Elana woke the next morning to find David, furious, sitting cross-legged by the ruined lower left post of her bed. “I told you something yesterday that I shouldn’t have.”
She pushed raven hair out of her face, blinking at him with sky eyes. “I don’t see how that is my fault.”
He jabbed a finger at her. “You make me weak.”
She rolled her eyes. Machismo. “You make you weak. You can’t handle this.” She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers.
He winced, then flushed and folded his arms over his bare chest. “Fuck off.”
She sighed. And he called himself a prince. She rolled off the bed, stretching her shoulders with twin cracks. David eyed her through his mess of blonde hair like a wolf. So predatory for someone chained to the bedpost behind him. Elana’s lips twitched as she stepped toward her closet, drawing out a fresh shirt and pants.
Behind her, David’s voice broke. “What are you doing?”
“Getting dressed. I’m not going to wear the same clothes for three days.” She shed her shirt, bare back toward him, and shrugged on the new leather top.
“But here?”
“This is my bedroom.” She tugged off her leather pants. She had made sure to pick a shirt too long to be revealing, but when she turned back around David sat on the other side of the bed, hunched over with his legs crossed. The silver chain around his foot jangled as he twitched. He couldn’t have made himself redder with a bucket of paint.
Elana chuckled under her breath. He was a man, and she was pretty. It wasn’t hard to get him flustered. Simple, and he was already mad at her. It proved a point.
This time she pinned her hair up as she left her quarters and her personal guard Aldien once again slammed the door behind her. She sighed. She had come of age a month ago, and David had started the war when he came of age a few months back. The boy wasn’t that much older than her, or for that matter, bigger than her. She could handle him.
The war-room was as dark as ever, but Taria’s eyes almost glowed with anger. For once General Cilen wasn’t fumbling with her maps. Instead, she nervously twisted her pointer, waiting for whatever the step-queen was about to unleash on her.
“What do you mean, Cerces has a new leader?”
“I mean, there’s a new battle cry, new tactics, and new losses on the front. It started slowly, but solidified after the advance.” Cilen tried pointing out dots on the map, but Taria slapped the pointer out of her hands. Elana winced. How had she not broken Cilen’s wrist?
Cilen backed up, swallowing. “I’m sorry, Highness. All we know is that it involves someone named Samuel.”
“Samuel.” Taria narrowed her eyes, then rounded on Elana. “Find out who Samuel is from your pet.”
Elana shook her head. “This is your screw-up. I’ll ask David as soon as you tell my father what happened just now.”
Taria dragged Elana down to her eye level by the front of her shirt. “Find out who Samuel is, or your father will be dead by next sunrise. His grieving, bleeding heart of a daughter will not succeed him.”
Elana’s breath hitched, then she shoved her stepmother away. She didn’t have access to her father’s quarters. Taria did. The threat was real. If she didn’t get the information, she would lose everything, including the last blood family she had.
She burst out of the war-room and raced down the hall, holding back tears. Before turning down the passage toward her quarters, she straightened.
She would break David like a twig.
She stalked down the hallway, head high.
Aldien stared. “Highness?”
“Open the damn door.”
The guard fumbled to unlock it and let her burst into the bedroom.
David paced at the edge of his chain’s reach, muttering to himself.
Elana stalked toward him. “Who is Samuel?”
David jerked. He hid the flit of a smile with a scoff. “Like hell I’d tell you.”
She pointed, pulling the pin from her hair. Her black waves cascaded around her shoulders. “On the bed.”
He shook his head.
“On the bed.”
“Nope.”
“Get on the bed!” Elana charged him. David only staggered back under her tackle, then her thumbs bit into his sides.
“No. Oh, gods, get off!” He grappled with her, but she grabbed a new spot every time he pushed her away. He stumbled until he landed hard on the bed, still kicking like a turtle. She spun him straight, then forced his left foot down with the help of the chain and knotted it in place.
“Fuck!” David reached, aiming to kick her off, but she threw herself over his right leg and bound it in place as well. She didn’t bother with his toes. Future problem.
David was still sitting up, one fist cocked. Elana spun, dropping her weight onto his hips. Instead of battling his arms, she set a thumb against his windpipe. David’s eyes bugged out of his head, even if she only held it.
“I’m not dealing with this shit today, David.”
Slowly, he lay back and raised his arms as high as they would go. Elana tied his wrists in place and sighed. She meant to break his soul, not hers.
