“Impossible. You exist in every part of me. In sleep, or waking. In life, or in death. There isn’t an ounce of me that means anything without you.”
Apparently, I didn’t say the right thing. A shadow passed over Hector’s face so suddenly, it stole the air from my lungs. He rocked closer to me, water lapping up the porcelain tub until it soaked the sleeves of my shirt. His damp hands found either side of my face, thumbs brushing tenderly over the apples of my cheeks.
“Don’t say that,” Hector said, head tilting to the side. “Don’t you ever say such a thing again, or I’ll be forced to… to… drag you into the bath and drown you. Okay?”
“I sense that I’ve put my foot in proverbial shit, but I’m not sure which foot?”
“There’s more to you than just the way you feel about me,” Hector said, finally making it click into place. “I don’t want you to love me if that is all you feel you are worthy of. It’s impossible to love another without loving yourself first, you do know that, right?”
“I didn’t mean it?—”
Hector cut me off with a single look.
“Yes.Arwyn, you did.” To make sure I didn’t speak again, he placed his dripping finger over my mouth. His touch, the softness of his cold finger, sent a shiver into every corner of my body. “You meant exactly what you said even if you didn’t realise the severity of it. There is more to you than just your feelings for me.”
There is more to you…than just your feelings for me.
I wasn’t brave enough to face this conversation yet. As much as Hector and I were bound together, there was still so much he didn’t know. I wished I was brave enough to show him my scars and tell him every story that accompanied them. But I was simply not ready.
“You’re freezing,” I announced, diverting the conversation from the wild track that was my internal turmoil.
Hector knew what I was attempting. I expected him to backtrack, but he didn’t. “I am. But if I get out of this bath, it means I have to face the world waiting outside of it. I think I’ll brave the cold a little longer.”
“If you don’t get out soon you’ll be a shrivelled old man by the time you clamber out.”
“Good.” Hector grinned defiantly. “Then my life is in your hands. You can feed me, dress me, wash me, take care of me. Will you still… love me when I’m old and wrinkly?”
“Let me see.” I leaned back, already undoing the buttons of my shirt. By the time my trousers began to slip off my thighs, Hector was practically panting. I felt the places his eyes lingered burn with the heat of his attention. His obsession, or admiration, was enough to warm me. So much so that when I climbed into the bath with him, I barely recognised the cold kiss of the water.
“Yes, I think I would. I like the sound of getting old with you.”
“Deal. I was wondering how long it would take you to get in with me,” Hector whispered, shifting his legs to give me room to lie beside him. “Glad I didn’t have to ask because I was getting close.”
“Well, you know. All good things come to those who wait, or something,” I began, hands grasping for his thighs as I positioned his body into the bow of mine, two pieces of a puzzle fixing together. “If you wanted me to join you sooner, you could’ve just used your words.”
“What fun would that have been?”
He had a point.
“Anyway,” Hector continued, “you were too busy stewing over should haves and could haves.”
“I’m here now aren’t I?” I reached for him, my touch greedy for Hector’s flesh.
“Come closer and warm me up then.” Hector moaned as he pushed his arse back into my groin. It was no surprise toeither of us that I was already as hard as stone. My member, erect and standing to attention, pressed into Hector’s soft flesh, demanding more. I took one of his arse cheeks, lifted it and slotted my hardness practically between. Not inside, not yet at least. For now, I just wanted every inch of his skin on me. If I could’ve forged our bodies together, I would’ve.
I got the impression, from his deep groan and arched back, that Hector felt the same.
“What we really should do is go and make a plan with our coven,” Hector said between the soft rocks of his body against mine. “Right? Tell me that’s what we should do and I’ll listen.”
I could barely focus on my answer as his rocking became more persistent.
Hector was teasing, torturing, and taunting me.
“You’re right. I guess we should…” I grumbled against his neck as I nuzzled into him. My teeth nipped to Hector’s delight, my tongue following soon after to soothe the tender skin my bite left behind.
Hector became breathy, his words broken as he continued searching for reasons to put a pause on what inevitably was going to happen. “Romy and Kai will be worried for us…”
“Let them.”
