ecstasy | corpse husband

chapter 38.

Her eyes widen severely. "There wasn't!" she exclaims, realizing her error in explaining. "I never posted myself completely naked. Not with the chance that it could ever find my father's line of sight—God, no." She releases a breath of air, inexplicably overwhelmed. "I would wear outfits or costumes, usually whatever my subscribers requested or sent me."

Corpse narrows his eyes a bit, contemplating. "Indecent ones, yes?"

Elowen nods apprehensively. "Very."

The things she would dress in could barely pass for clothes. Save for one area of her body, she showed just about everything (in a less direct manner), but even then it wasn't difficult to use your imagination for what was left. Elowen became aware early on of the gifts she was given concerning her appearance, and the response she received and anonymous comments and messages only inflated her ego. That isn't to say she likes to boast about it—quite the opposite, actually—but she did come to realize that she liked it. The attention. Probably a bit too much.

Whether that was because she grew up so modestly or how insufficient her romantic relationships were, she isn't sure, but what started as a means for money quickly became one of her favorite things to do. Getting herself prettied up for the camera, becoming a less insecure version of herself in what she would post, the thrill of knowing that men and women alike were gawking at her or jerking off to the image of her in their minds—she adored it.

Even misses it a little, terrible as that is.

Elowen is nipping at the inside of her lip when she looks to Corpse, who's staring down at the bedsheets immersed in thought, disheveled hair fallen over his brows. The size of him on her bed makes her feel like a dwarf, and it's all she can do not to pull him on top of her again. Especially because her mind is reeling at everything he confessed to her tonight, he's just so blunt, it was like music to her ears. But she has other plans.

"Would you like to see one?" She asks gently, before she could talk herself out of it.

He raises his head at her voice, pupils undeniably swelled, and nods avidly. He clearly wasn't expecting the offer. A bit of pride fills her chest at how wrecked he already appears.

A mischievous idea surfaces in her mind, to toy with him. "Actually, it might not be a good idea. We don't have very much time and we've already been gone from the others so long..."

He stares at her a moment before laughing dryly. "You can't fucking do that to me."

"Do what?" She inquires innocently, which is already very natural for her.

"Dangle the carrot," he grumbles, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "They can wait."

Elowen strains herself not to reveal how amused she is by grinning. "But what if someone walks in?"

"You didn't seem to care about that when we were making out a few minutes ago." His dark eyes narrow a bit roguishly. "I believe your exact words were Corpse, pl—"

"Shht!" She quickly interrupts him in her vexation, index finger smudged against his lips. "Do you want to see my cleavage or not?"

"Yes—"

"Then stop talking." She, of course, isn't being serious about being irritated. It's expected of him at this point to tease her. If anything, it's asked for.

Corpse tries to bite her finger before she can pull it away, and while she puts up a show of pushing his chest, she's just so fond of him, it hurts. "You're a menace," she chides in pretend exasperation.

"I'm well aware."

Elowen knees off the bed with a glance at the door, wishing now more than ever the door had a lock on it. But it's an old house, and the only way to lock it is with a master key, which she has no clue of its whereabouts. All she can do is hope none of them needs anything, or at the very least trust they have the manners to knock before entering. It's common courtesy.