Whatever he was thinking, Nessa most certainly wasn’t. So what was the little vixen planning? “What’s going to happen when we get in there?”
Nessa grinned. “You’re going to wash my hair. Condition it, too. If your skills are satisfactory, I’ll consider keeping quiet.”
Wash her hair? She’d let him run his hands through those thick locks, for however long he wanted?
Eagerly, Murphy agreed to her terms.
Chapter 26
Nessa led Murphy into the shower, her pulse fluttering wildly and her mouth dry from nerves. It had been years since she’d seen a naked man, and this wasn’t just anyone; this was Murphy.
Her mate.
And damn, he lookedgood.
She’d suspected he was fairly muscular beneath his clothes, but those sweaters did more than just conceal the scars he loathed so much; they hid the perfection of his chiseled physique.
Ugh, that sounds so cheesy.
But it was true. There was literally no other way to describe Murphy, and it broke her heart that he couldn’t see himself through her eyes. She understood his reservations, though.
When he’d first taken his shirt off, revealing so many jagged lines and small, various burn marks, they’d been overwhelming. She’d wanted to cry, to weep for the horror he’d obviously gone through all those years ago.
What kind of depraved person could inflict such harm on another being? And to know that it was Murphy who’d endured such despicable treatment—well, that nearly had her face crumbling with emotion.
But she’d kept herself in check, determined to be what he needed in the moment. Someone strong. Someone who sawhim—not what he’d endured. Besides, what good would those tears do for him? Nothing! And he’d probably misinterpret them, thinking she found a fault with him when she didn’t.
Murphy was everything she could have ever wanted, and while he didn’t believe it, she thought his body was a work of art. Even the scars marring his otherwise smooth skin couldn’t take away from the fact he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
His wide shoulders were well-defined, as were his biceps and forearms. His light dusting of dark chest hair only added to his appearance, even though it covered some of his sexy chest from view.
Nessa had barely refrained from drooling. It had been hard—especially as her gaze slid down his abs, tracing that tantalizing V of his hips and working its way down.
And his cock …Wow.
That’s all she could think;wow. It was like her brain had short-circuited as soon as she’d seen it. She was surprised her mouth hadn’t dropped open in both shock and glee when he’d taken his jeans off, revealing his hard, and deliciously long, shaft.
Given that Murphy was really tall, she should have expected he’d be proportionate everywhere, but it hadn’t even occurred to her that he’d bebig.
Well, he definitely was.
That thing could probably knock someone unconscious if he slapped them around with it.
Nessa smiled to herself, struggling to keep from laughing at the mental image. As she took another step into the stall, the cold tile beneath her feet helped to ground her back to reality. Murphy hurried in behind her, filling up all the remaining space in the small room.
“Are you fine if I close the door?” He pointed to the frosted glass door over his shoulder, his long, stiff cock standing at attention between them.
She quirked her brow at him in confusion, doing her best to not look down. It was really difficult. Distracting herself, she quipped, “Do you not close the stall door at your place? Or, like, use a shower curtain? Your bathroom floor must get messy.”
He sent her a look she could only describe as sassy, and his cock twitched, almost as if it were begging for her to touch it. She wanted to, but this was already such a big step. Getting ahead of herself, pushing herself past her limits, wasn’t a smart idea.
Murphy was fantastic at making her forget her demons, but what if being in an enclosed space with him, naked and vulnerable, triggered a bad memory?
She tensed.
Was this a mistake?
“I can always clean the floor up afterward,” Murphy offered amicably, lingering just at the doorway of the stall, a few scant feet from her.
