As he climbs in behind me, I let a nervous exhale skitter from between my lips. He stretches his legs out on either side of me, then a few moments later, the heat of his chest is at my back and his strong hands slide up my arms. His lips land on the place where my shoulder meets the base of my neck, soft but firm. “You’re shaking. Are you sure this is okay?”
I pull in a nervous breath. And then another. “It’s not you—” He can’t possibly be looking at me the same way he once did.
He chuckles before I can finish. “Oh, man.”
“No! That’s not what I meant.” I quickly shake my head, wondering how I’ll ever be able to express what I’m thinking. My chest clenches hard, lungs constricting.
“Breathe, Peaches. Relax. It’s just me.”
“I’m nervous now that you know…”I’m scarred. Ugly. And I did it to myself. No one will ever want me ever again.
“Oh, sweetheart.” His arms slip around my waist and draw me back against him until we’re skin to skin. “The fact that you’re even worried about it—” I feel his sigh more than hear it. “Put it out of your head.”
“But—”
“We have all the time in the world. Right now, I want to focus on making sure you’re taken care of.”
Wrenching my mind from the dark places it’s gone, I nod and steel myself against the constant thoughts in my head that tell me I’m broken. This time I won’t be healing alone because I have these brothers who are everything to me. They don’t have to do anything for me, but I know in my heart they’ll stand behind and beside me, each of them giving me something I need, something that makes me whole again.
I am enough, goddammit. I am worthy. I swallow hard, my resolve strengthening.
Archer couldn’t possibly know everything running through my head, and that’s okay. Like he said, there’s plenty of time for talk later. Right now, I just need him.
He pulls the soap closer and puts more in his palm, then works his hands together before bringing them to my chest. He slowly strokes his hands over me, cleansing my body and, in doing so, wiping away the memory of Nick, and replacing it with everything Archer. He slides his hands along my thighs and very tenderly slips his fingers over the slices in my skin. As I begin to relax, he gets more soap before bringing his hands to my stomach and gliding them along the curve of my hips. It’s soft and sensual. And, in direct contrast to the slow caresses he’s treating me to, it sets my heart pounding in my chest.
His arms circle me, making me feel so safe and cared for, and his lips drift over my shoulders, back, and neck, leaving a tingling path along my skin. My cheeks flush with heat. More soap. His hands slip and slide over my stomach, then up to play with my breasts, his fingers tugging at my nipples. With every touch, I feel an answering throb deep inside, my body responding to him like a dream.
I let go and lean back against him, his lips ghosting over my cheekbone as one of his hands slips between my legs. I moan, my reaction immediate to the dance of his fingers over my clit. My breath becomes shallow and edges toward panting the longer he touches my pussy.
He groans behind me. “Can you move up on my chest some?”
I angle my head back a bit with a furrowed brow.
“Trust me,” he whispers, so I nod as he helps me get adjusted on top of him as we both lie back. His erection is thick and hard just under the water between my legs. I’m so dizzy with the idea of what it might feel like to have him inside me, I don’t notice until the water is running again that he’s fiddling with the handle on the tub that switches the flow of water to the hand shower. He plays with it a second, adjusting the intensity of the spray. Satisfied, he brings it to where my torso is barely covered by the water and aims the pulsing water at my clit while continuing the ministrations of his fingers.
The water striking directly against the bundle of nerves is doing things to me that I’ve never felt before. My eyes widen, and my mouth drops open of its own volition as the feel of it quickly brings me to the edge.Shit. I’ve never thought of trying something like this before. And definitely haven’t ever had anyone offer to use one on me.Oh god. Oh god.It’s almost too much, threatening to rip the orgasm from me, no pretense at all.
I writhe on top of Archer’s chest, and he growls in my ear, “You are so fucking hot like this. So beautiful when you let yourself be free instead of getting caught up in your head.” My entire body trembles in response to his words, then his tongue slides over the shell of my ear, sending me to another world. I turn toward his mouth, seeking it out with mine. Against my lips, he murmurs, “Do you feel good, Elliot?”
I nod. “I do. This is so—” I don’t know what else to say as I glance down our bodies, mine on full display for him as he continues to aim the sprayer at my clit. It’s relentlessly delicious, the way it’s making tension coil so tightly in my lower abdomen that I know an orgasm is imminent.
“It’s intense. I’m going to make you come like this. And then you can decide what we do after that.” I feel his chest rise and fall as he swallows. “No pressure. I want you to feel good. That’s all that matters to me.”
I reach back, my lips still hovering so close to his, and slide my fingers into his hair. Breathless as my body hurtles toward the violent storm he’s created within me, I whisper against his lips, “Kiss me?”
Our lips meet, mouths hungry. With a sensual slide of tongue, he delivers caresses that do anything but soothe. I’m burning up all over. I moan into his mouth as he continues touching me, the water providing a constant pounding pressure on my clit as his fingers slip over my sensitive skin.
The orgasm hits, an overwhelming, decadent feeling of pleasure so intense I might go out of my mind. My body quakes, my clit throbs, and my hips roll with it. Water splashes around us, as I mindlessly move, Archer’s body firm and warm behind me, and his breath rough in my ear. The noises coming from deep in my chest are a frenzy of pants and groans as I gasp my way through the seemingly unending bliss.
When I can’t stand the water hitting my clit any longer, I grasp Archer’s hand and shift it away. I can feel his light laugh as his chest jerks beneath me. He turns off the water, replaces the attachment, and wraps his arms around me. After a moment, his lips find my temple, and he murmurs, “Was that too much?”
I turn my head toward his, and he gives me a devilish, sweet smile, those gray eyes staring steadily at me. Shaking my head, I catch my lip between my teeth before I whisper with certainty, “No. Not nearly enough.”
The heated look he gives me should be enough warning, but it’s still a bit of a surprise when he shifts, his strong hands grasping my waist and fully turning me around so I can straddle him.
I only hesitate a fraction of a second as I dismiss my past heartache and lean forward, bringing our chests together. The wet slip and slide of our soap-slicked skin does unspeakable things to me. I grasp his shoulders for support, and his arms wrap around me, hands palming my ass. “Do you want me, Archer?”
He gives me a funny look, squeezing my cheeks and grinding me down on his pelvic bone. “You’re fucking joking, right? My dick’s so hard for you. I’m only hesitating at all because I need to know you’re okay… both physically and emotionally. I don’t expect anything from you, and I don’t want to push you, but yes. I fuckin’ want you so bad, Elliot. The idea of how we could be together has me going out of my mind.”
