“Strip,” she commanded, earning a wicked grin from the warlock. If she wasn’t already freezing, that grin would have warmed her up.
He unbuttoned his shirt and peeled off the soaked fabric, revealing a wet t-shirt underneath. Her eyes drank in the sight of his skin as he bared it. The corded abs, the slopes of his pectorals and the fascinating ‘v’ shaped indentation of his pelvis as he stretched his arms up to remove his t-shirt.
He was so beautiful…so big. He dominated the space of the bathroom with his towering frame, and all Calli wanted to do was melt into him. But he needed her right now. If they were destined to bond someday, they both needed to learn to trust one another and lean on each other.
She turned to the shower, checking the temperature as he undid his jeans and kicked off his biker boots.
“Okay, I think it’s warm enough to get in.” She turned around, ready to slide past him, but he caught her wrist.
“Oh no, sweetheart. You’re getting in here with me,” Malcolm said with a soft, rich chuckle. “You’re cold and wet too. If I do my job right, you’ll get a whole lot wetter and a lot less cold.” His gaze burned straight through her, and even though his lips curved playfully, she sensed the tension he felt within him, the need.
Her body echoed with the same aching hunger.
He wore only his wet boxers now as he pulled her sweater up. She let him remove it. His fingertips trailed down her collarbone to her breasts before he reached around and unfastened her bra. Her arms reached up to cover herself once the bra fell to the floor, but Malcolm caught her chin, lifting her face out.
“You don’t have to hide from me,” he said. “Ever.”
He tugged her closer until his mouth slanted over hers. She kissed him deeply, and every fear, every worry, escaped from her and disappeared. Malcolm’s hands tugged her jeans down, and she kicked out of them right before he lifted her into the air. Her breasts rubbed against his bare chest, tickling her. He set her down inside the shower and closed the glass door, sealing them in. She still wore her panties and he still wore his boxers, and for some reason that made her giggle.
“What?” he asked, laughing too.
“We still have our bottoms on.”
“Not for long.”
He pulled her beneath the spray and turned her so the hot water ran down her back. He knelt in front of her, hooking his thumbs in the sides of her panties and pulling them down. She placed her hands on his shoulders as she daintily lifted one foot, then the other, to slip out of them completely. Malcolm raised his head, his green eyes as dark and mysterious as an ancient forest that held secrets she could spend a lifetime seeking to uncover. His wet dark hair curled at the ends as he licked his lips.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked. “How incredible you are? It’s like I know who you are better than I know myself.”
She knew, because she felt the same way about him.
He stood up, his face filled with myriad emotions that echoed the deep quaking rumble within her own chest. Those tectonic plates inside of her were shifting…the poles were reversing their polarity… Her world would never be the same again, and wasn’t that exactly what falling in love should be? A force that had the power to change someone forever?
“I’m ready,” she whispered as she curled her arms around his neck. “I’m really ready, Malcolm.”
His dark brows lifted. “Honey, we don’t?—”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “Make love to me. Bewitch me,” she begged. With that, Malcolm lost the battle with his control and surrendered to his own desires. He kissed her, his mouth moving with rough excitement as they let the water fall around them. Then his lips moved down to her neck, lingering with soft nibbles and playful kisses, igniting that ever-building bonfire within her.
Calli ran her hands over his chest, his back, her own mouth exploring his skin, needing to kiss him everywhere her mouth could reach. She whimpered in protest when he turned off the shower and left her. But he soon returned with two towels and wrapped her up in one.
“I thought we were going to?—?”
“Oh, we are,” he promised as he pulled her against him and kissed the tip of her nose. “But your first time shouldn’t be standing up in the shower.”
“No?”
“Hey, it’s fun and all, but not for your first time.” He kissed the tip of her nose and then he closed his eyes. “Tonight should be special.” A hum of magic tickled her skin, and her hair was suddenly dry.
She grinned at him. “You’re getting good at that.”
“I had a pretty good teacher. Hot too.” Malcolm winked as he picked her up and carried her toward the bed. “Now it’s time I taught you a thing or two about a different kind of magic.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Calli held her breath as Malcolm pulled back the sheets of her bed. He turned to her, clad only in that low-slung towel, and smiled. Her lips trembled with desire at the thought of what they were about to do. He tugged her towel free, the cool air caressing her skin as his hot gaze raked over her, causing her belly to flutter.
“Get in,” he coaxed, his voice smooth and sexy, as he gently tugged her toward her bed.
