Sang Unleashed

Chapter Fourteen

I am dedicating this chapter. Weird, I know, but we're close like that. To my dearest friends Q and D, I wouldn't have been able to get Kota naked without the inspiration from your love of each other. (ugh, that sounded really close to being romantic). Anyway, I love you guys! Enjoy!
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The rest of my late-morning, early-afternoon with Nathan is spent in bed. We don’t get around to a round two, or anything else really. Our morning together was so absolutely perfect, I think we’re both hesitant to get out of bed and continue with our day. But the remainder of my day will be spent with Kota, and I can’t help the zing of excitement that shoots through me at the thought.

Even though so much has happened in the months since I met them last summer, Kota has always maintained an extra-special place in my heart. Without him I never would have met his friends and been invited into this exciting, loving family. He was my first friend and while I’ve experienced several firsts over the last week, I hope he knows how important his friendship was to me back then. How utterly lost I was in this world without him and the rest of our family.

Around one o’clock Nathan finally rouses from bed when his phone starts going off on the nightstand. I can tell by the short buzzing sound that he’s getting text messages and not a phone call so I roll back over to let my mind drift for just a little longer.

“Peanut, I have to go” he says to me quietly. “Do you want to grab a quick lunch with me before I head out?”

“That depends” I mumble into the pillow, “do we have to cook?”

He laughs at my obvious laziness, but in reality I’m just trying to save up my energy. If I get out of bed and start moving around, I’ll start to get nervous about tonight with Kota and will end up exhausted before he even gets here.

“I have some of those microwave sandwiches. Does that count as cooking?” He asks.

“No” I reply, perking up a bit. Now that he’s mentioned it, I am starting to get a little hungry. “A chicken one actually sounds pretty good right now.”

“Hmm” is Nathan’s reply. “All that exercise build up an appetite?” He teases.

His words have me thinking, though. I have been eating better since starting to be intimate with my boyfriends. I wonder if he’s on to something with that. Maybe Mr. Blackbourne is right and I should start strength training with Nathan and Kota on a regular basis.

“Maybe” I say, instead of voicing my thoughts. “Let’s go get a bite before you have to leave me.”

“And clean up” he adds. “I refuse to go to Victor’s smelling like you, no matter how cool everyone is with our relationship. That’s just weird.”

“I need to call Gabriel before I get a bath” I say conversationally while we make our way to the kitchen. “I have no clue what to wear or if I’m supposed to do something with my hair. Kota said pajamas, but what does that even mean?”

“Don’t ask me” Nathan says, bumping my shoulder. “That’s Gabe’s territory. Now, if you have a question about how to do a spinning kick to someone’s head, I’m your guy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind” I say. My smile is involuntary, but it has been for much of the week now. We haven’t really had any family drama this week and I feel like things are finally starting to level out for us. No one is fighting with each other, no one’s family is causing them stress, except for that one day with Uncle. But Uncle was just being a concerned parent and we soothed his worries in the same day. Maybe Luke was right. Our family might just be okay now.

“You want chicken, right?” Nathan says, looking at the freezer’s offerings. “Because that’s all we have, Luke must have eaten all the BBQ ones.”

“I like the grilled chicken ones best” I tell him.

“Good” he says while pulling three sandwiches out and walking to the microwave.

I hide my giggle at how much boys can eat by opening the refrigerator and pulling out some yogurt to go with mine, hoping this counts as some fruit.

Too soon after we eat, Nathan jumps from the table and runs to take a shower so he can head over to Victor’s. I still can’t believe they’re making him fix the broken shower so soon after his injury. I understand that it’s technically our responsibility to make sure it’s fixed, but I still feel like they could have either waited until he’s properly healed or just had North take care of it.

I decide to use the time alone after he leaves to check in with everyone, but when I push the button to turn my phone on I notice that it’s dead and probably has been since last night. I always forget to plug it into the charger while I’m sleeping. I plug the phone in and go to the closet to examine my clothing options for tonight, hoping that I can figure something out without asking Gabriel since Kota told me not to.

I hear my phone buzz on the nightstand once it charges a bit and judging by the amount of times it goes off, I can tell that I already have several text messages from the guys. They’re all probably on their way over here right now to check on me, unless Kota or Nathan has warned them off. I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not. On the one hand, I’m excited about my date night with Kota. On the other hand, I truly miss them all. It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve all been together, even though it’s been less than a week. Turning away from the closet without any answers, I head to my phone to check the messages from the guys.

