THE CURSE OF LUST
The fire had long since gone out, leaving the room cold. The sheets lay crumpled on the floor, abandoned in the night. We stayed pressed together, naked, our bodies heavy with fatigue yet restless, aching for more. Every shift of his chest against mine reminded me of the hours we had spent wrapped in one another, consumed by lust and tenderness until neither of us had strength left. His grey-blue eyes met mine in the pale light. I traced a line along his cheekbone and whispered, almost guiltily, "I should take a shower." Instead, my fingers drifted lower, to the faint scar above his heart—the mark I had left him. It was almost fully healed, the bite closed over, yet the imprint remained, a p