Cade avoided making eye contact as he led Scarlett out of the room. When Prince Maxwell had challenged his training, Cade had found a swell of anger. As much as he wanted to dismiss the man, he knew that he couldn’t. Too much was riding on that night, that interaction. He couldn’t do anything to risk his country or his family. So he played nice.


    He hadn’t expected the feeling that washed over him when Scarlett served him in public. He knew that the woman looked good with his cock in her mouth. Knew that she looked good on her knees. But he hadn’t expected the sheer arousal that twisted in his stomach when she did all of that in front of other people. He had lost control of himself. He had lost himself in the pleasure that she had given him. The feeling of dominance that took over him.


    He tried to avoid letting his thoughts drift to that. He had almost let the feeling overwhelm him when it was happening, he didn’t need to give it that much power after the fact as well. Instead he focused on the weight of Scarlett against his side. The woman was leaning fully into him, her head tucked against his shoulder. He had an arm around her waist and he gripped her waist as they walked. The feeling of the material against his hand sent shivers up his spine. It had been a long time since he had held someone like this.


    Not since… he cut off his thought before it could fully form. He waved away one of the servants as she approached him. He carefully maneuvered Scarlett around a couple of corners and past a group that was in the act of leaving the castle. He called his goodbyes as he hurried past them.


    “Mmm,” Scarlett breathed out against his neck. Goosebumps rose on his skin as her breath skimmed over his skin. “Where”


    “I’m taking you to your room. I’m going to clean you up and help you settle into bed. Okay?” He spoke slowly, not sure how much of this she was actually retaining. She hummed against his neck and nodded slightly.


    “Yessir.”


    Cade suppressed a chuckle as she responded, words slurring together as she spoke. Her voice was light, a tone that he hadn’t heard from her before. It sounded as though she was drifting off to sleep. Or like a drop. At the thought, Cade almost stumbled over his own feet. He had never had a submissive drop before, but he had heard of it happening. A submissive getting so into the zone, into the pleasure, that they just sunk into the bliss of it all. He dragged his thumb over her side as he carefully led her up the stairs and towards her room.


    By the time they made it to her door, Cade could feel sweat dripping down his back. He shifted her to lean against the wall, the woman zoned out so much that she didn’t make any noise at her change of position. Cade pulled her key out from around his neck and inserted it in the lock, pushing the door open before returning back to Scarlett.


    “Come on,” he muttered as he grabbed her hands and pulled her close. “Let’s get inside.” Scarlett hummed in response, but followed when Cade pulled her through the door. “Can you get to your bed?” He let go of her hands and watched her sway in place slightly, but she remained upright. He grinned and moved over to the bucket of water in the corner of the room and peered into it. The water still looked clean and there was a rag next to it. Someone must have prepared this for her after the ball.


    Cade turned around just in time to see Scarlett begin to make her way to the bed that was mere feet away from her. She moved slowly, her eyebrows scrunched together as she stared intently at the floor. Cade smirked as he watched her take small steps, slowly closing the distance. As she neared the bed, one of her feet caught on a pair of shoes that had been left on the floor. She rocked forward and Cade hurried over to catch her before she could hit the ground. He wrapped his arms around her waist and felt her head collide with his chest.


    Scarlett moaned in pain at the impact and Cade winced. That couldn’t have felt good.


    “Sir?” Cade looked down when he heard Scarlett’s quiet question. Her eyes had cleared up and she was now staring at him in confusion.


    “Yes?”


    “What happened?”


    “We will talk about that more tomorrow. I want to make sure you’re fully…” He released one of his hands to wave in the air. “...aware when I explain the situation. It’s nothing serious, just a conversation best had when you’re wide awake.”


    “Okay.” Scarlett mumbled the word out, her eyelids beginning to flutter shut as they stood there. “Are we in my room?”Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    “Yes.” Cade jerked back slightly at Scarlett’s question. He had forgotten where he was. He gently urged her into a standing position and shifted her over until she was hovering over the bed. She allowed her legs to give out from under her and she thumped down on the bed. “Can I clean you up? Is there anything you want from me?”


    “Mmm.” Scarlett leaned back against her pillows and stared at Cade. A blush bloomed on his cheeks as she watched him without saying anything. Her eyes began to glaze over again slightly. “Yes to the cleaning, please. My thighs are…sticky.” Cade was no longer the only person in the room blushing. He could see the red creep down her neck and settle on the top of her chest. “Don’t know about anything else.”


