“Cole,” I breathed.Half warning.Half invitation.
He hummed softly, then reached past me for the soap.The click of the cap popping open sounded loud in the small space.He slicked it between his palms, then his hands slid back to me, spreading suds slowly over my arms, shoulders, and sides.
The sensation was immediate.Overwhelming.
Soap made everything glide, and his touch was warm and confident as he moved over me like he was memorizing every inch.He didn’t rush.Didn’t skip anything.Every pass of his hands lingered just long enough to make me ache for more.
My head tipped back against his shoulder, and a soft sound left me before I could stop it.“Soapy,” I whispered.Not exactly brilliant, but it was the only word my brain could say.
“I like taking my time with you,” he said quietly.
His mouth followed his hands, kisses pressed slow and lingering along my collarbone, my shoulder, and the hollow of my throat.Each one landed like a promise.Like he knew exactly what he was doing to me and intended to enjoy every second of it.
I felt anchored under his touch.
The soap slid away under the spray, but his hands never left me.Steady.Certain.
I turned in his arms slowly, and my palms came up to rest on his chest.His skin was slick beneath my fingers, and his muscles shifted as I explored him the way he’d just explored me.I spread soap over him this time, my touch slower, teasing, and watching the way his jaw tightened when my hands lingered.
Seeing him like this, wet, flushed, eyes dark and focused on me like I was the only thing in the room, did something reckless to my heart.
This was Cole stripped down in front of me.No clubhouse.No chaos.No orders or plans.Just him.
“Careful,” he murmured, eyes never leaving mine.“You’re playing with fire.”
I smiled, slow and bold.“What if I like fire?”
He kissed me then.
Not rushed.Not desperate.Slow and deep, like he wanted to feel every second of it.The water poured over us, loud enough to drown out everything else, while his hands came up to brace against the tile on either side of me, boxing me in.
“You’re all mine,” he murmured as his mouth brushed my ear.“Just.Mine.”
A shiver ran through me.My fingers tightened on his shoulders.“And you’re mine.”
“Yeah,” he admitted quietly.“I am.”
His mouth trailed along my jaw and made my toes curl.He bit down gently once, just enough to make me gasp, then soothed it with his tongue like an apology he didn’t mean.
I moved against him without thinking.My body responded on instinct, chasing that closeness.He groaned low in his throat as his grip tightened, wanting more.
I wanted to stay right here.Wrapped in steam and him and the knowledge that for this moment, nothing else could touch me.
And then—
Gravel crunched outside the window.
We froze.
Cole’s body went instantly still, and every muscle locked into place.My heart leapt straight into my throat.
“That’s my mom’s car,” I whispered.
His eyes widened just a fraction before he reached past me and shut off the water.The sudden silence was jarring, the steam still curling around us as we stood there dripping, pressed together, barely breathing.
We listened to the car door open, close, and then her footsteps walk away from the window.The front door opened.
“Star?”Mom called.“I’m home early!”
