C13, PT. 5

She gave him a bright smile to cover the pity she felt for the lonely child he’d been. “Well, today’s your lucky day. We are always going to have sweets in the house. We just have to find out what you like.”

She opened the bag and offered it to him. He hesitated, but her heart warmed when he reached into the bag and broke off a piece.

“That’s the gingerbread,” she informed him as he popped it in his mouth. She waited expectantly, but when he said nothing, she said, “Maybe you’ll like the chocolate chip better?”

Another pause before he reached in and took from the second cookie. Again, no comment, and he didn’t reach for more.

“Maybe cookies aren’t your thing.” She tried to hide her disappointment by grabbing a piece of gingerbread for herself. “We’ll keep trying until you find a dessert you like. Everyone should have a guilty pleasure.”

As his gaze moved over her, warmth spread. The fact that all it took was a look embarrassed her. She was so tuned into him. So receptive to anything he deigned to give her when she’d been bored to tears with other men. They didn’t challenge her intellectually, physically, even emotionally. Roth checked every box. She broke off a chunk of the chocolate chip cookie and stuffed her face, instead of stepping into him to see if he wanted to go another round.

“Are you going to work a little?” she asked.

“No, it can wait until tomorrow.”

He gripped the back of his neck and tipped his head to the side.

“Are you okay?”

“I have a knot.”

“Do you want me to…?”

He eyed her for a moment before he sat at the foot of the bed. She stood beside him and put her hand where his was and applied pressure. Immediately, his head dropped forward.

“Harder,” he grunted.

She climbed on the bed for better leverage and was pleased by his low grunt. She felt the bump and began to knead, trusting he would say something if what she was doing felt wrong or pained him. He didn’t say a thing, he just sat there as she tried to give him some relief. His gruff, “Other side,” made her shift restlessly on her knees. That damn growl always got to her.

After several minutes that felt like an eternity, she paused. He reached back and grabbed her hand.

“Run your thumbs from here to here.”

He dragged her hand from the base of his neck to a spot several inches into his hairline. When she obeyed, his pleased rumble made her smile. As she repeated the simple motion, she glanced out the window and saw the snow had finally arrived. She wished they were in their own snow globe and the outside world didn’t exist. If only they could stay here for several days and just be. Roth was pliant and as relaxed as his muscled body would allow. “On your stomach.”

“What?”

He sounded drugged. She kissed the side of his neck before she gave him a playful tug backward that didn’t rock him one bit.

“You gave me a massage. It’s time to return the favor.” When he didn’t move, she dropped her hands and offered, “Or I can call someone.”

Without a word, he rose, turned, and stretched out in the middle of the bed. She eyed him uncertainly.

“I don’t know what I’m doing. Maybe it’s best I call a professional who can help—”

“Get on top of me and put your hands on me, princess.”

The endearment restored her confidence. She clambered over his legs and straddled his ass. She bounced a little to fuck with him and laughed when he muttered something under his breath.

“Don’t be such a baby,” she chided as she settled on his lower back and braced her hands on his shoulder blades. “Okay, what do I do?”

She listened to his instructions and got to work. She quickly realized she had to use most of her body weight to get the pressure he wanted. He taught her the anatomy of his back and grunted and hissed as her strong fingers dug in. She lost herself in the repetitive movements and the challenge of having so much territory to cover. She remembered some motions from the massage he gave her in London. It was a delight to explore and touch to her heart’s content. Even when her arms began to ache and sweat dotted her forehead, she didn’t stop until he was boneless.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed, but when he’d been quiet for some time, she shifted to the side and smiled when she saw his eyes were closed. She glanced at the clock and resisted the urge to squeal. It was just after four. Maybe he’d get more than three hours of sleep for once. To make him fall even deeper, she ran her hands through his hair. She’d done it enough times to know he enjoyed it immensely.

When she started to ease away, his voice stopped her.

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Confessions. Please do not share or distribute.

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