Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“Tell me your safe word.”
This time, I can’t contain my shiver. Just like every other time that we enter a scene together, I have a moment of wondering if I pushed him too far. I don’t fear my husband. He would rather cut off his hands before he use them to give me anything but pleasure… or a little consensual pain to spice things up. With that said, I never quite know where he’ll take us and that little dash of unknown spices things up considerably.
“Pomegranate.”
“Very good.” The words might be praise, but the tone isn’t. He says it like I’m performing the bare minimum. “Since you are so determined to ignore my wishes, and I suppose we’ll have to do things a different way.”
That little thread of excitement in my stomach gets stronger. I do my best to keep it for my face, though. To keep playing along. I raise my brows. “There’s no need to do anything differently, Hades. Like I said, I’m more than capable of handling things myself.”
“No, little siren, you’re not. In fact, you won’t be handling anything today.”
Just like that, my excitement snaps out. I prop my hands on my hips. “What do you mean? You just said that we’re going to decorate today.”
“We will. Or, rather, I will decorate and you will direct me.”
My jaw drops. “Don’t be ridiculous. What kind of punishment is this?”
His lips curve the smallest bit and I could kick myself for showing my hand. Hades has a knack for choosing the “punishments” that irk me the most. He’s rarely cruel these days, but he is effective. “Now you get the idea. In fact, why don’t we start now?” He turns and takes two steps towards the bathroom before us pausing and looking over his shoulder at me. He raises a brow. “Come along.”
I can’t decide if I’m irritated or excited as I follow him into the bathroom and watch him start the shower. It’s a healthy combination of both. He’s so damn good at figuring out exactly what will drive me up the wall… And then drive me out of my mind. Unfortunately, my pregnancy has made the latter impossible these days.
I reach down to grab the hem of my shirt, but pause when he shakes his head slowly. “Allow me.” The two words may sound like a request, but they are most certainly a command.
I heave out an exasperated breath. Hades, of course, ignores it. He takes his time ensuring the temperature of the shower water is exactly where he wants it. It seems to take an eternity. Through it all, he never once looks over to ensure I’m still obeying. I both love and hate that he’s that sure of me.
“There we go.” He wipes his hand on one of the fluffy towels hanging nearby. I know better than to make a snarky comment and prolong this whole process. Instead, I stand there are submissively and allow him to strip of me. I might be putting on a bratty for show, but the truth is that I love how he takes care of me in this moment. His hands are gentle as he tugs my shirt over my head and drops it in the dirty laundry bin.
My loose lounge pants, stolen from him several months ago, are eased down my legs. Hades sinks to his knees before me so that I can step out of the pants, and once again I’m struck by the fact that this positioning should feel like he’s submissive and I’m Dominant. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Once I’m naked, he strips efficiently and leads me into the shower. I duck beneath the spray and slick my hair back for my face. Unsurprisingly, the water is a perfect temperature. I used to prefer my showers to be a little hotter, but pregnancy has made my skin is so sensitive that I can’t stand that temperature any longer. Another thing I look forward to getting back to once I have these babies.
I reach for my shampoo out of sheer habit, but freeze when Hades taps my wrist. A silent reminder that I am not the one in charge right now. This time, I can’t even dredge up an irritated huff. I love it when he washes my hair, and these days there’s quite a bit of my body that it takes a whole lot of effort to get to for washing.
I almost forget to be irritated with him as he lathers the shampoo into my hair with steady movements. Just like the temperature of the water, he knows exactly how much pressure I can handle these days. I have to bite my lip to hold in a little moan as he works his thumbs into my scalp. He supports my back and guides me to lean into the water to rinse.