Chapter

The sunlight poured through the large french windows.

She groaned as the rays lit up the room. The mornings were getting more and more chilly with every passing day but today it felt warm. Almost as if an electric blanket was covering her.

She turned and snuggled into the warmth. The material felt strange, it was like a person's warmth. Like skin against the skin... Skin!

Her eyes burst open, only to be greeted by firm chest muscles and the smell of faded perfume. His perfume. She looked further up. Caelum!

Of course, it was Caelum. She tried revising through her hazy memories from last night. Caelum had pulled her out of the bar last night, and then Jasmine had cried a bucket of tears while bathing her... Right, Jasmine had seen her scars and had started crying at the sight of them.

The poor girl must have been dazed after seeing the dark side of Rose's life. She sighed lightly.

Just then the rest of the memories came down on her like a nuclear bomb.

The kitchen and then the bedroom... And then .. what had she been thinking? She questioned herself.

She glared at the devilishly beautiful man sleeping at her side. He looked so much younger when he wasn't frowning or smirking. He had popped her cherry last night but how could she blame him when she had basically THROWN herself on him.

And now here she was, lying entangled like a mess in his arms, naked. She slowly wiggled free her legs from his and rolled off to the edge and stood up.

'THUMP' she was on the floor. Her legs wouldn't work!

Her backside was so sore, she had to touch it to confirm it was still there. Her legs throbbed like they'd have to run a 1000km marathon and the rest of her body ached so much it felt like a hundred hands had hammered it. The worst part was that between all this chaos she could feel something trickling down her vagina.

"Running away, creampie." She flinched at the voice that boomed out of nowhere.

Caelum said in his heavy early morning voice. He was propped on his elbow as he smiled evilly at her exposed body.

She covered her breasts with her arms and squeezed her legs together hiding her body.

He let out a little laugh, "Nothing I haven't explored, love." He said in a low husky voice. He licked his lips. Her taste still lingering on his tongue.

Her face bloomed red as she pressed her arms firmer against her petite body.

It only made him smile more. "What are you doing on the floor?" he asked sitting up.

"My legs gave out." She said softly. Still trying to figure what was wrong with her.

Caelum smiled awkwardly. He knew exactly what was wrong. "Sorry, I shouldn't have overdone it, after all, it was your first time." He said.

'Overdone' she thought. Oh my! How many rounds had he gone before finally stopping? She threw an ice dagger with her gaze at him.

He felt guilty but in a good way. If that was even possible.

He pushed away from the blanket and got off the bed. He was only wearing his underwear. His perfect abs and tattoos gleamed in the morning sunshine. His bed hair gave it all a husky, hot temperament. God really went all in while creating him.

"I said I was sorry." He said striding over to her and slipped his hands on her shoulder and her legs. Ready to lift her.

"Whatdoyouthinkyouaredoing?!" she blurted out quickly and loudly, wincing from the pain that shot up from her thighs to her entire back.

"Taking responsibility." He said smiling smugly before striding to the washroom.

He sat her down on the space of the sink and started filling the bathtub. The cold marble bit into her butt.

She glanced behind her in the large mirror. She gasped in shock.

Her neck, chest, shoulders, and even her back were heaped with hickeys.

This man! She glared at him. He stood with his back to her. The dark swirls of his back tattoos mocking her. That's when she saw them.

On his back were deep red gashes, nail marks! They were new and still red. Dry blood lining a few of them.

She covered her mouth with her palm. Had she really done that? Her head throbbed and her free arm fell at her side, clutching the marble sink. She no longer gave attention to covering her naked body.

He turned around saying, "The bath.." there were more on his shoulders and chest.

He stopped midway as he saw her expression. She looked devastated.

"What is it?" his voice turned icy and calm again. He was sure that she would tell him how she regretted last night. About how devastated she felt about the fact that she slept with him.

"Did I.." she trailed off. She looked on the verge of tears. "Did I hurt you?" she pointed weakly at the long red clawings on his chest.

Relief floated like warm honey over his frozen eyes. He could've kissed her, would've kissed her if only her eyes weren't filling fast with tears.

He was the person who had sucked her entire body red and purple but here she was ready to cry over scratch marks. She indeed was something.

He smiled slightly and shook his head lightly. He stepped closer and caged her with his arms on either side of her body.

