It works a treat at peaking my nipples, though.
The water’s running in the shower, clouds of steam escaping through the open bathroom door. That’s enough to steal my focus and dissolve my gnawing unrest. The vision of his muscular, naked body behind the wall flashes before my eyes.
He used me for weeks... it’s time I use him back. It’s time I take what I desperately want. What I dream about every night and fantasize about all day.
There’s something disturbing about the pure lust simmering beneath my skin. I probably shouldn’t want intimacy with anyone after the horrors I witnessed at Noretto’s, but I know Carter’s touch will wash away the foul memories.
Swallowing the uncertainty, I shimmy out of my dress. My plain cotton panties go next, then their matching bra.
Leaving the clothes in a pile, I run my hand through my hair, draping the blonde waves over one shoulder. With a deep breath for courage, my bare feet sink in the plush carpet, then hit the cold bathroom tiles.
Carter stands with his back to me, both hands bracing against the wall, his head hanging low, warm water trickling down his back. My heart lurches and liquid heat detonates inside my chest.
He’s a sight, this man. All hard lines, dark ink, and sin.
He doesn’t turn, but his shoulders wind up tight, betraying that he heard me enter. His fingers clench, and though I can only see his profile, I can tell he’s grinding his teeth.
“Don’t do this,” he says, his tone brooking no argument.
He doesn’t turn to look at me. He remains still, tense, and adamantly staring at the mosaic tiles.
It’s a showcase shower with a tall pane of glass separating it from the bathroom. A mist of warm water engulfs me, then the sporadic droplets hit my skin. I ignore his order, my heart thudding faster with every step. My mind unwinds and its commotion mutes, leaving blissful clarity.
Carter’s what I want, need, and can’t go on without.
“Do what?” I stop behind him, lifting one hand to run my fingers down the length of his spine.
My knees almost give in at his sharp inhale. He shivers under my touch, goosebumps dotting his skin despite the heat of the water.
“Hailey,” he grits, the word dipped in annoyance and...desire.
He’s at breaking point. It won’t take much to tip him the right way, and when he snaps, he’ll haul me into his arms like he has a hundred times before. He’ll take me to bed and remind me why I crave him, why no man will ever compare. Why I’ll let him do whatever he pleases for as long as he’s interested.
“What are you doing, pretty girl?”
“Touching you,” I whisper, stepping a little closer.
Now he spins. So abruptly I stumble back a step. He grips my waist, pinning me against the wall, a wild look dancing in his eyes, dark irises almost completely swallowed by blown pupils. His gaze roves down my body and mine follows, stopping on his hard cock, inches away from my belly.
“Do you trust me?” he asks. “Are you one hundred percent certain I’m not just using you to find the evidence?”
“We can’t ever be certain of anything.”
“Yeah, we can. Come to me when you are.”
“But—”
“Nobuts, Hailey. You need to know I won’t hurt or leave you after we find the evidence, and you need to be fucking certain you want me, because there’ll be no going back. If you’re mine again, you’re mine forever.”
“You can’t be serious. No one can planforever. Things change. What if you get bored with me five years down the line?”
“God, your fucking insecurities will be the death of me.” He dips his head so we’re eye level. “I can plan forever, and I’mplanning mine with you. Come to me when you’re ready for that.”
My brows furrow. I desperately search his face for any hint of a trick or lie. I want to believe him, but... why would I?
He’s too perfect for forever. Too perfect for me. A morally gray fucking God. He can have any woman he wants, any prettier and smarter than me Goddess he lays his eyes on...
I’m a fleeting moment. A temporary fix, but that’s okay. I want to be his fix.