Kota: I’ll be there at 4. Don’t forget it’s a PJ party.

I reply to Kota to let him know I got his message and that I’ll be waiting. I move on to my other messages.

Gabriel: I can’t help you 

Luke: Gabe says to use the purple bath bomb, and wear your black yoga pants with any tank top.

Gabriel: He never said Luke couldn’t help you ;)

Sang: Thank you, Meanie

Sang: Tell Meanie that there are no more bath bombs

While I wait for a reply from Luke, I move on to the rest of my messages.

North: I forgot to check your neck, did Nathan freak out?

Sang: I forgot all about that too, but he didn’t say anything

Did Nathan notice any bite marks, because I’m sure there are at least a few? He didn’t seem overly upset about them if there were.

Gabriel: Dammit. Bubbles?

Sang: I have bubblegum bubble bath and chamomile bubble bath

Sang: Why do I have bath stuff with tea in it?

Gabriel: It isn’t tea. The smell is calming. Use that.

Luke: I’m supposed to apologize for using all your bath bombs

Sang: I forgive you, but maybe save me one next time?

Luke: How about we just takes our baths together?

Sang: :O Luke!

Luke: What? I’m allowed to flirt with my girlfriend.

Victor: Gabriel is going to be in trouble for breaking the rules, but Jessica is bringing you a basket of bath bombs that I hid at Kota’s house for you.

Sang: Thank you, Victor

Victor: Anything you need, Princess.

Victor: Excited about tonight?

Sang: Nervous. He said he had to buy stuff. What kind of stuff?

Victor: Surprise, but you’ll love it. I kind of wish I had thought of it.

Sang: You were perfect.

I finish texting with the boys and by the time I’m done I only have a little over an hour before Kota will be here. On my way to the spare bathroom for my bath, the doorbell chimes. After a peek through the blinds, I open the door to an uncomfortable-looking Jessica, carrying a rather large basket of bathroom essentials.

“Victor said these are for you” she says shyly.

“Oh! I forgot you were bringing those over!” I say. “Did you want to come in?”

She shakes her head after handing over the basket. “I’m suppose to go straight back home and not tell Kota I gave you that.” She says, obviously confused. “Why is a basket of bath stuff a secret? And why is Victor buying you stuff?”

I bite my lip, thinking of the best way to answer her without lying since I’m so bad at it. “I actually don’t know who bought it” partial truth since I only have a pretty good idea, “and it’s a secret because none of the boys are allowed to help me get ready for my date with Kota tonight.”

She brightens at my explanation, obviously liking the idea of me dating her brother. “That makes sense, although I don’t know why they aren’t allowed to help.”

“I don’t know that, either” I tell her. “He just said no help and for me to wear the comfiest clothes I have.”

“Oh, that’s probably my mom’s fault” she replies. “She was telling Kota what she thought a perfect date would be. You know my mom, she loves her PJs.” Jessica snickers at this.

That does make sense and my heart warms at the thought of Kota asking his mom for advice about the perfect date for the two of us. I wonder if he mentioned what we might be doing at the end of said date?

“I should head back” Jessica says.

“Okay. I’ll see you soon?” I reply.

“Maybe” she says. “They keep you pretty busy. I haven’t seen you all week.”

“Oh. I was trying out a part-time thing at an ice cream shop this week. I don’t think I’ll be going back so you should see me around here a little bit more.” I reply, unsure of what I’m allowed to say.

“Great!” She says, “I’ll see you around, Sang.” She adds, smiling warmly and then scampering back across the street to her house.

I look down at the package in my hands and then glance at the clock. A little less than an hour to get a bath and shave before Kota gets here. I hurry into the bathroom to get ready for my date, smiling and giddy the whole way.

Kota arrives right on time, carrying several large packages that he takes straight into the bedroom after he asks me to grab the food bags out of the car. Before I can even get two of the six bags in my hands, Kota’s taking the rest and we walk back into the house side-by-side.

“What are we having?” I ask curiously. “Can I help?”

“Just a simple chicken and rice casserole” he says. “I was hoping you wouldn’t mind getting the salad together.”

“I can do that.” I tell him, eager to offer my assistance.

We set about making dinner together quietly, both lost in our own thoughts. My mind keeps wandering back to the kids and how their lives will all be so much better now that the Academy is going to make sure they’re taken care of. I hope all of my jobs can be like that. I wonder if it’s something I can request. I’ll mention it to Mr. Blackbourne later. I shouldn’t bring up Academy business on my date with Kota.

