Sweet Hatred
Chapter 114: Aftercare

Chapter 114: Aftercare

My chest squeezed tight. I hated how much I wanted him to say something else. I love you. Just those three words. But he didn’t. And I wasn’t going to ask. So I forced a breathy chuckle and muttered, "You’re welcome. But let’s be clear, you’re still an asshole."

"I know" He laughed against my skin, that low rumble making my toes curl, and bit my neck gently. I hissed, and his lips were instantly on mine—soft, slow, lingering like he was memorizing me all over again.

Then I said it, just to mess with him. "Now that I think about it... I might’ve forgotten to take my birth control."

He froze mid-thrust. Dead silent. His face lifted, eyes wide with a half-surprised look.

I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing and covered his mouth with my hand. "I’m kidding! Oh my God—your face—"

He grabbed my wrist, pinned it above my head, and gave me that wicked look—the one that said I was in trouble. "You really think that’s funny?"

Before I could answer, he slammed into me, harder, deeper, his pace wild now, relentless. "Let’s see if you’ll still be laughing when I’m done with you."

My laughter melted into moans. My legs wrapped around him. And I forgot everything but the way he made me feel like I belonged to him. Like we were the only two people in the world.

Like maybe this wasn’t just sex anymore.

I didn’t even realize I’d drifted off until the absence of him pulled me back. The bed felt cold without his weight, and the mess between my thighs reminded me exactly what had just happened. My body still tingled, a lazy warmth pulsing through my limbs like a drug, but I frowned, blinking into the dim room. I couldn’t even tell what the time was.

"Kael...?"

No answer.

Panic flared...brief, irrational. But then I heard it. The soft sound of water running.

The bathroom.

I rolled onto my side, barely able to move without wincing. Every inch of me was sore in the best, most obscene way. My legs still trembled from being folded and spread and fucked until I couldn’t think straight. And the stickiness... Lord. It was everywhere.

The faucet shut off.

A second later, he padded out quietly, shirtless, his pants low on his hips, hair mussed like he’d run his fingers through it a thousand times.

And in his hand? A warm, damp towel.

I blinked at him.

He didn’t say anything. He just came back to me back to the bed and nudged my thighs apart again with that same gentle, determined touch. No teasing now. No cocky smirk. Just... Kael.

"You don’t have to—I can do it myself," I whispered, cheeks heating.

"I know," he murmured, settling between my legs. "But I want to."

His voice was low, almost reverent, as he cleaned me carefully, every spot he’d marked and ruined. He wiped away the slick dripping down my thigh, between my legs, around my swollen folds. He was slow, almost too gentle, and I bit my lip when I saw the furrow in his brow like he loved yet hated seeing the mess he made.

"It’s okay," I said quietly, touching his hair.

He looked up at me, eyes dark but soft. "I know," he whispered again. "But still."

When he was done, he tossed the towel aside and kissed the inside of my thigh, right where his teeth had left a mark earlier. Then another kiss. And another. Like an apology.

Then he climbed back into bed beside me and pulled me into his arms without asking. My back hit his chest, and I felt him exhale like finally, finally, we could rest.

I let myself melt into him. Let the warmth of his body seep into mine. His fingers traced circles into my hipbone.

"You really didn’t have to," I whispered into the quiet.

"But I wanted to," he repeated against the curve of my neck. "You take care of everyone else. Let me take care of you."

And that?

That was the most dangerous thing he’d ever said to me.

I was barely hanging onto consciousness when I felt him shift behind me, his arm wrapping tighter around my waist, lips brushing the shell of my ear. His voice was low, quieter than a breath. "You’re the only thing keeping me from losing what’s left of myself." A pause, like he wasn’t sure if he should keep going.

"If I hadn’t met you that night... I think I would’ve burned everything to the ground by now." His words melted into the silence, their weight sinking into my chest like a secret I wasn’t supposed to hear. I wanted to turn around, to say something, but sleep dragged me under with his voice still echoing in the corners of my mind.

The next morning,

My body ached in the most sinful, satisfying way. Muscles I didn’t even know I had felt stretched and abused, but in the best kind of way like I’d been claimed. And maybe I had been, in every damn sense of the word.

I stirred awake to the empty space beside me, still warm from where Kael had been just moments ago. I blinked slowly, trying to lift my head, only to be greeted by the heavenly scent of food.

There was a tray beside the bed.

A fresh breakfast, still warm. Eggs, toast, what looked like a delicate little cup of miso soup, and fresh fruit arranged like it came from a palace kitchen. Because it did. Because I was in a castle.

I let out a groan, dragging myself upright, hunched like some poor, ruined creature. My legs didn’t want to work, my thighs trembled, and my entire core pulsed with the memory of last night. Kael Roman, that arrogant, intense bastard, had rearranged my entire body like it belonged to him.

Which... maybe it did.

I devoured the breakfast like I hadn’t eaten in days, humming with pleasure at each bite. Then I slipped into the bathroom, wincing at the soreness as hot water kissed my skin. I lingered, letting the steam bring me back to life.

After drying off, I scanned the room and grabbed the only clothes in sight... his. A dark grey shirt that hung off my frame and a pair of black sweatpants that might as well have been a sleeping bag.

I looked ridiculous.

Adorably ridiculous.

I stepped out into the hallway, bare feet against polished floors, and was immediately greeted by opulence. Marble columns, massive windows letting in golden sunlight, and staff moving like silent ghosts. Some bowed as I passed. Others smiled softly, respectfully.

I wasn’t sure where I was going, but my legs moved anyway.

I caught one of the staff, a woman in crisp black and white by the arm and cleared my throat. "Um... do you know where Kael is?"