Page 178 of Unmasked

“You want me to do it?”

I let my eyes go round. For seconds I could see his battle. It had him letting out a sigh before he leaned forward, moving up to my cuffed hand.

“You remember. Disconnect the IV. There’s a small valve. Do you see it? Close that valve and detach the line. Leave the catheter in my hand in place.”

“…I don’t know.”

“Please. It’s simple.”

Pressure registered in my hand. King Lawrence made a sound.

“There. Got it. Look at that.”

He laughed, unlocking the cuff. I let my hand fall, knowing not to ruin this yet.

“That wasn’t too hard. I don’t know about hooking it back up though. I think I’ll call him in for that.”

“That might be for the best,” I agreed, feeling him relax a little as he undid the other cuff and pulled back the covers. When he scooped me in his arms, I could feel so much cum leaving me. I almost gagged, feeding from the need to bash his brains in.

“I’m not pulling at your stitches, right? I can’t believe how injured you are. Savages.”

My jaw tightened. “No. I’m fine. Where are we?” I looked around the room as he carried me in the bathroom. “I like this place. It seems… cozy.”

“It’s my favorite. The cottage came from my mother’s side. It’s truly nothing grand. Seven bedrooms. Four bath. It’s not far from the palace. Maybe forty-five minutes. It’s always been somewhere I’ve come when I need that sense of home. You know?”

“Yeah. I miss that feeling,” I said, lowly. “Although home was never a good place.”

“This can be your new home. With me. It can be ours.” He opened the small shower door, pausing as he seemed to sense his dilemma. He turned, spinning as he looked for a place to sit me down. “Here. Just go to the bathroom while I take these off.”

He lowered me to the toilet, reaching to hold to my shoulder as I began to sway. My lids closed and my face burned because I did have to go to the bathroom, and I hated that it once again had to be in front of him.

“See. Perfect. That worked out well.” He reached for the toilet paper, wiping over me before flushing. More, heat took over me. He lifted me in his arms, heading back to open the shower. “Now, let’s get you clean. I guess we lucked out that this one has a sitting area.” He lowered me to cold marble, and I tried to hide the jolt.

“Just… lean my head over to the wall. I think I can… hold myself up so you can shower first.”

More words. I was getting stronger. Even as King Lawrence obeyed, I was almost sure I could sit up by myself if I had another few minutes. I was close. I may have been weak and off-balance, but I did have a small sense of control.

“I won’t let you fall.”

My head was eased over, and his hands hovered as he made sure I was okay. When I didn’t fall, he stepped back more into the water. But he didn’t take his eyes off me except to wash his hair. I fisted my hand in quick succession, even lifting my head a little. When it didn’t fall on its own, I smiled, easing it back down.

I stood a chance… for something. Now, I needed a plan. I needed to pretend until I could make a move.

“Lawrence, you said this place… could be ours.”

His lids opened, and he crouched, grabbing the soap. “That’s right.” He squeezed the liquid in his hand, beginning to rub it over my body. “Would you like that? To be here with me?”

“What about the palace?”

I kept my words slow. As if it were still hard for me to talk.

“We’ll still stay there too. We’ll just come back here for a week out of the month. We have so many places we could stay. Between yours and mine, I truly don’t think there’s enough time in a year to stay at all of them. We’d never be home.”

“Which is… the palace.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t want me… as your queen. There’s so many better… choices.”