“Or a solitary black hole.”
That makes me laugh. “You’re not a black hole, my butterfly. You’re much more than that. Vibrant, even. Maybe a planet. Saturn? One of the most beautiful planets, I think.”
“Not so solitary though.”
“And why’s that?”
“They have moons.”
I consider that for a moment. “Ah, they do. I think you could call me Titan, then.”
“And why’s that?”
“Well, Saturn has two hundred and seventy-four moons, but the largest is Titan. It just orbits endlessly around the planet, admiring its beauty.”
“Shut up,” Ansel replies, but it’s not said with derision or annoyance. More shy embarrassment.
I flop back down and let silence move over us, liking the idea of me being a moon orbiting my beautiful Saturn more and more.
“How old were you when you went through your obsession with space?”
I click my tongue. “Hm, probably fifteen. Before that, it was anything war. Army, weapons.”
“I’d rather not hear about that right now. Can you tell me morespace facts?” Ansel asks, his knee hitting my bare leg and making me bite back a moan. “Just to distract me for a minute.”
“Sure can,” I say, and then rattle a bunch off, weaving them together with parts of my past. He may not realize it, but I’m giving him pieces of me.
I just hope he cherishes them.
Not many do.
8
CADE
We wander inside a little while later, Ansel’s eyes drooping in exhaustion. Probably from the stress of this whole situation.
I shake out the blanket before putting it back on the bed. Once it’s in place, I hide the dagger under my pillow once more.
“We should shower and go to bed,” I say, and Ansel just scrubs a hand down his face.
“You can go first. I’ll watch.”
“Learned your lesson?”
He sighs loudly and rolls his eyes. “Yes. Now, no more gloating.”
I pretend to zip my lips and then stride toward the bathroom, knowing Ansel is looking at my ass as I move. And it’s a nice ass. I do a lot of squats.
I could probably kill someone with my glutes if I had to.
“I can show you my workout regimen if you’re interested,” I say as I flick the water on. I glance back and see him leaning against the doorjamb.
“No thanks, Titan. I’m happy with my body just the way it is.”
I let my gaze travel up and down said body. “I agree. It’s very nice.”
That makes him blush. I step under the water and wash quickly,not giving him a show. I could—my dick would like to be touched very much—but I decide not to take too long.
