“Mmm…no.” She loved how he checked in while continuing to work the muscles.
“How about we wash out this hair?” He guided her under the shower through the fog of steam billowing out.
She pinched her eyes shut, knowing it would soon be time to take care of him. He positioned her under the stream of water, wetting her hair, and when she stepped away to lather in shampoo, he gave a jerk of his head. He squeezed out shampoo into the palm of his hand.
“You’re going to need a lot more than that,” she said with a soft laugh.
“Don’t worry; I’ll take care of you.”
Of course, he meant something other than simply washing her hair. That promise still hung between them.
He had the most divine hands ever created on earth, and she loved that he had yet to go after her breasts or pussy. He seemed to truly care about making her feel comfortable. She tilted back and let him pamper her with the best scalp massage she’d ever experienced.
“Time to wash the rest of you.” His gentle words brought all of her fears crashing back to the surface.
Before she could say a word, he leaned the length of his body against hers and wrapped his arms around her waist. A low moan issued from his throat.
“Don’t disappear on me, babe. Close your eyes and feel me. Just relax and enjoy the moment.”
He traced a finger up her arm, tickling the roughened skin of her elbow and massaging her forearm. Electricity sparked between them, and her body thawed under his touch. He continued his exploration, slow and determined, and he seemed intent to let this moment stretch between them forever.
His fingers drifted over the backs of her hands, stroking lightly. There was no hesitancy to his touch, but neither did he seem hurried. It was as if they were trapped in time, stuck within amoment of sensual bliss. And where his touch was sure and exact, she found herself trembling.
Their fingers interlocked, and he raised their clasped hands to nestle beneath her breasts. His embrace encased her within the cage of his strength, and as he pressed his entire body against hers, she felt cocooned by his protection and supported by his strength.
Safewasn’t a word she regularly used, but Ash had broken through her barriers. He’d never hurt her; only her hesitancy would hinder them.
A future with Ash is what she wanted, and that realization had her heart hammering out a pounding rhythm.But would he grow tired, the way Spencer had?
Suds covered them, trailing off her hair and running down her back. Their skin slid against each other, slippery with the shampoo and heating with desire.
“You doing okay?” his husky voice whispered in her ear. “Any triggers?”
She bit her lower lip, not trusting herself to speak, and she nodded.
“Yes, you’re okay? Or, yes, this is tripping memories?”
And what if it were?
If she wanted him in her life, she would have to force herself past her issues because no man wanted a broken woman in his bed.
“I’m okay.” She would tell him the truth—up until the moment she had to lie.
“If I do anything that bothers you, promise you’ll let me know?”
He surprised her at every turn.
What would he do?While her reaction was predictable, it tended to happen at the worst possible moment.Could she trust him?
She practiced her avoidance again. “Um, I have to use conditioner on my hair. If I don’t, I can’t get the tangles out.”
He laughed, but the tone of his voice told her she hadn’t succeeded in distracting him. “Okay.”
She tilted her head back and reached around to take his cock into her hand.
He shifted away. “No.”
“Don’t you want me to?—”