She stared down at him. “Who is Samuel?”
He shook his head, lips tight.
Elana leaned down and dug her thumbs into his fuzzy blonde armpits, rubbing small circles.
<i>“NaaaaAAAAH hahahahah!” </i>David’s voice cracked. The broken laughter that followed was hoarse.
This would save her father.
She went down his ribs, rubbing between each one. “Who is Samuel, David?”
<i>“Hahahahaha nahaha haha hahaha haha!” </i>He couldn’t get a word in edgewise, but frantically shook his head.
Curses rang through her head as she spun, crawling to his feet. The respite lasted only a few seconds while she yanked his toes into place. A moment later she was tearing into both of his arches at the same time.
<i>“NAHIHIA! NONONO AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”</i>
“Samuel, David!”
<i>“FAHAHAHACK YUHUHUHUHUHU!” </i>
So that he could say. She twisted over the edge of the bed and grabbed the pot of quills, signing her name across his arches dozens of times. He had dropped into quiet, only spitting up the occasional wheeze. Right. Silent laughter.
She split his toes and darted the tip of the quill between two of them.
<i>“NAIIAH!”</i>
More wheezing. She kept scribbling between his toes, then spun once more, quills in hand.
She hadn’t even touched his scarred belly yet.
For the time being, she set the quills aside, digging into the silver-white scar with all ten nails. He once again fell into that soft wheezing.
“Samuel?”
He shook his head.
She traced circles around his navel, poking first one thumb, then the other into his belly button. He didn’t have the energy left to scream. Elana flipped a quill into her hand, tracing the thin muscles under his skin. Every other moment or so she’d turn it, running the feather along the inside of his navel. Her other hand still roamed his scar, curling into the skin just under his ribs. Elana flipped the other quill into her grip, then eyed the way his scar curled over his sides. It had sent him into silent laughter when he was at full strength.
She tossed the feathers aside, gripped the silver skin, and pinched it.
No reaction.
Elana looked up. David’s chest had stopped moving. Then it rose slowly and fell once more. His eyes had slid shut, lips parted. The entire pillow behind his head was soaked with the sweat from his hair.
She had gone too far. She had gone miles too far.
She ran a hand through her hair as she stood up, sweaty herself. What if she had killed him? She’d never forgive herself. And all for stupid Taria. Taria couldn’t see past the next step, couldn’t hold the throne, couldn’t look past the money.
Elana walked to the edge of the room and turned to the vanity.
But Samuel… who would be a Samuel? David had said the Cerces council was made up of village leaders. So what would that make Samuel? Either the leader of the strongest village or leader of the biggest village. But the strongest village would not stay the strongest. Eventually, they would get knocked down. David had been happy at first, and David was smart. Samuel had to be the leader of the biggest village.
She ducked out of her quarters, nodding at Aldien. “Don’t bother, he’s unconscious.”
Aldien raised his eyebrows, but she ignored him and raced down the hall to the war-room.
Taria was still there, and as Elana opened the door, her stepmother scowled.
“Did you get it?”
“Yeah. Just about killed him for it.” She pressed her head against the door jamb as her chest tightened. “Samuel is the leader of the biggest village inside Cerces’ territory. Not sure where that is, who that is, but it’s what I’ve got. Are we good?”
“We’re very good.” Taria scribbled the information on a piece of parchment. “Keep him alive. I’m not sure what you’re doing, but it’s working.”
Elana sighed, closing the door as she left. Working, yes, but she was no closer to being heir to the throne.
The walk back to her room was a long and guilty one. As she turned into her side passage, she found Aldien with one hand still propping the door. He glanced at her and nodded.
She barreled past him and threw the door wide. David was awake, staring at the bed’s canopy through bleary eyes. She threw herself across the room and on top of the bed, straddling him. She unbound his arm, hastily fetched a wet rag from the nightstand, and rubbed cold water over his face. “Gods, I am so, so sorry. You have no idea.” She turned and untied his toes and feet, leaving only the constant silver chain around his left ankle. She just about fell upon him, arms around his neck.
David snarled, then checked himself and offered her a weak smile. He brought shaking arms around her waist. “What happened? That wasn’t you back there.”
