It takes exactly three minutes for Persephone to warm up to me. She's curious and kind, carefully sniffing at me before she barks once. I guess Masen really warned her. The thought of him having a conversation with his Rottweiler makes me chuckle.
"Your place…" I start. "It's incredible. How the fuck do you live here? Must cost a fortune."
"I'm lucky my job pays well. Very well." It's the first time we're talking about his work, his business — aside from the fact that I used to be his client.
"What is it like?" I ask, sitting down next to him on the armrest of his couch. I fiddle with the long locks on top of his head. They're still slightly damp with sweat at the roots. He sighs, leans his head into me, eyes closed. He looks so handsome, my heart aches. It's like he's not even real. He's that beautiful.
"I don't know what to tell you, Doe… It's not that I don't want to share that part of my life with you, because you obviously know what I do. But I don't want to send you running for the fucking hills either." He seems relaxed, taking deep steady breaths as he tips his head back. I look at him, see the lotus flower inked on his throat move as he swallows, spot the faint fine lines around his eyes.
"Masen, I promise I won't run. I —," I take a deep breath, think of how I want to say this, something other than 'I love you'. Something that'll maybe mean even more to him. "I would fucking kill for you, babe." His eyes open, thick lashes revealing moss green as he finds my gaze, goes through me all the way to my soul. He smiles, it's lopsided and boyish before he licks his lips.
"I would too." He says. I know he would. "I'd kill everyone, except you. Because I can't live without you, baby. I don't want to, so I'll make sure you'll enjoy every fucking minute of life with me. You know, I understand that it's rough for you, and I swear I won't go to lengths to say that life will never suck — but I promise I'll keep working for you, for us. No, not every day will be as great as the day before, and yeah… we'll probably fucking fight, maybe a lot. But we'll make up; we'll try." He shrugs as if this is just a casual thing to say, although it means the world to me: he's being this open, this vulnerable, this soft. Even though I love him dirty — filthy and I couldn't live without that side of him. Sweet Masen makes my skin tingle all over, makes my stomach flutter and soar high above the highest skyscraper in the world.
"I know. And yes, we're bound to fight. Everyone does." I add. We're both tired, exhausted from emotions, so I decide to let the conversation slide and come back to it another time. Instead, I smile and whisper into his ear. "Are we going to take that shower now?"
He turns his head with a glimmer in his eyes before he throws me over his shoulder and walks me through his apartment as I squeal, hanging upside down. As he walks, I spot boxes — my boxes scattered around the walls, waiting for me to unpack them, to become part of his life.
"Here we are, Doe." He says, setting me down. My hair is everywhere and as I get it out of my face and eyes, I almost gasp.
Masen's bathroom has dark tiles and dark walls — navy with gold accents: the mirror, faucets… It's beautiful. He has a massive shower with a glass wall, black towels on the rack by the door.
"How do you ever leave this place?" I ask, eyes wide as I stand on one tile, looking around — the view even from the bathroom taking my breath away.
"I was busy chasing this girl… You know? She let me work for it, that's for fucking sure." He jokes, pulling me tight to him, hands around my waist.
"Chase? You? Edward Masen was chasing pussy?" I'm being dramatic but he loves it, takes my face in his hands to give me a wet, noisy kiss. His palms warm against my cheeks.
"Only yours. Now strip." He orders, dropping his pants to the floor, leaving them there.
I unbutton my shorts and shimmy out of them, pulling my panties down in the process. It feels good to be out of them, even better so to see him out of his clothes as well.
Masen starts the shower, a hard and heavy stream falls down the tiles from the big showerhead that hangs down from the wall.
"Fuck, you look so hot right now." His long fingers dance on top of my skin — where he marked me, red welts raised and sensitive. Green eyes grow darker again, and I wonder how we're ever going to do anything besides devouring every inch of each other.
He leads me into his shower, taking my hand in his until I'm right under the hot stream. It feels amazing, and as he grabs a bottle of his shower gel, the scent sets my nerve-endings on fire. It's his scent, pure Masen. I never thought it could be bottled, but it is. And he's putting it on me, lathering his hands before he puts them on my body. I let my head fall back until the water cascades over my face, feel his hands at my neck, dropping down to my tits — covering me with suds, extremely thorough.
Masen kisses my cheek as his hands roam my midriff, fingers curling around my waist before they're on my ass.
"Turn around," he mumbles. I can tell he's trying to be serious about this — washing me, but as I do what he tells me to, I feel his hard cock against the small of my back. I groan at the feel of him, hot and thick, and move closer.
"I thought you wanted a shower, baby?" Masen chuckles, hands moving up my body until he's cupping both my tits, pulling me tighter, dick between my cheeks.
"Mhm," I let my head fall back against his chest. "I want you more."
"You have me."
"Please?" I try.
"Oh, baby… I get you all clean and you want to get dirty again." He laughs. I turn in his arms, watch as water blends with copper hair and black ink.
Fuck, I love him.