“How come you don’t date?”
The hands that were lathering her hair with shampoo stilled for just a fraction of a heartbeat before resuming their manipulations. Standing in front of Beau in the shower, her back to his front, they let the hot water beat down on them. With her back to him and her eyes closed, she’d finally dredged up the nerve to ask him.
“I just mean, you’re an attractive guy,” she continued softly. “And you’re always so sweet. Even if you try to hide it with the grumpy old man routine.”
One of his hands slid around her neck, tilting her face up and back so that she was looking at him over her shoulder. “Grumpy old man?” he growled, frowning down at her. She laughed and shrugged before reaching up with her mouth to kiss him quickly. He nudged the curve of her ass with his dick, which was half hard at her back. “Do I need to remind you, my dear Valentina, hownotold and grumpy I am?” Tightening his hand around her throat, she smiled against his lips. “I dare you to look me in the eyes and tell me some wafflenut half my age could do to youwhat I have in the last two days, sweetheart. You could say the words, but your body doesn’t lie.”
He was right, the damn jerk. Whatever this was… she’d never experienced sex like this before in her life. And still she wanted more. Beau had awoken something in her and she was beginning to be terrified of when it would end. Because she knew it would. It had to. It was her and Beau. He’d stayed the night again, waking her up in much the same way he had the morning before. Afterward, he’d hopped out of bed and started coffee, bringing two steaming cups into the bedroom before hauling her out of bed and into the shower with him. She liked having him here. She didn’t want it to end. Which brought her back to her question…
“So why don’t you date?” she asked again. “If you’re so talented… why haven’t you settled down to give some lucky lady the privilege ofOrgasms by Beaufor the rest of her days?”
“Because I’m a grumpy old cuss that doesn’t like the idea of sharing my time or my space with anyone else.”
“So, you do admit to being a grumpy old man?” she teased, leaning back as he used the shower head to rinse her hair of the shampoo. “There’s no one that has made you want that? Don’t you ever get lonely?”
She felt him shrug behind her and heard his heavy inhale and exhale. “I’m too old for all that, Val. I think that ship sailed a long time ago.”
She heard a cap snap behind her, and then his fingers were smoothing the conditioner through her shoulder length hair before rinsing it clean. Everything that he did… it didn’t make sense. He was so sweet and attentive. He’d always been different with her. Hadn’t he?
Sighing quietly, he brushed her hair over one shoulder and ducked to press a kiss to the curve of her shoulder. “I’m not good company most of the time, sweetheart.”
“I don’t believe that,” she said softly, leaning back against his chest. Reaching behind her, she grabbed his hands and pulled them around her, so that his arms banded around her waist. Holding both of his hands in hers against her stomach just beneath her breasts, she sighed when he rested his chin over her shoulder. “I think you could make someone really happy, Beau. You deserve to be happy, too. Happiness isn’t just for everyone else.”
The thought of him being with someone else made her chest ache, like her heart was being trampled beneath her breastbone. This was why she didn’t do casual hookups. She caught feelings too quickly… and it didn’t help that Beau had always had a special piece of her heart, anyway.
Sadness crept in. This isn’t what was supposed to happen. They were supposed to go on a date. Afakedate. Afake datethat was supposed to end clean and tangle-free… instead she’d kissed him, begged him to stay, to sleep with her… and her dumb-self had gone and caught feelings. Stupid, stupid feelings. For a man that she knew would never reciprocate. Self-proclaimed bachelor, or had she forgotten?
Way to go, Val. Can’t even do a fake date or one night stand right. Ugh. Pathetic.
His hand drifted down to the junction of her thighs, and she tipped her head back against his shoulder when his fingers slid between her legs. “I haven’t been as happy in years as I have been between these thighs, sweetheart,” he whispered huskily against her ear. She moaned when his fingers slipped inside her, pressing deep. One finger, then two. Her knees threatened to buckle. “You’ve got all the happiness I need right here. Let me find my happy, Val.”
That… shouldn’t have been as hot as it was. But she exalted in his words; because she, Val, was enough to drive Beau Collins crazy. Was enough to make him happy… at least for now. She felt powerful. Sexy. Desired. He did all those things for her and she wasn’t going to deny him or herself anything that felt this good. Not now, at least.
He turned her roughly, slamming her back against the cool tile of the shower and she gasped from the cold against her skin before his mouth closed over hers, silencing the gasp. And then she was being lifted, his hands gripping the meaty part of her hips. Her arms circled his neck, resting them on his shoulders as he pinned her against the wall. His hands dug into the curves of her ass at the same time she wrapped her legs around his waist, the head of his dick poised at her entrance.
“Fuck.”
He pressed his forehead against her shoulder and panted, but didn’t move, and didn’t enter her.
She wiggled in his arms, searching. He growled in her ear, “Stop, Val.”
“Why?” she moaned, circling her hips again. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t have a condom on.”
“Beau. I trust you. I haven’t been with anyone but you in two years. I’m clean. Please,” she whined, pressing her mouth to his neck. “Please.”
“God dammit, Val,” he snarled before he pulled her down on his length, seating himself inside her fully. Bare.
“Ohmygod,” she moaned loudly, dropping her head back against the shower wall. With nothing between them… he felt so good inside her. So right. “Yes, please.”
Using his arms, he raised and lowered her on his length again and again, pulling her up nearly to the tip before slamming her back down on him. He was so deep, hitting that spot that only he seemed able to find.
“What are you doing to me?” he whispered brokenly against her temple as he continued to hammer into her. “Why can’t I get enough of you?”
She wasn’t sure he meant for her to hear him; he waswhispering the words so quietly. The raw emotion in his voice almost undid her. Because she was wondering the same thing.
“I don’t want this to end,” she whispered back, turning her face so that her lips were nearly at his ear. She was so close to coming, could feel it as her inner muscles began to spasm around him. “I don’t want you to let go.”
