[𝟷] 𝘾𝙍𝙊𝙒𝙉 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙊𝙍𝙉𝙎, 𝘕.𝘔. [EDITING]

「xxxvii」

37 | the devil's game

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀THE STEAM HAD MADE IT DIFFICULT TO SEE in the ornate bathroom. The walls were deep mahogany, that much she could tell. Humming to herself, Wren lathered a cherry-scented soap through her thick white mane.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A gasp left her mouth as a body slipped into the shower behind her. She hadn't even heard him come in. Quickly covering up her surprise, she moved her hands away from her hair and dipped them under the spray of the water to rinse off the soap. "I thought you don't lose?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"I don't." Klaus stepped toward her, his hands moving to brush the soap off of her forehead before it fell into her eyes. "Is it a crime to want to be close to my mate?" He sounded offended.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"No," she answered softly, feeling bad for bringing it up. Her eyes fluttered shut as his fingers worked through her hair, finishing what she'd started. "That feels good baby," she sighed out.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Klaus' fingers froze, as did Wren's breathing. She quickly muttered out an apology, her cheeks tinting red. Looking away from him, she stepped toward the spray of the water and let it push the soap from her locks.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Klaus remained where he stood, a small smile on his lips. That was the first time she'd called him anything other than his name. "Love?" He heard her hum in response. "Can I ask you something?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, anything." She turned toward him, brushing the water out of her eyes with her fingertips.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀"Although it seems an obvious thing, us being mates and all, I believe it is customary for the man to ask a woman that he is fond of if she would do him the honor of being his girlfriend. So, darling, would you?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren's eyes were ready to pop out of her head. Here they were, butt-naked in the shower after just challenging each other on who could go the longest without demanding sex from the other, and he was asking her to be his girlfriend? "Yes," she stuttered out, "of course I will." She smiled brightly as she watched his face lighten in relief.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Her silence had given him pause. He'd thought perhaps he'd chosen the wrong time.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀His bliss was short-lived as his phone began to ring from the bedroom. He rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore it. Wren was more important than whoever was on the other end of that phone.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren grabbed a washcloth and squirted some soap on it, rubbing it in gently. When it began to foam, she walked toward her mate. Showering together had given her an idea, something she was sure would make him break.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Innocently, as if she was doing nothing wrong, she put the cloth to his chest and began to softly lather the soap over the expanse of his toned torso. His muscles flexed beneath her fingers as she worked.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀She started to hum a slow tune, running the cloth over his shoulders and down his left bicep. She was moving to the underside of his arm when his hand stopped her, taking the cloth.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Wren withdrew her hands, unsure of what she did wrong, when he simply grabbed her wrists and moved them back to his skin. He wanted her to use just her hands. Her lip quirked into a tiny smile as she continued, grabbing the bottle and getting some more soap in her palm.