“My stepmother.” She rolled off of him, but kept a hand on his shoulder. “My father’s not doing well, but he hasn’t chosen an heir yet. It’s either her or me, and she won’t tell him about anything I’ve done to help with the war. She keeps hanging the throne over my head. This time she threatened to kill him if I didn’t get the information.”
He blinked. “Wow. That’s fucked up.”
She sighed. “It’s politics.”
“You know, you could have just asked. I could have come up with some bullshit for you.”
“What part of ‘Who’s Samuel?’ was complicated?”
“Fair.” He glanced away.
She pulled free. “Look, you’re tired. I can—”
“No.” He set his head on her shoulder. “This is nice.” He looked up at Elana with brown eyes that broke her heart. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” She pressed her chin into his sweaty blonde hair. “I’m sorry too. I figured out who Samuel was. The leader of the biggest village, right?”
David snorted into her chest.
“So no, then.”
“Sam would kill himself before he’d live in a village, much less lead one.” He looked up at her again. “You have to promise me something.”
“Sure.”
“This doesn’t leave this room. No one knows but you and me.”
Elana nodded.
He pushed his head back into her shoulder. “Sam’s my protege. A few years older, a lot wiser, and I have to admit a bit stronger. I couldn’t think of anyone better to replace me.” She could feel him smile. “You sent your queen on a wild goose chase. Our biggest village is led by a council. All of them are idiots and definitely not leaders.”
Elana barked a laugh.
He hugged her a bit tighter. “Why are you happy? I mean, you hate her—”
She pressed her lips to his sweaty forehead. “I don’t object to Cerces. You have a moral concept I’d love to use across the kingdom. But you guys are stealing food, burning houses, destroying people’s lives.”
He looked up. “We don’t do that.”
She shrugged. “Have you seen the front lines?”
“Not for a while, I guess.” He shook his head. “Well, I hope you become your father’s successor.”
“Yeah. Otherwise, I turn into you: cut out of the family, with no access to the treasury.” She brought up a hand, bringing David’s head a bit closer. “Is that what happened?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. One of my fights was in an abandoned castle, and our cages were in the old library. I found a tapestry with my face on it. David of Cerces.”
“Pretty good evidence.”
“Tapestries take a long time to make. Hard to make a mistake.”
“True.”
He sighed against her chest.
She pouted and ran a hand through his tangled, sweaty hair. “You know, I’ve been punishing you all this time.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Well, I say you deserve a reward.”
That perked him up. “How about new pants? Please, I’ll only be free for a second and I need to get out of these things.”
It was true, and honestly, it wasn’t fair to him. They were already old and patched up, and over the past few days, they had grown sweat-soaked and in some places bloodied.
“In a while,” she replied and pulled herself free of his arms.
“What? But c’mon—” His voice doubled in volume as she nudged him back in range of the ties. “No, you said this was a reward!”
“Oh, stop whining.” She finished binding his legs and moved to his arms, this time leaving plenty of slack. “I promise you’ll like this one.”
“I think you’re lying. I—” He snapped his mouth shut as she ripped his pants down the middle.
He rose in an instant, and a wild grin twitched Elana’s lips. She coaxed him gently, and he got even harder. David’s eyelids fluttered, his back arching.
She met his gaze as she wrapped her hand around him.
David nodded.
She pumped.
He gasped and yanked harder on his bonds than when he had been tickled. But her hand wasn’t moving fast enough.
She spat on her fingers and pumped harder.
His gentle struggling was beautiful. His bare chest twisted, muscles working and flexing. Elana danced her fingers across his scarred belly.
His eyes popped open. “Thahat’s not fair,” he moaned.
“Do you want me to stop?”
He shook his head, pulling on the ties as she reached around and found his balls. She probed them, running her nails along the soft skin.
“Dammit, stop!” he yelped.
She raised both hands.
David sighed. “Fine. Do whatever you want.”
His stifled moans mixed with giggles until he sucked in a gasp. A white stream leaped onto his chest, along his navel, and dribbled down her hand.
Elana snatched up the wet rag she had abandoned next to him. She rubbed down his torso before cleaning off his shaft and her hand.
He panted as she tossed the rag into a washbin. “You were right. I did like that.”
She laid down next to him, her face level with his and her head cushioned by his bicep. “I thought you would.”
He glanced at her, then leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. Elana deepened it, then straddled him, not breaking the kiss as she fumbled with the binds around his wrists. David pulled her against him. She came up for air and wrapped her arms around him, finding the knots she had created in his back and working them out. “I guess we need to find those new pants now.”