Her arms wrapped over her chest once again, sniffling lightly preparing herself for a blow.

He bent lower and bit lightly on her neck.

She straightened up. Was this some other way of punishing?

"Now every time you cry, I will be gaining a kiss from those pink lips of yours." He said pecking at the corner of her mouth. She blinked. Wasn't one night enough to bore him? What was he thinking?

"But I-," she started. Caelum rolled his eyes on her, "Fine if you feel so guilty, why not give me something?" he said raising an eyebrow and smiling mockingly.

"I don't have anything to give." She replied.

He lifted her chin with a finger, "Kiss me." He said, he wanted to taste those lips again, he needed to.

He was awfully close. Her heart was thrashing against the nerves and arteries restraining it.

He tilted his head and stared at her lips. They were still swollen from all the passion last night.

She slowly closed the gap between their lips. Carefully touching hers to his cool lips. They were soft.

He claimed her lips in a heartbeat. His tongue pushed into her mouth as his lips sucked hers. He was so great at this. She felt hot, so hot she was afraid she would melt into a puddle of molten pleasure.

The heat started clustering in her lower body. Not again.

Just when Caelum was about to deepen the kiss, Rose pulled back. She turned her face away from him. Hiding it beneath her long strands of hair.

Caelum smiled slightly as he gripped her waist and lifted her. "Let's get you into the bath." He said.

She hissed and winced at the pain that shook her entire body. Her legs wrapped around his waist while her arms went to grip his shoulders but she flinched when she almost touched one of the marks.

How cute. He thought as he placed a little kiss on her cheek. "It doesn't hurt. You can hold onto me." He confirmed.

She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, careful of the wounds.

He strode slowly to the tub, not moving briskly. He was aware of her sore body as he placed her into the warm vanilla-smelling water.

The tub was big and spacious. She sat in the middle of the 1.5 feet deep and 6 feet long tub.

She closed her eyes and submerged herself till her chin. The sweet scent of the bath bomb was doing its job perfectly. She was ready to fall asleep in the comfort of the warm water nestling her sore muscles when the water splashed out of the tub.

She snapped out of her sweet glory.

Caelum entered the tub from behind and casually pulled her closer to him.

"Did you think you could enjoy this alone?" he whispered against her ear as he leaned in and rested his head on her shoulder. His voice heavy and tired.

Her ears reddened. Even though he was wearing his underwear, she was well aware of how closely she was pressed against him.

She flinched and slide away ahead. Putting a distance of a few inches between their bodies.

"Why do you keep running away from me." He said as he put an arm around her waist, tugging her back to him. "It's comfortable this way, dear wife." He added.

She shivered against the skin-to-skin contact. He nudged his nose against the nape of her neck. Her skin pebbled as his tongue stroked one of the many red smudges.

She turned around quickly and placed her palms on his chest wanting to push him away but instead she slid away.

"We can't do that here!" she said, completely flustered by his actions. Her entire body, naked and wet, displayed like a rich buffet. He could have swallowed her whole that instant. But seeing her wince and hiss in pain from the weakest movement, he had contained himself.

But all this did not mean he won't take every opportunity to tease her. Especially with her hands pressed on his chest.

"What is 'that' love?" he asked, a small smile tugging lightly at the corner of his lips. His fingers tracing the back of her hand on his chest.

She pulled away in a jiffy and turned beet red, she diverted her eyes from his and mumbled, "You know well enough."

He pulled her in and this time she was sitting in his lap, his face right in front of her heavy breast.

"I'm worried Rose, what kind of weird thoughts are you getting from just one night of passion?" he mocked her as his hands slide below her waist.

She pushed him away, water splashed out of the tub.

"You are the one doing weird things here!" she snapped back. Embarrassment licking at her flushed cheeks.

Caelum laughed heartily. The scene in front of him was hilarious. He raised his arms above his head and in between his laughs managed to say,

"Come back here, I promise I won't do anything 'weird'."

She was still too flustered but she had always had a soft spot for this man's rare laughs.

She sighed internally at herself before sliding back into the warmth of his arms, which engulfed her without hesitation.

The warm water was nothing compared to this. This warmth was dizzying and sweet.

She had never before liked to be touched. It was a strange dislike. She did not like to be touched because she craved it too much. She wanted to be held very tight so she wouldn't break. And this was close.

Oh God, too close.

....................................

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