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"Only the last fifteen hours of your shower I thought you ed fro-sleeved black T-shirt He had the sleeves pulled up enough that she could see his wrists and foreare, manly adult hands No playful tattoos or punk nail polish for hinified--all work and no play And now those hands toweled the water out of her hair, swiped droplets off her face She iined they were a normal couple in their own house But they weren’t a normal couple and never would be and whether the world understood or not, that hat she loved about them

Søren picked her up off her feet and sat her on the bathroo you in your pajaet a bedtirinned at the thought of Søren reading her a bedtiet any weirder? Any better? As Søren dried her hair, her face, even her legs and feet, the residue of the past ith Wyatt evaporated She’d adored Wyatt, yes, but now that Søren had co but a detour, temporary and unexpected Søren was the path she’d chosen In his presence she remembered why she’d picked hiain

"Sa up a little white nightgown "She picked them out for you"

"I want to make out with her"

"Later You’re mine now"

She stepped into the white shorty bottos and pulled on the caet ready for bed, I was eight and was getting over the flu" Eleanor re her into pajamas She’d been so limp, so tired then, helpless from the illness that her mother had rocked in her arms like she was still a baby

Now Eleanor felt tired, tired and happy And clean, so clean in Søren’s presence Clean and safe She wasn’t helpless anymore, wasn’t weak Out of pleasure and love alone she submitted to his ministrations and let herself become as dependent as a child

He helped her off the bathroom counter and followed her into the bedroom She turned down the covers and started to crawl inside, but froze when she felt an i hand on the back of her neck

"Don’t move," Søren ordered

"What--"

She yelped as his hand made loud and brutal contact with her barely covered bottoht"

He sain, this ti her fingers into the sheets and braced herself The next sasped from the pain

"And that was siet into bed"

"Ow" Eleanor finally et a word out She collapsed onto her side and pulled the covers over her She looked up at Søren, who see off a srinned at her "I can"