Was it any wonder kissing her was different from kissing anyone else?
As the water rained down on him, he continued to let the scene replay itself. Maybe because he was a glutton for punishment. Or maybe because he understood that it was as close as he’d ever come to having that big BKI love she talked about.
Last night, she shoved me out of bed.
Today, she kissed me within an inch of my life.
He might have thought she’d changed her mind and decided his friends-with-benefits offer was a good idea. But he figured that kiss downstairs had simply been a knee-jerk reaction to the danger of the day and her relief at seeing him alive and unharmed.
And I shouldn’t read too much into it.
Satisfied he’d accurately assessed the situation, he turned his attention to carefully pulling off the butterfly bandages and letting the hot water rinse his cut. When he reckoned it was as clean as it was going to get, he reached for the faucet to shut off the water. Then froze at the sound of the shower curtain being drawn back.
Spinning around, he squeegeed the water from his eyes, and what met his gaze had his lungs collapsing.
It was a wonder his knees didn’t follow suit.
Eliza was…naked.
No. Not naked.Nude.Her body was a work of art, all contours and curves. Her skin was pale and perfect. The little triangle of black hair at the top of her sex accentuated the feminine flare of her hips. And her breasts were high and round, the exact size to fit inside his hands.
For a moment, he was too stunned to speak. Definitely too stunned to move.
His fantasies about that kiss meant he’d already been semi-hard. Now his soldier stood at full attention and throbbed so painfully he only refrained from reaching down to rub away the ache by clenching his hands into fists.
“What are ya doin’?” he choked out.
Her dark, slanted eyes sparked with mischief and something deeper, something that had his balls pulling up tight against his body.
“Just thought I’d come check on you. You looked pretty wrecked downstairs. And this…” She winced as she gently brushed a finger across his cheek below his cut. “This needs better tending to than whatever they gave you down at the police station.”
The wound still smarted. But her soft touch distracted him from any discomfort.
“Ya think I can’t manage a couple new butterfly bandages?” It was a wonder he could talk, much less follow the conversation enough to form sentences that made sense.
Eliza is NAKED!
“I know you can. But I wanted to help. Well, that and I want to take you up on your offer.”
Yes!All the lesser devils shot their fists in the air.
Not so fast,the better angels cautioned.
“Which offer?” His voice was so rough it sounded like he’d eaten a handful of a glass.
“Your offer to join you in the shower.” A playful smile tugged at the corners of her delicious mouth. “And your offer to be friends with benefits.”
His heart pounded in his chest and…lower, his body reacting to her proximity and hernakedness—holy shit! Eliza is NAKED!
He was tempted to pounce on her then and there, just shove her back against the tile wall and make all his fantasies come true, but…
He’d never forgive himself if she made a decision in the heat of the moment that would hurt her or haunt her in the future.
“Nothin’ has changed for me, Liza.” His words were a warning. “I can take ya to bed and give us both physical pleasure. But I can’t feel the way ya want me to feel. I can’t be what ya want me to be. It’ll begin and end in the bedroom.”
She stepped closer and he watched, mesmerized as a drop of water bounced off his shoulder to land on the upper curve of her breast. It dripped slowly,slowlydown her smooth, pale skin until it caught on her erect nipple. There it stopped, dangling and sparkling like a delicious diamond.
He wanted to lap it up with his tongue. But he didn’t dare move.
