Open Your Heart

Chapter 12

Walking up to the bedroom door, Char half expected the room beyond to be extravagant in some way. Just like the rest of the house, he expected intricately carved wood and glittering crystal and gold. Setting foot inside, however, he was met with a much more docile room than the rest. It was still nice, much nicer than his own and most hotels he'd been to, but it wasn't over the top. Looking around, he ran his finger along the top of the mahogany dresser, feeling for any little bump and imperfection in the wood, but the crafting was good and didn't leave any. The dark gray sheets on the bed were complimented by the soft white pillows and duvet, but nothing as harsh as what he obviously had expected. Taking it all in he did notice one thing about the room that gave him pause. "Is this really your room? Or is this just the modest little guest room you want me to believe is your room." When he looked back at Henroin, his arms were crossed and he was pouting.

"Modest, huh? Is there something wrong with that?" He himself was looking around now, as though trying to figure it out. Char tilted his head.

"Hen, where is... the personalization?"

"What?" Looking at the man, he shook his head.

"Henroin, you have nothing personal in here. No photos, or trinkets, or keepsakes. You don't have anything but the basic necessities. You're kids are here, so where are your family photos? Where are the trophies from your most prolific victims?" Henroin met his gaze and shrugged.

"I never really had any of that while I was alive, so... I've never really seen a point in starting now." Chardenay deflated at the news before crossing the room stand in front of the other scorpion.

"Well, maybe you can find something that makes you happy to put in here." Henroin raised a brow curiously.

"Why? All I do is sleep in here anyways, what does it need those things for?" Char sighed.

"Hen, if you fill a room with things that make you happy, you'll want to spend more time there. And there might be a good reason to spend more time in a bedroom than just sleeping." Though, he had to admit, sleeping was a damned good reason already. He made a point of running a finger lightly over the back of Henroin's hand, a hint at what he meant. Looking up at the man, he noticed that he clearly knew what he meant. Those blood red eyes would burn him faster than any magma, he just knew it.

"Maybe I'll be more inclined if someone gives me a really good reason." Smiling, Char slid around Henroin to stand beside a lounge chair on the far side of the room. Listening carefully, he didn't hear the forest scorpion follow him, but he did feel his eyes against his back. Starting with his shoes, he started undressing himself piece by piece and neatly laying them out on the seat of the chair. As his sweater came off, he swore he could feel a heat at his back, but the other man hadn't moved at all. Next came his jeans, which were well fitted, but not so tight he couldn't wear what he wanted beneath them. He knew that the plain briefs he wore beneath weren't at all sexy or appealing, but they'd been comfortable to run his errands in, so he'd indulged in them. When he had those off and was carefully folding them, only then did he hear the footsteps close in on him. A little piece of him expected to be told he couldn't do it, or to hear that he wasn't quite doing it for Henroin. And that had his stomach in knots.

But Henroin didn't say a word. Instead, Char felt his new lover run a few fingers down his back ever so lightly, sending shivers through him. He traced Char's spine all the way down to his tail, then proceeded to run his fingers over each metasoma carefully. The rush that the touch gave him was heady and had him biting his lip to keep from moaning. A scorpion's tail was their biggest weapon, and also one of their most sensitive areas, so most didn't like it being touched. This, however, was intimate and soft. His lover stopped just short of his aculeus.