“Sang?” Kota asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Yes, Kota?” I reply.

“Can I ask you a question?” He says pensively.

“Of course” I answer him honestly. Don’t we tell each other everything?

“Why do you have glitter in your hair? Is that a new fashion statement?” He asks me so earnestly I have to wonder if he thought I’d get mad at the question. Honestly, I didn’t even realize the bath bomb I used was one of the glitter ones.

“It must have been the bath bomb I used” I giggle my reply, now looking at my arm closely to see the shimmer. “He said purple, but I don’t know why I’d need glittery skin for a PJ party.”

Too late, I realize I let it slip that someone helped me get ready, even just that small amount. I look to see Kota’s eyes narrow slightly and then smooth out almost immediately.

“Luke texted you, didn’t he?” Kota asks. “I should have known better than to not be more specific.” His words are harsh, but he’s smiling so I know he isn’t really angry.

“Victor too, actually” I tell him, “since Luke used all the bath bombs and Victor had some hidden.”

“I see you aren’t wearing anything fancy so I assume Gabriel kept his promise on that at least” Kota notes. “But I can’t say that I’m upset.”

“You aren’t upset with them for offering their advice when you told them not to?” I ask. I mean, I still don’t understand why he did that, but it isn’t like Kota to forgive them disobeying a direct order so quickly.

“No. I actually hadn’t quite figured out how to distract you after dinner while I set something up for you. Now, you can be distracted by trying to get the glitter off” he explains.

“You don’t like the glitter?” I tease.

He smiles at me, shaking his head. “It looks great on you. Not so good on me.”

“I think we’ll just agree to disagree on that. You’d look great in anything, and that includes glitter.”

His cheeks pink at my words, but he just continues preparing our dinner. I go back to chopping the vegetables. Before I know it, he’s sliding the dish into the oven and wiping his hands clean. He starts to clean up the dishes he used already and I stand beside him, ready to assist. We have quite a good rhythm to our work due to the amount of times I’ve cooked at his mom’s house in an attempt to make her life easier.

We finish cleaning quickly and he tells me to set the table. I finish the task as fast as I can, but he brings the casserole dish and salad bowl into the dining room before I can make it back to help him. Instead, I give him a warm kiss in thanks for cooking dinner. His cheeks and ears turn pink again at my praise.

The food is delicious and we talk about meaningless stuff for awhile, but the tension thickens suddenly when I mention Saturday being my last pre-planned night and my curiosity at my sleeping arrangements afterward.

“Why did you do it?” Kota asks.

Unsure what he means, I tilt my head in confusion. “Do what?” I ask.

“With Mr. Blackbourne, I mean” he clarifies. “Why did you suddenly decide that night was the night for you?”

“Oh” I say, stunned at the question. I never would have thought Kota would be the one to be curious about what I do sexually with his brothers. But I guess he isn’t asking about that. He’s asking about me and my thought process. What led me to the decision that I made. “Do you mean why did I choose to lose my virginity that night or why did I choose to lose my virginity to Owen?”

“Both, I guess” he says, shifting in his seat, uncomfortable with the subject. “If you want to tell me, that is. If you don’t, I’ll understand.”

“No, it’s okay” I begin, “we’re all family. We should be able to talk about these things, right?”

“Right” he says unsure suddenly, though I’m not sure why. He brought it up.

“Well, I didn’t really choose Owen. I chose the moment. It really was a perfect night for me. I hope you understand that.” I explain to him. “He showed me in the best way that he could how he felt about me without actually saying the words, and I think he wanted to but was afraid of scaring me off for some reason. Instead, I told him that I love him. I’m sure he was just waiting for me to say it first because he said some of the sweetest words back to me. After that, I just knew that I wanted the intimacy that went with the words. I needed it.”

“Okay” Kota replies, “but you have to understand that it really did seem sudden to all of us.”

“Because I had just learned about it?” I ask, having prepared for this question the morning after Owen and I were together. “We’ve been together for months now, Kota. I knew that there was something more, something so much more, that we were all building toward. I just didn’t know what is was until that day. We’ve had almost a year of this torturous slow build to that one, wonderful act. It wasn’t sudden at all.”

“Wow” he says, “I think that might be the most you’ve ever spoken to me all at once since I met you.”

“You’ve helped me find my voice, broken as it is.” I tell him smiling.

“I wanted to be your first” he blurts out in reply, shocking both of us.