    “Okay. Let me know if you think of anything.” Cade moved away from Scarlett and grabbed the rag, dipping it into the water. He made sure to wring out the excess water before moving back towards where Scarlett was reclined. She had managed to toe off her shoes and was sitting upright. Her fingers were currently fumbling at the back of her dress, trying to loosen the ties. Cade dropped the rag over his shoulder before stepping forward and placing his hands on her shoulders. Scarlett stared back at him, her eyes wide and glazed. Cade tried to keep his voice soft. He wanted to offer, not force. “I can help.”


    He didn’t receive a verbal answer but Scarlett moved her hands away. Cade slid his hands down her arms until he was leaning over her, fingers resting on the ties at her back. Cade began to work on her laces until he managed to free her of the dress. He slowly pushed the dress off of her body, hesitating to look down until he saw a hint of the slip she was wearing underneath. Scarlett hummed lightly as her skin was bared to the air.


    Cade guided her to sit down on the bed and watched as she curled up into a ball. He knelt down on the bed next to her. He grabbed the rag and began to dab at her skin. He could see where sweat had dried on her skin, giving her skin a shimmery appearance. She squirmed as he wiped at her shoulders. He could see goosebumps appear on her skin as he slowly worked the rag down her arms.


    After wiping at her arms, he hesitated. He had tried to avoid looking at Scarlett’s chest while he worked. The slip only covered so much of her chest and he avoided looking at the bare flesh in front of him. He focused instead on her neck as he lightly brushed the rag against her chest. He watched her neck bob as he worked,


    When he was done with cleaning her arms, he got up to wet the rag again. Scarlett’s eyes were shut when he made his way back to the bed. Soft exhales were the only sound in the room. His eyes trailed over her body momentarily as he debated where to settle to work on Scarlett’s legs. Cade watched her for a bit before shaking his head and moving to the bottom of the bed. He studiously avoided looking at the strip of skin visible where the slip ended. Instead he focused his attention on her knees. He knelt at the very edge of the bed and began to wipe the sweat away from Scarlett’s legs.


    Cade worked methodically. His hand slid the rag up one side of Scarlett’s leg, pausing at her thighs. He then slid the rag down the other side of her leg. He moved slowly and tried to keep his attention from drifting north. He knew what he would see. When he finished with her one leg, he moved over to her other leg. Scarlett squirmed again and Cade gulped as he felt the rag slip and his fingers brush against her bare leg. He hesitated after washing the sweat off of her legs. He knew what was next, but he needed Scarlett to be aware.


    “Scarlett,” he said. She only squirmed in response, her legs shifting as she rolled to one side. He tapped at her leg and waited for a reaction. “Scarlett.” He had to repeat her name a few more times before she finally grumbled and looked at him.


    “Hmm,” Scarlett didn’t say anything but stared at Cade as she groaned out a response.


    “Your arms and legs are clean. Do you need me to clean anywhere else?” Cade held his breath as he waited for Scarlett to respond. He didn’t know what answer he wanted her to give. Scarlett didn’t respond verbally. She flopped on her back and spread her legs. Cade’s breath caught in his throat as he saw the wetness gleaming on her inner thighs. “Do you want me to clean you there or do you want to do it yourself?”


    Scarlett only murmured a response and Cade watched her. He needed verbal confirmation. He couldn’t do anything without it.


    “I need you to speak up honey. I can’t do anything without verbal permission. You know this.” He hoped that she hadn’t caught the pet name that had slipped out without permission. He didn’t mean to, but something had brought him back to another time. Another person in bed,


    “Yes please.” Scarlett answered. Her voice was soft as she spoke and Cade could see the ways her eyes were still shut. The way her body was sinking into the bed beneath her.


    “I’ll make it quick so you can get some sleep.” Cade quickly leant forward until he was able to comfortably reach Scarlett’s thighs. He could smell her arousal as he leaned over her to work and he held his breath to keep himself from being distracted. He stroked the rag over her thighs and wiped away the wetness. His eyes shut when Scarlett began to moan and groan in response. He could feel her thighs tense against his hand as he worked. He tried to keep himself from reacting as he cleaned her. When he was done wiping at her thighs, he hurried to climb off the bed.


    “You’re clean,” he muttered. He rang the rag out in the water and draped it over the edge of the bucket. “Get some sleep.”


    Scarlett only moaned in response before flipping over and tucking her face into her pillow. Cade felt a smile tug at his lips as he watched her. He gathered up her laundry and the water bucket before heading out of the room. He stopped when he saw a letter sitting on her bedside table. It was tucked under a green stone.


    “Do you want me to give this to a courier?” Scarlett didn’t respond verbally. She only tucked her blanket closer to his chest. He hesitated before leaving without the letter. He could ask her about it tomorrow. He scooped the bucket back up and left the room, slowly pulling the door shut to keep it from slamming.