Little Love | Chapter V (Patreon)

The heat that Tristan was now intimately familiar with blanketed the room as he opened his eyes.

Days blurred together in a haze of skin, sweat, and perfume. They’d share meals, then they’d share each other. And after their sessions, the same cloying exhaustion would consume him, whisking him to sleep until he awoke to begin the cycle anew.

“Hello there, little love.” Lilith lay at his side, dressed in the black silk robe she favored so much. “Did you sleep well?”

“Always,” he murmured. His throat was parched, and it was still so hard to keep his eyes open. Sweat covered his naked body and dampened the sheets beneath him. Somehow, Lilith remained seemingly untouched by the overwhelming temperatures.

“You are adorable while you sleep. There are times when you talk, but you are quite adamant about clinging to my side.” She smiled and brushed her long fingers through his hair.

Tristan swallowed, forcing words to take shape on his dry tongue. “I wish I could say how you are when you sleep.” Not once had he ever awoken to find her sleeping beside him.

“I have had more time to learn how best to go about my day without needing much rest.” Lilith’s smile widened, insinuating things that made him shiver. “It is a skill I can teach you. It takes much, much practice.” Her hands moved to his waist, and she pulled him closer.

Her skin was like a magnet to his hands; he had to touch it, to feel it. He stroked her throat, letting his fingers wander. The sweet smell of her drove him crazy.

How long has it been?

The question gnawed at the edges of his thoughts. Tristan forced his urges down into the depths of his chest and looked up at Lilith. “How long have I been here?”

She bit her lip and tilted her head to the side, wearing a cautious look that said she didn’t want to tell him. The simple gesture made his heart skip a beat, and he wanted to kiss it off of her face.

No. Don’t get distracted. “Lilith,” he said.

“Two weeks?” Lilith replied quietly, almost a question. Her hand went to his shoulder.

“Two… Two weeks…” Tristan rubbed his temples. Whenever they were intimate—which felt like a constant—he would think how lucky he was. How he’d never go back to his lonely apartment or sandwiches at Ivy’s. He would live with Lilith forever. Wherever this was.

But that was what rested at the core of his discomfort: he hardly knew her. The only real secrets she shared were physical. She continuously promised him the world, and anything that he suggested he missed or wanted, even in passing, always appeared for him the next time he ventured into the living room, typically after he’d been asleep for some time.

Which included all of the stuff that he’d left at home. Even though I never gave her my address.

“Tristan?” Lilith tipped her head toward him, her forehead touching his. “Are you angry with me?”

“No… No, that’s not it—”

Her lips drew him in, and he found his mouth pressed against hers before he could stop himself. Two weeks of exploring and memorizing her didn’t seem to matter. Every time they touched, it sparked a renewed, carnal lust in him as if he was reliving their first encounter.

After a few moments, he broke their kiss, panting, “I j-just… I feel like I don’t really know you…is all.”

“Ah, but you have come to know so much.” Her body pressed up against his, her breasts cool and weighted against his skin. Tristan’s hands found their way inside of her silk robe, rounding her waist and running the length of her spine. The red sea of satin swirled around them as Tristan hugged her closer, his lips meeting her throat.

“No, I meant, like…” Tristan sighed and rested his head against her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I sound stupid.” He didn’t want to meet her stare. Besides, what did it matter? She was obviously taking care of him. Isn’t that what she’d promised?

“Not at all, my sweet. Please, tell me what you mean.” She pulled away from him and looked deep into his eyes, the glittering curiosity capturing his attention.

I just…

“I’d like to know more, I guess…little things. Like…what’s your favorite color?” He cringed. What a dumb first question. He glanced upward toward the canopy and worked his jaw. At least the oppressive heat was gradually dissipating from the room.

“Ah. I see this is quite serious.” She giggled, her perfect pink lips curling into a beautiful smile.

“I know, it’s stupid—”

“Your troubles are not stupid, Tristan.” She shook her head and clenched a handful of satin sheets in a small display. “Red. And yours, my sweet?”

He thought of the trees that grew around his apartment, the ocean his parents brought him to when he was little, and the stunning color of Lilith’s eyes. “Green.”

“That is a good choice.” She nodded her approval. “You enjoy the video games I fetched for you, correct?”

“Who doesn’t?” Tristan lit up. He’d completely forgotten about his abandoned systems in the living room; he’d been too enthralled with Lilith to give them a second thought. “Especially first-person shooters and RPGs.”

“I will…pretend that I know what those are.” Lilith laughed. “And what of books? What books do you particularly enjoy?”

“Anything I can get my hands on, really,” Tristan admitted.

Lilith hummed and thoughtfully stroked his hair. “I never did show you my library, did I?”

“No, you didn’t.” He’d wondered about her library at least a few times since his arrival—it was one of the first things she’d said to him, after all.

“Would you like to see it?”

“Yes!” He hadn’t meant to sound so excited, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Very well.” She kissed his cheek and untangled herself from his embrace. After sliding off the bed, she sauntered to a dresser she’d purchased especially for him, and procured a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. “I wonder how long these will stay on?” she mused, carrying them to Tristan.

He gave her a sheepish smile and moved from the bed to her side. After dressing, she took his hand and led him through the giant double doors into the long hallway.