She pushed raven hair out of her face, blinking at him with sky eyes. “I don’t see how that is my fault.”
He jabbed a finger at her. “You make me weak.”
She rolled her eyes. Machismo. “You make you weak. You can’t handle this.” She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers.
He winced, then flushed and folded his arms over his bare chest. “Fuck off.”
She sighed. And he called himself a prince. She rolled off the bed, stretching her shoulders with twin cracks. David eyed her through his mess of blonde hair like a wolf. So predatory for someone chained to the bedpost behind him. Elana’s lips twitched as she stepped toward her closet, drawing out a fresh shirt and pants.
Behind her, David’s voice broke. “What are you doing?”
“Getting dressed. I’m not going to wear the same clothes for three days.” She shed her shirt, bare back toward him, and shrugged on the new leather top.
“But here?”
“This is my bedroom.” She tugged off her leather pants. She had made sure to pick a shirt too long to be revealing, but when she turned back around David sat on the other side of the bed, hunched over with his legs crossed. The silver chain around his foot jangled as he twitched. He couldn’t have made himself redder with a bucket of paint.
Elana chuckled under her breath. He was a man, and she was pretty. It wasn’t hard to get him flustered. Simple, and he was already mad at her. It proved a point.
This time she pinned her hair up as she left her quarters and her personal guard Aldien once again slammed the door behind her. She sighed. She had come of age a month ago, and David had started the war when he came of age a few months back. The boy wasn’t that much older than her, or for that matter, bigger than her. She could handle him.
The war-room was as dark as ever, but Taria’s eyes almost glowed with anger. For once General Cilen wasn’t fumbling with her maps. Instead, she nervously twisted her pointer, waiting for whatever the step-queen was about to unleash on her.
“What do you mean, Cerces has a new leader?”
“I mean, there’s a new battle cry, new tactics, and new losses on the front. It started slowly, but solidified after the advance.” Cilen tried pointing out dots on the map, but Taria slapped the pointer out of her hands. Elana winced. How had she not broken Cilen’s wrist?
Cilen backed up, swallowing. “I’m sorry, Highness. All we know is that it involves someone named Samuel.”
“Samuel.” Taria narrowed her eyes, then rounded on Elana. “Find out who Samuel is from your pet.”
Elana shook her head. “This is your screw-up. I’ll ask David as soon as you tell my father what happened just now.”
Taria dragged Elana down to her eye level by the front of her shirt. “Find out who Samuel is, or your father will be dead by next sunrise. His grieving, bleeding heart of a daughter will not succeed him.”
Elana’s breath hitched, then she shoved her stepmother away. She didn’t have access to her father’s quarters. Taria did. The threat was real. If she didn’t get the information, she would lose everything, including the last blood family she had.
She burst out of the war-room and raced down the hall, holding back tears. Before turning down the passage toward her quarters, she straightened.
She would break David like a twig.
She stalked down the hallway, head high.
Aldien stared. “Highness?”
“Open the damn door.”
The guard fumbled to unlock it and let her burst into the bedroom.
David paced at the edge of his chain’s reach, muttering to himself.
Elana stalked toward him. “Who is Samuel?”
David jerked. He hid the flit of a smile with a scoff. “Like hell I’d tell you.”
She pointed, pulling the pin from her hair. Her black waves cascaded around her shoulders. “On the bed.”
He shook his head.
“On the bed.”
“Nope.”
“Get on the bed!” Elana charged him. David only staggered back under her tackle, then her thumbs bit into his sides.
“No. Oh, gods, get off!” He grappled with her, but she grabbed a new spot every time he pushed her away. He stumbled until he landed hard on the bed, still kicking like a turtle. She spun him straight, then forced his left foot down with the help of the chain and knotted it in place.
“Fuck!” David reached, aiming to kick her off, but she threw herself over his right leg and bound it in place as well. She didn’t bother with his toes. Future problem.
David was still sitting up, one fist cocked. Elana spun, dropping her weight onto his hips. Instead of battling his arms, she set a thumb against his windpipe. David’s eyes bugged out of his head, even if she only held it.
“I’m not dealing with this shit today, David.”
Slowly, he lay back and raised his arms as high as they would go. Elana tied his wrists in place and sighed. She meant to break his soul, not hers.
