The Slave (Free Men, #1) (Completed)

Part 8

**Note: Wattpad got rid of Private stories so Ch7 keeps getting unpublished and returned to draft. Ping me if you can't see it and I'll republish :) **
                 
*****

I woke the next morning in my own bed, swaddled in thick blankets. I had no recollection of getting there. I lay for a moment, warm and comfortable, my body sated and relaxed, my mind straying absently over memories of the night before, luxuriating in them. In the heat and desire of Master's body, the tender pride in his voice as he praised me, the softness of his lips when we kissed.

Eventually, I knew, I would have to stop putting off the inevitable and think about the other pair of hands that had touched me the previous evening. Would Kai resent me, feel that he been coerced into doing something he hadn't wanted to do? Master had promised not to force him—did he think it didn't count if he only forced him to touch me? Had he been forced? I recalled the way Kai had looked at me, emerald green eyes luminous with intensity as he stared. He had wanted it, all right. Whether he would admit it was an entirely different matter.

And where was he, anyway? Not with Master, I was sure, which meant... I bolted out of bed. The thought of Kai spending last night alone in his cold, bare room, after the things we had done together, was too horrible to contemplate. I grabbed a blanket and hurried to his door.

He was sleeping like a baby, curled snugly in one of Master's comforters, his shorn head poking out the top, looking pitifully small and defenceless on the plump pillow, another new addition.

I closed the door and approached silently, unwilling to disturb him when he looked so peaceful. I perched on the edge of the mattress, wrapping my blanket around myself for warmth, tucking my feet into the thick cotton folds to ward off the morning chill of the floor. He snored, just a little, his mouth open as he slept. It was cute. His jaw was already dark, lightly stubbled with hair that felt rough to the touch. I would have to shave him every couple of days to keep his face smooth, and I found myself rather pleased at the prospect.

He opened his eyes as I was wondering if longer hair would suit him, and he blinked, a slow, sleepy smile lighting his face.

"Good morning." I smiled back. "Sleep well?"

He made an affirmative noise, pulling the covers up around his neck.

"What happened last night after I fell asleep?"

"Nothing happened," he barked, immediately defensive. "Master took you to bed and shut me in here."

"He gave you bedding."

"It was cold." Kai looked uneasy. "I don't think he realised how cold it was."

I fidgeted, picking at the bobbles on my blanket. I wanted to ask where we stood, if he was still comfortable with me after the intimacies we'd shared, but I didn't know how to find the words. Would he want to talk about it? Did it even matter? We were slaves. Our job was to please our master. In the grand scheme of things, he asked so very little of us. And yet I found I didn't want Kai's hands on my body for that reason alone. I wanted him to touch me because he wanted to touch me, not because he feared the repercussions if he refused.

I cleared my throat. "Last night—"

He pulled the covers over his head. "Do we have to discuss it?"

"I'd rather we did."

"Why?" He threw the covers back, eyes narrowing as he looked at me. His nipples tightened at the sudden shock of cold air. "What good will it do?"

I hung my head. "I'm sorry I put you in that position."

He laughed, astonished. "You're sorry?"