We’re both trembling by the time we lie back, trying to catch our breath.
“It’s hard right now to remember how cold we were last night,” she says.
I laugh. “I feel like I could walk out in the snow naked and still be sweating, that’s how worked up you got me.”
She’s grinning when she looks up at me. “We could go try out that ship.”
“You’re not too tired?”
“Might not be a long bath, but it sounds nice right now. I’m a little sore,” she admits, making a funny face.
“I’m so sorry. I was afraid we weren’t going slow enough.”
“It’s the best kind of sore, and it’s my fault for being impatient. And you can’t help it that you’ve got a lot to work with.”
That makes me laugh.
“I’ll run the water,” I tell her.
“Mmm, I doubt you’ll get it as hot as I like.”
I snort. “Do you like your baths as hot as your tea?”
“Hotter.” She laughs.
“I’m getting second-degree burns in this bath, aren’t I?”
We both get out of bed, and she lifts her shoulder. “I guess I can go easy on you.”
I grab her waist and pull her against me. “Somehow I have a hard time imagining you ever going easy on me.”
“What do you call what we just did?” She puts her arms around my neck and tugs on my hair.
“You rode me hard and fast. There was nothing easy about it. You set my body blazing.”
Her face splits with a huge smile. “Erin would be so proud.”
“Do I even want to know?”
She’s laughing as we go into the bathroom. “Probably not.”
I look at the tub again. “You do remember I’m six four, right?”
She giggles. “This should be fun.”
And it is. I think more water ends up on the floor than in the tub by the time everything’s all said and done.
It’s one o’clock in the morning when we finally get out of the tub.
“Is it okay if I stay?” I ask. “I’ll set an alarm when you get up for the bakery. It’s what, two hours from now?”
“Something like that.” She makes a face.
“Hat, alley, trash alibi.”
“Because you’re so stealthy.” She laughs sleepily. “Yes, stay. It’s been a long couple of days, and you need your rest. Don’tworry––I’m not gonna get any ideas just because you stayed the night.”
That makes me pause, but she looks so tired, I don’t question it. We get in bed, and I kiss her once more before she curls into me. I trace lazy patterns on her shoulder until we’re both asleep.