She stared down at him. “Who is Samuel?”
He shook his head, lips tight.
Elana leaned down and dug her thumbs into his fuzzy blonde armpits, rubbing small circles.
<i>“NaaaaAAAAH hahahahah!” </i>David’s voice cracked. The broken laughter that followed was hoarse.
This would save her father.
She went down his ribs, rubbing between each one. “Who is Samuel, David?”
<i>“Hahahahaha nahaha haha hahaha haha!” </i>He couldn’t get a word in edgewise, but frantically shook his head.
Curses rang through her head as she spun, crawling to his feet. The respite lasted only a few seconds while she yanked his toes into place. A moment later she was tearing into both of his arches at the same time.
<i>“NAHIHIA! NONONO AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”</i>
“Samuel, David!”
<i>“FAHAHAHACK YUHUHUHUHUHU!” </i>
So that he could say. She twisted over the edge of the bed and grabbed the pot of quills, signing her name across his arches dozens of times. He had dropped into quiet, only spitting up the occasional wheeze. Right. Silent laughter.
She split his toes and darted the tip of the quill between two of them.
<i>“NAIIAH!”</i>
More wheezing. She kept scribbling between his toes, then spun once more, quills in hand.
She hadn’t even touched his scarred belly yet.
For the time being, she set the quills aside, digging into the silver-white scar with all ten nails. He once again fell into that soft wheezing.
“Samuel?”
He shook his head.
She traced circles around his navel, poking first one thumb, then the other into his belly button. He didn’t have the energy left to scream. Elana flipped a quill into her hand, tracing the thin muscles under his skin. Every other moment or so she’d turn it, running the feather along the inside of his navel. Her other hand still roamed his scar, curling into the skin just under his ribs. Elana flipped the other quill into her grip, then eyed the way his scar curled over his sides. It had sent him into silent laughter when he was at full strength.
She tossed the feathers aside, gripped the silver skin, and pinched it.
No reaction.
Elana looked up. David’s chest had stopped moving. Then it rose slowly and fell once more. His eyes had slid shut, lips parted. The entire pillow behind his head was soaked with the sweat from his hair.
She had gone too far. She had gone miles too far.
She ran a hand through her hair as she stood up, sweaty herself. What if she had killed him? She’d never forgive herself. And all for stupid Taria. Taria couldn’t see past the next step, couldn’t hold the throne, couldn’t look past the money.
Elana walked to the edge of the room and turned to the vanity.
But Samuel… who would be a Samuel? David had said the Cerces council was made up of village leaders. So what would that make Samuel? Either the leader of the strongest village or leader of the biggest village. But the strongest village would not stay the strongest. Eventually, they would get knocked down. David had been happy at first, and David was smart. Samuel had to be the leader of the biggest village.
She ducked out of her quarters, nodding at Aldien. “Don’t bother, he’s unconscious.”
Aldien raised his eyebrows, but she ignored him and raced down the hall to the war-room.
Taria was still there, and as Elana opened the door, her stepmother scowled.
“Did you get it?”
“Yeah. Just about killed him for it.” She pressed her head against the door jamb as her chest tightened. “Samuel is the leader of the biggest village inside Cerces’ territory. Not sure where that is, who that is, but it’s what I’ve got. Are we good?”
“We’re very good.” Taria scribbled the information on a piece of parchment. “Keep him alive. I’m not sure what you’re doing, but it’s working.”
Elana sighed, closing the door as she left. Working, yes, but she was no closer to being heir to the throne.
The walk back to her room was a long and guilty one. As she turned into her side passage, she found Aldien with one hand still propping the door. He glanced at her and nodded.
She barreled past him and threw the door wide. David was awake, staring at the bed’s canopy through bleary eyes. She threw herself across the room and on top of the bed, straddling him. She unbound his arm, hastily fetched a wet rag from the nightstand, and rubbed cold water over his face. “Gods, I am so, so sorry. You have no idea.” She turned and untied his toes and feet, leaving only the constant silver chain around his left ankle. She just about fell upon him, arms around his neck.
David snarled, then checked himself and offered her a weak smile. He brought shaking arms around her waist. “What happened? That wasn’t you back there.”
“My stepmother.” She rolled off of him, but kept a hand on his shoulder. “My father’s not doing well, but he hasn’t chosen an heir yet. It’s either her or me, and she won’t tell him about anything I’ve done to help with the war. She keeps hanging the throne over my head. This time she threatened to kill him if I didn’t get the information.”
