It became increasingly difficult to maintain her relative silence beneath his touch. The feeling of his hand on her breast, teasing her nipple felt even better now than it had before. The thin fabric of her undergarments did little to truly lessen the feeling of his touch against her sensitive flesh. Her breath caught softly at the thinly veiled touch of his gentle strokes.<br/><br/>She had, admittedly, become more compliant after the venom had taken effect, but she was still very aware of his movements, so her attention was drawn away from the movement of his hands when she felt the flick of his tongue across the skin of her neck, followed by the cool air in the room as he pulled away. She was also aware of absence of the feeling of warm blood spewing from the wound, which brought with it the realization that the wound had been healed. She wondered, though, if it would leave a scar—a mark to tell the world of her moment of weakness.<br/><br/>Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt the sudden absence of his hands on her skin. It was a temporary feeling, though, as he had soon scooped her up and carried her to her bed. He continued to keep his word, his actions always gentle, even as he laid her down. If nothing else, at least she had to give him that.<br/><br/>She took a deep breath and relaxed into the soft mattress as he kicked off his shoes before he was lying on the bed next to her, cradling her against him. She didn’t dislike this feeling, being cradled in gentle arms. Perhaps it was simply an illusion, or at best, a fleeting moment that would perhaps leave her feeling even more alone tomorrow than she felt today. Either way, for that moment, she savored it.<br/><br/>He drew her attention to him when he asked how she felt, causing her to shift her gaze upwards to take in the profile of his face. “About as well as can be expected,” she replied, somehow managing a light smile and teasing remark despite everything. If she were being honest, she might have said amazing, or perhaps even conflicted, but in matters such as these, honesty was, evidently, not her strong suit.<br/><br/>Her eyes searched his, although she wasn’t truly sure what it was that she was looking for. That was, perhaps, the theme of the day, though. The longer she laid there like this, unmoving, the more her senses slowly returned, ignoring the pleasure that still coursed through her veins, bringing with them the nagging thoughts that sought to remind her that it wasn’t too late to turn away.<br/><br/>But it was too late. No matter what she said, she wanted more of him, of these feelings he had awoken inside of her. She didn’t want to think about it, to talk herself out of it, to allow her mind to remind how just how selfish she was being.<br/><br/>“Can’t I be selfish, just this once?” she wondered, not having meant to say such an embarrassing thing aloud, but the words seemed to just slip out as she gazed up into his eyes. She mentally cursed herself for the mistake, but it was too late to take it back. Instead, she bit her lip gently before deciding to own it instead, to be bold instead of restrained.<br/><br/>The fingertips of her right hand traced lightly across the soft skin of his cheek and she took a moment to admire his apparently flawless complexion. The next moment, though, she leaned in and kissed him. It was soft and not quite so timid as before. Just like before, his lips brought with them an electrifying feeling that spread through her body, leaving her feeling a tingling sensation all the way to the tips of her toes. It felt amazing and despite herself, she almost never wanted it to end.