Page 64 of Tell No Tales
"No, you don't." Vadim turned him around and examined him for more cuts or bruises. "I remember your nightmares."
"Do you remember my safe word?"
"Pickles." If Vadim got any closer to Klaus's toes, he could put them in his mouth.
"I don't remember using it."
That snapped Vadim's gaze to his. "Promise me you would if it was too much."
"Darling, that's why I have a safe word." Klaus placed his hands on Vadim's shoulders and slipped them behind his neck as he stood. Vadim's dark scowl implored him to answer. "Yes, I promise."
"I need a bath." Vadim scowled down at his hands.
"Isn't today wash day?" Hannah had asked Klaus to have his dirty laundry outside the crate by ten. "What time is it?"
"Time to throw you in the ocean." Vadim smirked.
Klaus hadn't learned to swim, not really. He could keep his head above water by dog paddling, but he tired quickly, and then he panicked. "What do I get out of it?"
"You'll be clean." Vadim leaned forward like he was going to kiss Klaus, but then he licked his nose.
"Gross!"
"Let's get our laundry to Hannah, and then we can have some fun."
It seemed a practice in futility to get dressed only to take their clothes off again on deck, but they did for decorum's sake. Unlike the last time they'd bathed together, Vadim let Klaus remove his own clothes and allowed him to crawl down the rope ladder to the water below. Also, unlike last time, the crew didn't join them, preferring the bucket shower Hannah had set up on deck.
"We'll still have to rinse with fresh water," Vadim said, "but I don't mind the salt."
Klaus's favorite part was when Vadim laid him flat in the water and covered him with soap suds. He even washed Klaus's hair. In his thoughts, the ones Klaus could hear, anyway, he didn't worry about leaving his gloves on deck with the rest of the laundry. And if his fingers found their way inside Klaus for a moment, Klaus didn't mind the extra cleanse.
Vadim signaled Hannah, who pulled them back to the ship with a water weave. Vadim helped Klaus step up onto the ladder again. Hannah poured buckets of fresh water over their heads before letting them on deck to dry off. Then, Hannah tossed off their clothes and took the ship's laundry with them into the ocean, swirling it in a whirlpool charged with lightning. After a few minutes of that, they surrounded the mass with water and lifted it in the air for Niall to catch it with a wind weave. Niall compressed the clothes with earth, and then dried them with a blast of wind, all in the few minutes it took Klaus to towel dry his hair.
They returned to the hold to pack their clean clothes once more, but Vadim stopped him from getting dressed, showing him the vial of oil in his hand. "This time, we do it right."
Klaus had thought he was all fucked out for one day, but he was raring to go again.
Chapter 16
Vadim
Now that they'd taken the edge off, Vadim was done fighting his desires. It was time to experience every bit of Klaus. He wanted to taste every nibble of skin, to feel every inch of him inside.
He'd planned to take his time, but Klaus stole the vial from him and used the oil to open himself up.
"I'm glad I don't mind the taste of that," Vadim said.
"Taste?" Gods, how pretty Klaus looked with a tinge of pink across the bridge of his nose and both cheek bones.
"I want to taste you, Klaus. And then I want to fill you up and take my time finding everything you like."
"There's a lot that I like." Klaus dropped his gaze to Vadim's chest and lower, to his already leaking cock. "It might take you longer than a day."
Vadim hoped so, but he didn't dare say it aloud.
What were they even doing? Vadim didn't want to think about it. Thinking had gotten him into trouble in the first place. Doing felt so right, especially when Klaus lowered himself to his knees and lay before him on the mattress, his head pillowed on his arms, his ass ripe for plundering.
Oh, fuck, he tasted earthy and sweet, too. Vadim delved his tongue between his cheeks, licking a stripe from his taint to his pucker and all along his crease. Klaus squirmed in his grip. Vadim was tempted to help him focus with a slap, but he knew that wouldn't be appreciated. He'd experienced too many of Klaus's nightmares with him. Klaus had already survived too much pain. Vadim wanted to bring him only pleasure.