He blinked. “Wow. That’s fucked up.”
She sighed. “It’s politics.”
“You know, you could have just asked. I could have come up with some bullshit for you.”
“What part of ‘Who’s Samuel?’ was complicated?”
“Fair.” He glanced away.
She pulled free. “Look, you’re tired. I can—”
“No.” He set his head on her shoulder. “This is nice.” He looked up at Elana with brown eyes that broke her heart. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” She pressed her chin into his sweaty blonde hair. “I’m sorry too. I figured out who Samuel was. The leader of the biggest village, right?”
David snorted into her chest.
“So no, then.”
“Sam would kill himself before he’d live in a village, much less lead one.” He looked up at her again. “You have to promise me something.”
“Sure.”
“This doesn’t leave this room. No one knows but you and me.”
Elana nodded.
He pushed his head back into her shoulder. “Sam’s my protege. A few years older, a lot wiser, and I have to admit a bit stronger. I couldn’t think of anyone better to replace me.” She could feel him smile. “You sent your queen on a wild goose chase. Our biggest village is led by a council. All of them are idiots and definitely not leaders.”
Elana barked a laugh.
He hugged her a bit tighter. “Why are you happy? I mean, you hate her—”
She pressed her lips to his sweaty forehead. “I don’t object to Cerces. You have a moral concept I’d love to use across the kingdom. But you guys are stealing food, burning houses, destroying people’s lives.”
He looked up. “We don’t do that.”
She shrugged. “Have you seen the front lines?”
“Not for a while, I guess.” He shook his head. “Well, I hope you become your father’s successor.”
“Yeah. Otherwise, I turn into you: cut out of the family, with no access to the treasury.” She brought up a hand, bringing David’s head a bit closer. “Is that what happened?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. One of my fights was in an abandoned castle, and our cages were in the old library. I found a tapestry with my face on it. David of Cerces.”
“Pretty good evidence.”
“Tapestries take a long time to make. Hard to make a mistake.”
“True.”
He sighed against her chest.
She pouted and ran a hand through his tangled, sweaty hair. “You know, I’ve been punishing you all this time.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Well, I say you deserve a reward.”
That perked him up. “How about new pants? Please, I’ll only be free for a second and I need to get out of these things.”
It was true, and honestly, it wasn’t fair to him. They were already old and patched up, and over the past few days, they had grown sweat-soaked and in some places bloodied.
“In a while,” she replied and pulled herself free of his arms.
“What? But c’mon—” His voice doubled in volume as she nudged him back in range of the ties. “No, you said this was a reward!”
“Oh, stop whining.” She finished binding his legs and moved to his arms, this time leaving plenty of slack. “I promise you’ll like this one.”
“I think you’re lying. I—” He snapped his mouth shut as she ripped his pants down the middle.
He rose in an instant, and a wild grin twitched Elana’s lips. She coaxed him gently, and he got even harder. David’s eyelids fluttered, his back arching.
She met his gaze as she wrapped her hand around him.
David nodded.
She pumped.
He gasped and yanked harder on his bonds than when he had been tickled. But her hand wasn’t moving fast enough.
She spat on her fingers and pumped harder.
His gentle struggling was beautiful. His bare chest twisted, muscles working and flexing. Elana danced her fingers across his scarred belly.
His eyes popped open. “Thahat’s not fair,” he moaned.
“Do you want me to stop?”
He shook his head, pulling on the ties as she reached around and found his balls. She probed them, running her nails along the soft skin.
“Dammit, stop!” he yelped.
She raised both hands.
David sighed. “Fine. Do whatever you want.”
His stifled moans mixed with giggles until he sucked in a gasp. A white stream leaped onto his chest, along his navel, and dribbled down her hand.
Elana snatched up the wet rag she had abandoned next to him. She rubbed down his torso before cleaning off his shaft and her hand.
He panted as she tossed the rag into a washbin. “You were right. I did like that.”
She laid down next to him, her face level with his and her head cushioned by his bicep. “I thought you would.”
He glanced at her, then leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. Elana deepened it, then straddled him, not breaking the kiss as she fumbled with the binds around his wrists. David pulled her against him. She came up for air and wrapped her arms around him, finding the knots she had created in his back and working them out. “I guess we need to find those new pants now.”
