her sensitive flesh with incredible pressure. She tilted her behind down slightly, letting the warm stream of water settle on her clit. A few seconds was all she could take, as the pleasure built so quickly. Teasing herself, she slowly circled her hips in a clockwise motion, letting the water pulse on the inside of her right thigh, down to the bottom of her splayed legs, and straight back up to her clit. The varied sensations were almost too much to handle, and when she just couldn’t take it anymore, she let the water again settle on that sensitive nub of flesh, feeling the orgasm build higher and higher, until she came with a soft moan.
It was satisfying, she had done it many times before, but after knowing the pleasure that Ethan had given her, it just couldn’t compare. It merely felt like foreplay.
Trying to savor the release, she submerged the back of her head, closing her eyes. A lump rose in her throat and she furrowed her brow, trying to shake off the emotion. It was going to be a long night if she kept on thinking of what she had just lost. Huffing out a frustrated breath, she sat up in the tub and opened her eyes. Immediately she screamed.
There was Ethan, his good shoulder leaning against the door frame of her bathroom. As if he had simply materialized from her thoughts into the physical realm.
She gasped. “What’re you—How did you—” She stopped herself, trying to gather her thoughts. “How long have you been standing there?”
He looked away. “You look beautiful.” She detected hurt in his voice and though she was still hurt, his expression tugged at her heart.
“What are you doing here, Ethan?” she asked. “You said we could never work.”
“I just couldn’t leave you that way. I wanted to let you know that this situation absolutely destroys me.”
“Is that all? Tell the truth. Are you still thinking of me like I’m thinking of you?”
“Of course. But I just wanted to say goodbye properly and make sure you understood. I have no part in this, it’s just the way it is.” His shoulders slumped, the lips she kissed just last night pressing together into a thin line.
Tina felt her voice rise slightly. Not from anger, but from desperation. She couldn’t picture herself not kissing that mouth ever again. “So you’re saying there’s absolutely no way to break the curse? There’s no way we can be together?” Whenever she had been told no she had found a way to overcome it. There had to be something she could do.
“The only way would be to kill the Gluttony who killed my parents. But I told you—he disappeared right after the attack and no one has seen him since. The first few years after the attack I tried, I searched, but it was useless—”
“Well now you’ll have another person to help you. We’ll search together. We’ll hunt him down if it means that—”
“Tina, I’m begging you to understand. It’s impossible . Please don’t think that I don’t wish—don’t pray—that that wasn’t the case.” He rubbed his face with his hand. She noticed he hadn’t shaved, his five o’clock shadow making him look even more rugged than when he was in uniform.
A moment of silence hung between them. He was right—there was no way to argue the point. They could not be together. Slowly, she stood up in the tub and climbed out, shivering as the coolness of the tile met the soles of her feet. After wrapping herself in a white towel, she stared him down. “You care about me. The pain I woke up with confirms that you do. And you’re going to ignore the most amazing thing that has ever happened to both of us and just walk away?”
“I don’t have a choice,” he whispered. “I’ll hurt you more. I can’t bear to hurt you.”
“If being able to be with you means these bouts of pain and discomfort, I’ll do it. I’ll soldier through. I can take care of myself.” Tina was choking up again. “I’m strong.”
“You are strong,” he said gently. “But this is
It was satisfying, she had done it many times before, but after knowing the pleasure that Ethan had given her, it just couldn’t compare. It merely felt like foreplay.
Trying to savor the release, she submerged the back of her head, closing her eyes. A lump rose in her throat and she furrowed her brow, trying to shake off the emotion. It was going to be a long night if she kept on thinking of what she had just lost. Huffing out a frustrated breath, she sat up in the tub and opened her eyes. Immediately she screamed.
There was Ethan, his good shoulder leaning against the door frame of her bathroom. As if he had simply materialized from her thoughts into the physical realm.
She gasped. “What’re you—How did you—” She stopped herself, trying to gather her thoughts. “How long have you been standing there?”
He looked away. “You look beautiful.” She detected hurt in his voice and though she was still hurt, his expression tugged at her heart.
“What are you doing here, Ethan?” she asked. “You said we could never work.”
“I just couldn’t leave you that way. I wanted to let you know that this situation absolutely destroys me.”
“Is that all? Tell the truth. Are you still thinking of me like I’m thinking of you?”
“Of course. But I just wanted to say goodbye properly and make sure you understood. I have no part in this, it’s just the way it is.” His shoulders slumped, the lips she kissed just last night pressing together into a thin line.
Tina felt her voice rise slightly. Not from anger, but from desperation. She couldn’t picture herself not kissing that mouth ever again. “So you’re saying there’s absolutely no way to break the curse? There’s no way we can be together?” Whenever she had been told no she had found a way to overcome it. There had to be something she could do.
“The only way would be to kill the Gluttony who killed my parents. But I told you—he disappeared right after the attack and no one has seen him since. The first few years after the attack I tried, I searched, but it was useless—”
“Well now you’ll have another person to help you. We’ll search together. We’ll hunt him down if it means that—”
“Tina, I’m begging you to understand. It’s impossible . Please don’t think that I don’t wish—don’t pray—that that wasn’t the case.” He rubbed his face with his hand. She noticed he hadn’t shaved, his five o’clock shadow making him look even more rugged than when he was in uniform.
A moment of silence hung between them. He was right—there was no way to argue the point. They could not be together. Slowly, she stood up in the tub and climbed out, shivering as the coolness of the tile met the soles of her feet. After wrapping herself in a white towel, she stared him down. “You care about me. The pain I woke up with confirms that you do. And you’re going to ignore the most amazing thing that has ever happened to both of us and just walk away?”
“I don’t have a choice,” he whispered. “I’ll hurt you more. I can’t bear to hurt you.”
“If being able to be with you means these bouts of pain and discomfort, I’ll do it. I’ll soldier through. I can take care of myself.” Tina was choking up again. “I’m strong.”
“You are strong,” he said gently. “But this is
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