He cleaned me up next, letting me stay limp as he used warm water and a washcloth to gently wash my body and face. He unlocked the chastity cage, cleaning it and my privates. When he noticed I flinched, even just a little, he stopped immediately.
“Too much?” he asked.
I shook my head.
He applied ointment with clinical focus, his jaw set—not with anger, but concentration. He massaged circulation back into areas that had gone numb, continuously checking my color, breathing, and responses. He dressed me afterward in soft clothes he knew I liked, the ones that didn’t press or cling.
And then he tucked me into bed.
I lay there afterward, watching him move around the room, tidying up, locking things away, restoring order.
I wasn’t scared.
I wasn’t upset.
Mostly, I was… thoughtful.
“Normal” Jace would never hurt me. He’d proven it over and over again—in his patience, in his gentleness, in how carefully he watched me for signs I was overwhelmed.
But the other Jace?
He hadn’t cared about hurting me at all.
He’d cared aboutusingme.
And the unsettling truth—the one that made my chest feel warm instead of cold—was that they didn’t feel like different people.
Jace had still felt like Jace, just unrestricted.
I wondered how many people had seen that side of him.
And if it was weird that I wanted to be the only one to see it?
I rolled slightly onto my side as he came back to the bed, sitting beside me. His hand brushed my hair back softly.
“You okay, cherub?” he asked quietly.
I nodded.
He studied my face for a long moment, searching for something—fear, regret, doubt.
He wouldn’t find it.
“Good,” he said, and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to my forehead. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay? For now, you need a good night’s sleep.”
I nodded again and snuggled into him.
* **
I woke up slowly to warm, soft sheets and my Daddy pressed against my back.
Last night lingered in my body in quiet ways—tenderness, fatigue, and a dull ache that wasn’t unpleasant so much as present.
I shifted slightly, and Jace’s arm tightened around my middle automatically, even though he was still asleep. His chin dipped into my hair, breath warm against my scalp.
So nice.
I realized I must’ve fallen back asleep because the next time I opened my eyes, I was alone. Jace must’ve slipped out of bed without waking me, which honestly felt like a miracle considering how little he’d wanted to let me out of his sight lately.