I sit in stunned silence for several moments, trying to feel guilty for not giving him that, but unable to conjure the feeling. I refuse to regret my nights with any of them, no matter what. Those were nights spent wrapped in love and adoration. I can’t regret any of that.

“I’m sorry” he says. “I don’t mean to pick a fight, but I can’t help how I feel. I just thought, you know, that we could be each other’s firsts. But I know that’s stupid because Victor’s also a virgin. And I can’t be angry with you, or him, for who you did choose because he really was the best one of us to be with for the first time. Especially with the way you were driving all of us crazy. And now it’s Thursday and you’ve had almost a week’s worth of experience and all your firsts have been taken.” He finishes sullenly.

I think carefully about my words and I hope they come out right. “You were my first friend, Kota. You were the first person that I ever met that showed me kindness just because you wanted me to be your friend. And then you invited me into your family without hesitation, even though you knew that you’d have to share my friendship with your brothers. Even though you knew that they were amazing and wonderful, just like you.”

Kota bites his lip and turns his head away, avoiding eye contact for a moment. I see him take a steadying breath before he looks back into my eyes.

“I was your first friend. Can that be our first date? Can I be your first boyfriend?” He asks me.

I smile at him, “you can be my first anything you want to be, Kota.”

“Just not that one thing” he replies, but he doesn’t appear upset any longer.

“You know, I don’t even know what all there is as far as that stuff goes” I say. “There could be lots of things I haven’t done yet. How about the next time I hear about something that’s new, I save that for you?”

“What if it’s really weird?” He asks, wrinkling his nose.

“We can try it. If it’s too weird, you can be my first for that thing, and my last.” I tell him.

“Okay. I think I like your plan.” He says.

“Good” I reply. “Do you want me to help with the dishes or jump in the bath now?”

“You can help me in the kitchen first, if you don’t mind.” He replies, standing up and grabbing the leftover food.

I follow him into the kitchen with our empty plates and get started washing while he puts everything away. Once he’s done, he scoots me down to start rinsing while he washes. He finishes his task fast and leaves me to finish up with mine. I glance up from wiping down the counter to see him walk back into the kitchen from the direction of the bedroom. I notice that he’s carrying two separate stacks of clothing, but both are very familiar to me.

“You have two options tonight, Sang” he tells while handing me both my pink and green silk nighties. “When you get back from your bath, whichever you choose will decide how the rest of tonight will go. This one,” he says, indicating the pink, “will get you a movie night with sleeping bags in the living room. This one,” he says, indicating the green, “will take us to the bedroom.”

I start to turn from him, already knowing I won’t need the pink one tonight. Instead of walking away, I lean up and give him a warm kiss.

“I love you, Kota” I tell him.

I hurry from the room before he can reply. Operation remove the glitter needs to go by quickly.

My breath is stolen from my lungs when I enter the bedroom. The first thing I notice are the flickering candles covering every flat surface. The second thing I notice are the pink rose petals covering the bed. When I look again, I see that the comfortable blankets and pillows have been replaced with a dark-colored satin.

“Wow” I say, stepping close to Kota who is waiting patiently in the middle of the room.

“Do you like it?” He asks.

“It’s beautiful.” I whisper, not wanting to speak too loud and break the spell-like quality the room has.

“I wanted our night to be special. Unique.” He says, just as quietly. “After talking to all the guys, I noticed that no one has taken the time to truly romance you.”

I shake my head, wanting to deny that any of the guys have treated me poorly this week.

“I don’t mean that they haven’t said and done everything that you needed them to say and do.” Kota clarifies. “I just knew that all this would be unique. That our night together would stand out in your mind.”

“Kota, all I need is us. You and me.” I say, meeting his eyes.

“I know.” He says. “But I have another reason for all this.”

“What’s that?” I say, finally able to wrap my arms around his shoulders.

“This is how I always imagined my first time to be.” He says, ears turning pink. “When I finally managed to find the right girl.”

I take another look around and smile. My Kota is a closet romantic.

“It’s perfect.” I tell him.

Finally, he presses a sweet kiss to my lips. I let him take his time and I don’t try to take it any further. I let Kota be in charge and take our time together in whatever direction he leads me, at whatever pace he chooses.

He repeats the small, sweet kisses to my cheeks, brow, nose and then back to my lips. This time, he runs his tongue along the seam of my lips, requesting entrance. I open my mouth to let him get a deeper kiss from me. When his tongue passes over mine, I automatically massage it and suckle it further into my mouth. My actions cause Kota to moan and pull me in closer. He starts to walk us backward toward the bed and I thrill at the knowledge that soon I get to touch him, feel him touch me, for the first time.

