Her breathing came fast and uneven, like she’d run a marathon, but she gathered herself enough to press soft kisses along my jaw and down to my neck as she kept moving against me. I could feel her breasts brushing my chest. She ended me with a needy whisper against my collarbone.
“Please, Erich.”
My hands gripped her waist just in time before my breath caught in my throat. I knew I was holding her hard enough to leave marks. I groaned in her ear as she gasped.
My grip loosened, and her breathy giggle against my collarbone as her hands slid up my chest sent a shiver through me. She didn’t move off me as she crossed her arms and restedon my chest, lifting her head to meet my eyes. Her flushed face and messy hair nearly pushed me over the edge again.
If she begged and whispered my name every time, I was done for. She’d have me kissing the ground she walked on.
And that was the problem I’d tried to avoid for a whole damn year.
“I can’t feel my legs.” Her lips curved into a smile, her eyes like sea glass as they held mine.
I ran my hands through her dark curls, rubbing her back. “You’re setting yourself up for failure if you can’t handle five minutes.” A crooked smirk tugged at my mouth.
“Ugh.” She leaned down to kiss me, quick and soft before pulling away. “Five minutes was the goal.”
I got lost in her gaze again. The flush on her cheeks carried over the bridge of her nose, and beneath it I could see her scattered freckles. I wanted to kiss her again, but I also had the vague thought I probably needed to brush my teeth. And shower.
Camille slid off me, and I reached after her instinctively, wanting her to stay in my bed forever. She shot me a playful grin as she tied her hair up in a pink scrunchie, sunlight from the window revealing the faint red marks my hands had left on her pale skin.
“I need to shower. And brush my teeth.” She echoed my thoughts as I let out a frustrated sigh and dropped my hand back onto the pillow.
My other hand dragged through my hair as I let myself admire her body. It wasn’t helping. My brain was shutting off, handing control over to my hormones.
She left the room, and for a second I thought about stoking the fireplace before the embers died. But I couldn’t think straight. The idea of joining her in the shower won out instantly. Cold spring morning be damned.
I rolled out of bed and followed her.
The bathroom door was open, and from the doorframe I could see her legs and ass as she leaned over the bathroom sink to brush her teeth. I was in a trance as she turned the faucet on, rinsing her toothbrush before ripping the scrunchie out of her hair and sliding the glass shower door open to step over the edge of the tub.
As soon as the shower came to life, I repeated the motions. I closed the bathroom door, then went to the sink and brushed my teeth. I could see her through the clouded glass of the shower door, running her fingers through her hair as she rinsed, stealing glances at me. I debated for all of two seconds before sliding the glass door open and stepping under the hot spray.
Camille’s smile as I joined her could’ve made the world stop turning. Her hair was soaked, draped over her shoulders and back, darker from the water. I closed my eyes and let the droplets hit my face before her voice pulled me back.
“Do you need me to move?” Her words were effortlessly seductive, and my body reacted before my brain caught up.
I didn’t answer. I grabbed her strawberry shampoo, squeezing more than necessary into my hands before massaging it into her scalp, working it into a lather. Her surprised gasp softened into a hum as she leaned into me, enjoying the way I worked the shampoo through her hair.
“That feels so… amazing,” she breathed, tilting her head back to let the water rinse some of the suds away. It ran down her body in soft, soapy streams as I held her head in my hands, guiding the rinse. Steam filled the space, clinging to our skin.
I was so focused on her parted lips that I nearly jumped when her hands slid up my chest. Her eyes fluttered as she bit her bottom lip, and I lost the thread of my thoughts as her touch took over.
A low groan slipped from me as she leaned in. She rose onto her toes to cup my face, and I bent to meet her. My lips crashed into hers as my hands slid from her hair to her hips. My own hair dampened under the steady heat, water dripping down both our faces as we gave in to the pull between us.
I was about to pin her against the tiled wall. Every instinct told me to slow it down, to savor her lips. I didn’t get the chance. Her shocked gasp cut through everything, and I felt her slipping.
My arms wrapped around her instantly to catch her. My only thought was to keep her from hitting the ground—until my shoulder slammed into a loose tile and I felt the jagged edge tear into my skin.
“Erich.” Her voice sharpened with alarm, but she was safe in my arms. I didn’t register the pain until her eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth.
“Are you okay?” I murmured over the pounding water.
“Yes. But you’re not.” Her lip trembled as her fingers brushed the blood running down my arm, mixing with shampoo and water before disappearing into the drain like something out of a horror movie.
“Just a scratch.” My grip loosened once I knew she wasn’t hurt. At least I’d broken her fall.
“No, that’s a lot of blood.” She grabbed my arm, turning it to inspect the wound. Water clung to her lashes, and I worried she might start crying at the sight of it. “What if you need stitches?”
