“Good.” Natalia sent him a smile before pushing herself off the couch and up to her feet.
“Where are you going?” Jagger called after her, belatedly rising back up to his feet to follow.
Without a word, she turned away from him, slowly making her way up the short set of steps leading to the townhome’s next level. She passed by the dining room table on her right before moving toward the next set of wooden stairs to her left.
Natalia stopped mid-stride with one hand on the railing and turned to face him once again. “I need a shower,” she announced unceremoniously. And then she asked, “Are you coming?”
12
Jagger followedthe trail of discarded clothing as he made his way up the split staircase leading to the townhome’s upper floor. His rock-solid dick was screaming for him to sprint after Talia for fear she would change her mind, but he forced himself to keep on with his calm, casual pace.
When he reached the top, there were four doors to choose from. The closest one was cracked open just enough he could tell it was a small bathroom. The other two doors toward that end of the short hallway were closed, but when Jagger looked to his right…
Bingo.
Jagger pushed open one of two white, double doors which led to the home’s master suite. As he crossed the threshold, his heart gave a hard kick when he spotted a black, strapless bra in the middle of the room’s plush, ivory carpet.
A few feet beyond that—near the threshold to what he realized was the en suite bathroom—lay a tiny scrap of matching lace he realized was a thong.
Hell, yes.
Talia was in the next room. He could hear her moving about. And going by the items he’d found on his way up the stairs, she was also completely naked.
Are you coming?
With that one, simple question, the dark-haired vixen already had him feeling as though he was about to explode. How he was going to make it through this without embarrassing himself, Jagger didn’t know. But he was committed now, and there was no turning back.
Talia needed this. She neededhim. And Jagger wasn’t about to disappoint.
He crossed the threshold into her spacious bathroom. Everything was white, from the walls to the cabinets and floors. But it was the blurred image behind the shower’s frosted glass walls that caught—and held—his attention.
Even in its steamy, unclear view, Talia’s nude silhouette was like a masterful work of art. One he longed to touch but feared he would ruin.
Their personalities often clashed in the best of ways, yet they’d both been torn from the same cloth. Two patriots whose lives had been spent doing whatever they could to make the world a better, safer place. In that moment, however, there was something Jagger wanted even more than peace on earth and all that other stuff.
For the rest of tonight, his focus was on Talia. His one and only goal was to show this woman all the ways he’d been dreaming of bringing her pleasure.
Between what happened at the port and the twisted gifts someone had been leaving her, she deserved a few hours to let herself go and forget. But even as Jagger removed his own clothing and joined her in the shower, he innately knew what was about to happen between them went much deeper than that.
“I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind.”
Talia’s sultry voice sounded a bit huskier as it echoed off the spacious shower’s ceramic tiled walls.
“Not a chance in hell.” Jagger pulled the glass door shut behind him. He turned to fully face her and instantly lost the ability to breathe.
From the moment they’d first met, he’d thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Seeing her the way God had created her was a sight he felt compelled to cherish.
She’s absolutely perfect.
Long legs. Toned curves. Flawless skin that appeared to be kissed by the sun. Well, almost flawless.
Son of a?—
Jagger frowned when he spotted the softball-size bruise marring the skin above her left breast. If she hadn’t been wearing a vest when that bastard’s bullet slammed into her?—
“It’s just a bruise, Jag.” Talia began to wash her body with the thick, bubbly soap.
She’s right. She’s still here and obviously doing okay. But still…
