the lip of the bathtub, mimicking the right. The surface of the water is clouded with soap residue as I stare down, into the depths of what lies beneath.
But then, I hear a sniffle, small and seemingly inconsequential, but I notice the track marks streaking down Brooklyn’s face. Tears mixing with lingering drops of water. Cheeks flushed and bottom lip quivering.
I lift my arm to hand him the cloth, but he grabs my wrist, his grip surprisingly strong. I let him guide my hand below the water’s surface until my knuckles skim the tender satin of his inner thigh. At the involuntary flex of his muscle, I start to pull away, but a sigh meets my ears, and I still. Feel my heart kick in my chest. My own fingers curling over his flesh—warm and smooth.
I drag the cloth through the water’s resistance, soaping his groin with efficiency. As my fingers curl around his soft length to soap beneath, Brooklyn’s muscles contract, sending a ripple of water over the edge of the tub. Water splashes onto me, soaking my torso and thighs and dripping onto the floor.
He tries to pull away, most likely out of embarrassment, but I tighten my hold, wrapping my fingers around him so he feels the tug of pressure, and, to my delight, he stops resisting immediately. With a soft hum, I finish cleaning him, keeping my movements quick and efficient to soften his discomfort.
My sleeves, bunched around my elbows, drip as I stand from the tub to grab a towel. Another squeak of skin against the porcelain, followed by the rush of water as Brooklyn pushes himself to his feet. Towel in hand, I turn to help him from the bath. He places his hand in mine, wrapping his fingers around my palm, and adds his weight.
Tingles shoot through my wrist and up my forearm, followed by a swift numbness that makes my muscles go weak. Brooklyn slips as my wrist gives out, sending his weight toppling over and into me.
I grunt as his torso connects with mine, sending me sprawling backward. My shoulder hits the wall, jarring my spine and stealing my breath as Brooklyn gasps and scrambles for purchase.
Just before we both fall to the floor, I catch his underarms and slam him against me, so I take the brunt of the impact. His breath blows out in a heavy puff, leaving us both panting against each other, the top of his head just below my chin.
His wet body soaks my clothes, heat trapped between us.
Time is still as we catch our breath. I tug at his hair, forcing him to look up at me. “Are you all right?”
“Are you? I didn’t mean to knock you over.”
“You did no such thing. My wrist simply gave out—a dire side effect of my ageing, I’m afraid.”
Brooklyn’sharrumphs,making me chuckle as I push against the wall, so we are both standing straight. I dip down to grab the discarded towel and nearly vomit when my eyes lose focus and black dots swarm.
