Heat crept up my neck. “Majesty, you don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.” He waited, and I could see in his eyes that he meant it. That this wasn’t obligation. This was desire.
After a moment, I nodded and moved to the bed. I lay down on my stomach, the robe still wrapped around me, hyperaware of his presence behind me.
“This is going to work better if the robe comes off,” he said carefully. “But only if you’re comfortable with that.”
My heart started pounding. I should say no. Should keep this professional. Should maintain some kind of boundary.
But I didn’t want to.
I reached beneath me and undid the tie. “Okay.”
“I’m going to move it aside. Tell me if you want me to stop.”
“I trust you.” The words came out before I could think about them, but they were true. I did trust him.
I heard him warming the oil between his palms, and then his hands were on my shoulders. I tensed immediately, my body not sure what to expect.
“Breathe,” he said, his voice low and commanding. “I’ve got you.”
I exhaled slowly, and then his thumbs found a knot of tension and pressed. Pain and relief flooded through me simultaneously, and I made a sound I couldn’t control.
“Too much?” he asked.
“No. It’s perfect. Don’t stop.”
He didn’t. His hands moved methodically, working down my spine, finding every tight muscle and coaxing it to release. I felt myself melting into the mattress, small sounds escaping me that I probably should have been embarrassed about but couldn’t find the energy within myself to care.
“How did you learn to do this?” I asked, my voice muffled against my arms.
“Took a course years ago. Figured if I was going to be doing intense scenes with people, I should know how to help them come down after.” His hands moved to my lower back, and I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning. “Plus, there’s something intimate about it. Taking care of someone when they’re vulnerable.”
“It feels amazing.”
“Good.” His hands slid lower, working my hips, and I felt the robe slip further down. I should have cared. Should have been modest. But his touch felt too good to worry about it. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“How did it feel tonight? During the demonstration?”
The question made me tense again, and his hands immediately soothed the tension away with gentle strokes.
“It felt like I belonged to both of you,” I admitted, the words coming easier in the darkness with my face hidden. “Like I was yours—and Lex’s—in a way that didn’t require me to choose between you.”
His hands stilled for a moment. “Did that scare you?”
“A little. But in a good way. Like standing at the edge of something big and knowing you’re about to jump.”
“Are you going to jump?” His hands resumed their movement, working down my thighs now.
“I think I already have.”
When he reached my feet, I couldn’t hold back the moan. His thumbs worked into the arch, and pleasure shot straight up my spine.
“Oh my god, that’s unfair.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “What’s unfair about it?”