The back of my thighs hit the bed and Kota slowly lowers me down to the smooth satin of the sheets, the smell of roses enveloping my senses. He never pulls away from our kiss as he lifts me up until my head rests on the pillows. I marvel at the strength it must take for him to do this. It’s easy to forget sometimes that even though Kota appears to be the perfect epitome of nerdy bookworm, he has a quiet, hidden strength that he uses to lead our family so easily.

He allows me to breath while he slowly trails kisses down my jaw and neck until he reaches the beginning of the hunter green nightie I’m wearing. Using only his index finger, he slips the strap down my arm, following the movement with his lips and tongue. By the time he reaches the end of my shoulder and moves to start on the other, my breathing is ragged and I’m rubbing my thighs together to create some sort of friction. Anything to get rid of this fire that Kota’s starting.

“Please, Kota,” I beg. “Please touch me.”

“Sang, be patient.” He says firmly. “Your mind is beautiful, it’s actually what I fell in love with. But your body deserves to be worshipped and that kind of devotion can’t be rushed.”

“Oh God.” Is my only reply. He’s going to torture me to death. If Mr. Blackbourne thought he could make me beg, he could use some lessons from Kota.

Once Kota leaves one last, lingering kiss on my shoulder, he moves back to my mouth. I open up immediately, greedily sucking his tongue into my mouth. Kota takes back control of the kiss quickly and forces me to slow down, setting a steady rhythm of torture. He moves his body so that he’s resting on his knees between my legs, but he still doesn’t give my wet, needy center any attention at all.

Again, he trails kisses down my jaw, to my neck, then further down to my chest. He pauses long enough to place a warm hand over one breast while he gives me an open-mouthed kiss on the other still covered nipple. I reach a hand up to hold him there, but he pushes my hand back down to the bed and links his fingers with mine, forcing me to keep it there. I know I could use my other hand, but he would just do the same thing and I can’t bear the thought of him removing his hand from my chest.

He continues kissing his way down my torso, bypassing the area below my belly button that turns me into a puddle. When he finally reaches my core, and the hem of my nightie, he pulls back. I can’t help the groan of frustration that comes out of my mouth, which just makes him smile at me. He grabs the bottom of the nightgown and gently lifts it up and I eagerly help him get it over my head. With that out of the way, all that’s keeping him from touching my skin is my thin pair of silk panties and I’m sure if he keeps this pace, the heat inside me will burn them away.

He returns his mouth to mine and I don’t struggle against his slow, deep kisses. I get lost in the feel of his lips molding to mine. His tongue gently stroking and massaging. This time when he starts trailing kisses down my jaw, my entire body erupts in goosebumps. He begins ghosting his fingers across my skin in the places his lips don’t touch. My brain short-circuits and all I can do is watch, transfixed by his methodical, sensual caresses.

He spends several moments placing open-mouthed kisses on each of my nipples, going back and forth. Once, when he’s switching from one breast to the other, he meets my eyes and doesn’t look away as he takes its straining peak into his mouth. This time, he allows me to hold on to his head, running my fingers through his hair and rubbing the length of his earlobe as he thoroughly loves my chest.

When he’s ready to continue his exploration, he removes my hand again and places a kiss to my knuckles before gently guiding my hand back to the bed beside me. I watch him kiss down my body and when he reaches the apex of my thighs, he veers to the left and continues kissing down my thigh, to my knee and below. He returns and repeats his movements, but this time when his lips reach my lifted knee, he begins to remove my soaking panties. Finally.

The ferocity in which he attacks my throbbing center with his mouth, in contrast to his previous slow torture, has my hips bucking off the bed and repetitive moans coming from my mouth. I grip the sheets beneath me, afraid that if I try to touch him he’ll stop. He uses his left arm to keep me from bucking again and pushes two of his fingers into me with his other. After all the torture that he put me through with his lips and tongue, my first orgasm of the night, as I’m sure there will be more, comes over me fast. The deep groan leaves my lips unbidden and my entire body goes rigid.

After I finally come down from the bliss, Kota returns his mouth to mine in a scorching kiss. This time, he presses his still covered lower half to me and I moan at the feel of his length pressed against my pulsating core.

“Can I taste you?” I ask him, wanting to show him exactly what he’s done for me.

