I press a kiss to his shoulder, a foreign sensation growing in my chest. “Yes,” I answer breathily.
And I realize as he brushes the loofah over my own skin that this feeling I’m experiencing is a sense of power. Not power as a superiority, but as a confidence I’ve never experienced before. It grows when I see the care Nico takes with me, and when I see the awe with which he looks at my body.
I wonder if it’s a confidence I always should’ve had. As an escort, IknowI can bring a man to his knees. But I’ve always faked it. I was channeling the woman they saw when they looked at me, not the woman I was.
With Nico, I can’t fake anything. I don’t want to.
For the first time since I was thirteen and my mother called me chubby, I don’t hate my body. Not if Nico looks at it and thinks I’m the most beautiful woman in the world.
Eyes locked on his, I take a slow step back until I’m under the shower spray. I watch him watch me, how his pupils blow black as his hungry gaze travels over me. And then I tip my head back, my eyes sliding closed as I let the water slide in rivulets between my breasts and down my body.
“Fuck, baby,” I hear Nico whisper. “You’re the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”
Without opening my eyes, my lips lift in a smile.
I’m not surprised when he doesn’t initiate anything; he just waits for the soap to run from my body before reaching behind me to shut off the water. Pressing a kiss to my neck, and then my shoulder, he wraps me in a fluffy towel and carries me out of the shower.
Why do I love the feel of him toweling me off?I have to hide my smile as he does it. But it comes out full force when he asks, “Do you need a minute alone before we go to bed?”
I pull the towel up to cover my mouth and nod.
He probably meant for me to use the bathroom, or brush my teeth, or something along those lines. In reality, I spend it trying to tamp down on the giddy smile that Nico brings out of me.
When I have it somewhat under control—and once I’ve brushed my teeth and used the toilet—I step out of the bathroom. “All yours,” I tell him.
Once again, he’s shirtless and wearing sweats. And once again, I want to jump him for it.
He either doesn’t notice or ignores my stare, because he gestures at the bed and says, “For the record, just in case it’s not obvious, all bedding and sheets have been swapped out. No one is getting sick again.” Then he points at the clothes he laid out. “I also pulled a t-shirt and boxers for you. Figured you’d be more comfortable in that.”
As long as it’s yours, I don’t care.
I don’t say that. I just nod and tell him thank you. But when he brushes another kiss over my bare shoulder as he passes by me, that giddy smile comes back full force.
I’m sitting in bed, comforter pulled up to my waist, when he eventually emerges from the bathroom. I shouldn’t be nervous right now, but I am. It’s been a long time since I’ve slept in bed with a man—last night notwithstanding. Do I snore? Did I take up a lot of the bed? Oh my God, what if I drool?
“Did I snore last night?” I blurt out.
Nico full-on jumps into the bed and lands with a flop beside me. “No. But then again, the sounds of vomiting may have drowned them out.”
My mouth drops open as I stare at him. I shove him lightly in the shoulder, a mortified laugh creeping up my throat. “You couldn’t have just spared my feelings?”
Grinning, he folds one arm behind his head. “Nope. Sorry.” But then he softens and adds, “But I bet if youdidsnore, it would be really cute. Like puppy snores.”
“It’s not a compliment to compare a woman to a dog, Nico,” I say with a sigh.
“I didn’t. I said puppy. The cutest animal on earth.”
I roll my eyes, but I’m still smiling. “I don’t think I’ve ever been called cute before.”
He shifts onto his side to gaze at me. “You are, though. Cute. And beautiful. And sexy.”
My breath catches at how he’s looking at me. “Nico?—”
“And smart. And brave. And incredible.”
For a moment, I can only stare at him. At this man who makes me feel so safe and cared for.
What did I do to deserve this?
