1
RAVEN
Kai’s apartment in Miami.
The glow isa mix of golden light from the lit candles, soft pink from the bar ceiling, and blue light from the bathroom floor.
The sound system plays a nostalgic song.
It drifts through the air, the open doors ushering in the ocean view and balmy evening.
The water is dark with no separation from the starry sky, yet, even so, I can feel its magic, and the secrets buried in its depths.
Like the secrets buried in his eyes.
Sprawled in the tub, with the water barely reaching his chest, his arms lining the porcelain edge, his skin glistening and his lips slightly arched into a smile, he observes me in silence.
Rose petals float in the water, tiny love letters written in bright yellow, surrounding our naked bodies.
Sitting on my knees between his legs, I pick a small candle from the side and tilt it slightly before watching the drops of melted wax dripping to his chest, landing on his skin, and producing no reaction.
“How…?” I murmur, smiling, watching another bead of melted wax rolling down and leaving a red mark on his skin.
“It doesn’t hurt?” I ask, before trying it myself.
I lift my arm and let the melted wax drip.
The bead of heat unsettles my nerve endings, sending a shudder through my frame.
I wince.
“It hurts,” I say, looking at him.
He observes me through his lashes, a secret smile tilting his lips.
“It has to…” he says.
I lower myself, still sitting on my knees between his legs, the water covering my body up to my chest.
I clean the hardened wax from his torso and let more drops drip on his skin. He stifles his reaction, his pleasure coming purely from my eyes observing the process.
I imagine he likes pain.
I imagine he’d say yes to harsher pain.
I can’t help myself, and while inflicting pain, I gather my hair and lower my head to kiss his neck.
He relaxes and even slips lower in the tub, tilting his head back. His skin is warm and smells like him and me and flowers.
I set the candle down and run my nails across his branded skin.
How much ache can he take?
A lot, it seems.
I tip my eyes and watch his face. His eyelids are lowered and his lips are parted.
I touch them with my fingertips before teasing them with my lips. He responds quickly, moving his hand from the edge of the bathtub to my waist under the water.