He squeezes his eyes shut tight and shakes his head, “next time. I promise.” He manages through clenched teeth.

He presses his lips to mine again, and the kiss is once again sensual and slow. Needing to play a more active role in our lovemaking before he drives me crazy with need, I pull up on the hem of his t-shirt so that he knows that I want it off. He obliges, tossing it in the direction my nightie disappeared. I let him kiss me again while my fingers begin exploring his back, sides and the abs he hides under his professional button-ups and polo shirts. With every upward glide of my fingertips, his pelvis pushes into me, rubbing against my heated center.

“Kota, please.” I beg again, this time really meaning it. We’ve both been tortured enough.

He nods his head and pulls his pajama bottoms off, followed by his boxers. He blindly reaches over to the bedside table and returns with a blue foil packet. I assume this is a condom and that Kota is taking Dr. Green’s advice on lessening his chances for ending things too soon. I don’t say anything while he quietly rolls the off-white shiny-looking thing over his penis, making it look deformed and odd. Secretly, I’m glad we don’t have to deal with those things. They don’t look pleasant at all.

Kota returns his mouth to mine while he slides his body down to press against me. His erection brushes my thigh with every dip and lick of his mouth. I move my hips, trying to catch him at my entrance, but he just repeatedly pulls his hips back. He’s in charge of our lovemaking and he wants me to remember it. I settle and go back to exploring his back with my hands, running my fingertips lightly up and down his back. He shivers in response and buries his face in my neck, just letting me pet him.

When I begin to wonder if he’s fallen asleep, he kisses up my neck to my lips. This kiss is more purposeful than his previous kisses and I can feel the anticipation running up and down his spine. Still massaging my tongue with his own, he reaches for both of my hands and links our fingers together. He pulls his hips back just enough to line his length up with my entrance and he finally slides just the barest inch of himself into me. That small contact has my core reacting on its own and I fly over the edge again. He doesn’t allow my body to stop convulsing before he eases himself further into me. Inch by inch, he enters me a little bit more every time I clench around him.

Once he’s seated fully, he sets a languid rhythm to match the strokes of his tongue against mine, our hands still linked and pressed into the mattress above my head. I moan into his mouth and try to calm my racing heart. I’m still flying from my orgasm and he pushes me higher. With every thrust of his hips, my still-sensitive bundle of nerves rubs his groin and my body climbs to a higher peak.

He pulls his mouth away to rest his forehead against mine and I take a much needed, steadying breath.

“You are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me.” He says quietly, his breaths unsteady as we share the same air.

“I love you.” I reply, followed by another moan when he shifts his weight back to meet my eyes and ends up pressing himself deeper into me.

“And I love you.” He says. “Will you cum with me, Sang?” He phrases it like a question, but the Kota-like command can’t be missed in his inflection.

“Yes” I moan in reply.

Kota gently slides his hand in between our bodies to rub circles around my clit and increases the speed of his thrusts. The hand now free from the tight hold he had on it previously, I unconsciously reach up to grab his shoulder, needing something to hold on to.

He picks up the pace of his thrusts further and presses down a little harder on my clit. White lights flash behind my eyes and I groan out a long, satisfied ‘oh’. A few hard thrusts later, Kota follows me over the edge, giving me a bruising kiss as he jerks and twitches into the condom.

Completely sated, my muscles relax limply into the mattress. Kota pulls away to dispose of the filled condom and returns to wrap me in his arms. We lay like that together for what could have been minutes or hours, just quietly reflecting on our time together.

“Sang?” Kota says into the candlelit room.

“Hmm?” I reply, still not ready to form words yet.

“That was perfect.” He says, pressing a kiss to my head.

“It was, wasn’t it?” I reply. “Although you could be a professional at torture.”

“Worshipping.” He corrects me, chuckling. “And I’ll only be worshipping you, I think.”

“Good.” I reply. “Though I should point out, I get to ‘worship’ you next.”

“I can’t wait.” He says, serious now.

I pull myself up so that I’m resting on one elbow and meet his eyes. “Well, no one said you have to wait. I can get started right now.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “Okay. So maybe my brain can’t wait, but my body says I have to.”

“Fine.” I huff teasingly. “But if we’re going to sleep, we should put the candles out. I don’t want to burn Nathan’s house down.”

He sighs, obviously not ready to let go, but he gets up and extinguishes all the candles. When he crawls back into bed, I settle my head on his chest. He was right. Being worshipped might be torturous, but it was worth it.