“She definitely does.” Mattie sighed. In this light, surrounded by a background of cobalt, her eyes looked more green blue than golden. They made him think of seas and ocean breezes, which of course turned his mind immediately to sandcastles and moonlight embraces.
“Are you ready to be toweled off?” His voice, almost of its own accord, had turned low and husky. Mattie must have noticed it, because she gave a little shiver, even though she no longer appeared cold.
“As long as you’re doing the toweling.” Mattie quirked her pink lips into a decidedly come-hither expression.
He brushed a kiss against her cheek, keeping his mouth near her ear as he whispered, “At your service.”
She rose first, holding out her hand to help him up. Together they climbed from the pool, the water running off them in rivulets. Mattie shivered again, but they moved slowly toward the white cushioned benches. Their wet feet made the terra-cotta floor slick, and neither of them wanted to fall.
Leo bent to reach into the basket of fresh towels and pulled out an extremely large fluffy one. Mattie’s eyes went wide. Pinching it between her index finger and thumb, she sighed. “It’s so soft and thick. It is even bigger than the ones at Vera’s castle.”
“I never realized how luxurious terry cloth could be until I entered her world,” Leo admitted as he draped the absorbent fabric over Mattie’s shoulders. She pulled the towel tight and rested her chin on her fists. She looked so charming he leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers. Her lips opened, and he couldn’t resist exploring the warm heat. Through the wonderful haze buzzing through him, Leo realized that his body was making her previously warm swath of terry cloth soaking wet. After stepping back, he bent once more to retrieve a towel for himself. Before he could begin to wipe his arms, Mattie gently grabbed his wrist.
“Let me.”
Those two words—so short, so simple—blasted through him. He nearly dropped the towel. His numb fingers eagerly released it into her hands. She started with his arms, her eyes following the path of the terry cloth with golden intensity. He burned hotter than a blast furnace in a steel mill. It was a wonder he didn’t dry himself from the inside out.
But Leo was very glad he didn’t. No one had ever taken care of him like this—seen to his needs. He loved the feel of Mattie’s hands on him. Her fingers were delicate, but they had calluses, testaments to a life of working around machines and engines. Just like when she tighteneda bolt or twisted a wire onto a contact, Mattie approached the task of drying him with the utmost thoroughness.
His knees felt peculiar, shaky even. He eased onto the cushioned bench. Mattie nudged his knees, and he spread his legs apart, allowing her to step closer. She focused on his chest, using just a corner of the massive towel. Sparks spiraled through him, as if someone had released a thousand Very lights. He felt vulnerable and strangely exposed.
He didn’t fight it, though. He would’ve with anyone else, but this was Mattie. He trusted her. For her, he’d permit himself to feel.
As she leaned over to dry his back, her breasts brushed against his chest. He gripped the edge of the bench, squishing the cushion down. Lust and need shot through him like a shell from one of the Archies. But it didn’t obliterate him. It powered him.
Leo could smell her scent—the mixture of sweat and the lavender soap that she used in her hair. He gently stroked her red curls, watching the delicate fiery strands wrap around his fingers. They didn’t burn, but they seared him all the same.
Their lips tangled together—hot, eager, and demanding. Their normal positions were reversed with his head tilted back, her body bent over his. Mattie drove the kiss like she flew a plane. Boldly. Without hesitation. Fiercely.
When she lifted her lips from his to catch a breath, he gasped out, “I thought we were supposed to be cooling down.”
Mattie shook her head, causing a spray of droplets to rain down on him. “You did dare me to create steam.”
“That I did.” A laugh bubbled up in Leo, strong and real. He’d never chuckled so much in his life.
“Did I succeed?”
“Admirably.”
“Good.” She smiled broadly and stepped back. “I do believe it is time for my massage, if you don’t mind me going first.”
“Not at all,” he said truthfully, standing up so she could lie down.
With her typical abandon, she flopped onto the cushions with gusto. Leo knew the smile spreading across his face was a silly one, but he didn’t care. Mattie couldn’t have seduced him more if she had sensually slid onto the couch while stroking the cushions suggestively.
Starting with Mattie’s shoulders, Leo kneaded her muscles. The feel of her flesh nearly undid him. Then she emitted a groan... a satisfied, deep, undeniably sexualgroan. And that pushed him over the precipice. He’d had a lifetime of controlling his inner emotions. But it seemed that nothing could have prepared him for touching Mattie.
He needed a distraction, and he needed oneimmediately.
Mattie moaned again.
If she released another...
“You were going to tell me more about your endorsement,” Leo said quickly. He thought he might have spit out the words too swiftly, but Mattie didn’t seem to notice his tommy gun–like delivery.
“Oh yes.” Mattie shifted slightly. Both her eyes were closed, and she wore a little smile on her lips. “I was. Something, or rathersomeone, distracted me.”
“What company is it?”
