“Coach me on rugby in the morning,” I stop her and tap her wrist to get more ice cream.
“Oh, did you have other plans I wasn’t aware of?” Rhea looks around with a phony confused look on her face. The ice cream on her spoon melts between us, and before I can get my mouth around the spoon, it drops onto her thigh, making her flinch from the sudden cold.
“Yeah,” I slide her forward on the island, and my hands find her ass. She goes completely still as I dip down, running my tongue up her inner thigh to catch the drip, then I close my mouth around the rest of the spill. She inhales deeply and slowly as I pull back. “I did.”
Her face changes when she realizes what I’m suggesting, her surprise evident.
“Put the ice cream down, please,” I say. I can be a thousand things for Rhea Drake, but a man who allows melting dairy products in his bed is not one of them.
“Okay.” She sets it down beside her on the counter, the spoon dangling from her lips as I pull her off the island and over my shoulder in one swift movement. She yelps from the contact, and I turn her toward the sink.
“Leave the spoon.” A second later, it clatters into the sink. “Thank you.”
“You don’t want to wash it twice?” She teases, and I dig my fingers into her thigh. “I just don’t want you thinking about that dirty spoon all—”
The teasing is cut short when I drop her on the bathroom counter and back away to run the shower. She leans back on the palms of her hands, and the hem of the shirt she’s wearing rides up around her thighs as she watches me grab a clean towel.
I hear the tiny groan from her lips as I pull the sweaty shirt off and she leans over the counter to pop the lid of the basket for me, knowing that tossing it on the floor isn’t an option, but it gives me a full view of the tiny boyshorts she’s wearing.Fuck me.
“Do friends watch each other shower?” She asks me as I strip from my sweat pants and throw them in the same place.
“I don’t know, you’re the one whose friends have no boundaries,” I smile at her, giving her full control of the situation. Her focus is elsewhere, and if I were a more modest man, I’d be blushing, but her eyes inspecting every dirty inch of skin only fuels the fire in the pit of my stomach.
“I—” she opens her mouth and closes it.
“Cat got your tongue?” I tease and step forward, my fingers ghosting the bottom of her shirt.
“Bear,” she chokes out with a smile.
“How about we make an exception?” I ask her.
“Yeah, just this one time…” Her words trail off again as my lips find the base of her neck. “Friends can totally help friends shower,” she mumbles as I lift the hem over her stomach. “I can…I can wash those stubborn spots on your back—” Every word is muffled or stuttered from her lips, but she lifts her arms and lets me remove her shirt. “Does this hurt?” She asksme, and I angle my face down to look at the bruise forming on my shoulder that she’s focused on.
“No.” I shake my head and go back to kissing her skin. Her fingers find my skin as my lips find her collarbone. The shower long forgotten, the bathroom fills with steam as my hands dig into her back and pull her against my chest.
“The water's going to get cold,” she teases breathlessly.
I let out a low chuckle against her neck, “whose fault is that?” My hand trails down her sides as I continue to find places void of kisses. “You keep your hands to yourself, Hellcat,” I warn as I step back and push down my boxers.
“Follow your own rules.” She sticks her tongue out at me and follows suit, climbing into the shower after me.
I turn around and pull her into me, pressing her back against the cold tiles as the lukewarm water beats down on my shoulders. “I’m trying to be a good friend.” My hands cup her jaw, and I tilt her face up to meet mine in a deep kiss. “But you’re making it really hard.”
Rhea giggles against my lips, and my whole body goes stiff from the sound.
“See what you’re doing to me?” I whisper against her ear, my hands sliding down over her curves. “I pride myself on my control, Rhea.” I turn her around gently, pressing against her back so she’s under the water.
“Self-control is lame,” she scoffs, leaning back against me as my hands rake over the soft skin on her stomach.
“It’s necessary around you.” My hands slip down to her hips as my teeth gently graze her shoulder.
“Not tonight.” She presses back against me, melting our bodies together under the water. My breath catches as I wrap my arms around her, hands sliding up to her chest.
“You’re distracting me from getting clean.” My fingers play with one of her hardened nipples, and she turns to a dead weight in my arms as her body relaxes. “Turn around.” I softly demand. I take my time with thesoap, first Rhea and then myself. Making sure that I cover every inch of her skin and her patience kills me. “Lift your arms,” I command, trying to maintain my composure despite the hardened pain between my legs.
“Thank you,” she says, clearly trying to behave until I’m finished. I pull back from her because everything is suddenly very real and very warm. The adrenaline from the game is wearing off, and I realize how idiotic I’m being with her.Rushing around and thinking with your dick got you in too much trouble the first time.
“Mhmm,” I respond, grinding my teeth together as I grab the shampoo to wash the feeling of mud and sweat from my hair. I avoid looking at her as best I can, knowing full well I’m seconds away from losing that control I boasted about. She watches me with heavy eyes as I quickly scrub my hair, my back muscles flexing tightly under her gaze. “You gotta stop staring at me like that,” I whisper, rinsing it out as fast as I can.
