I watched him in silence as he reached between us, his movements efficient now, all business as he dealt with the condom, tying it off and stepping out of the shower to dispose of it properly without a single crude joke.
I sucked in a deep breath and tried to hide the fact I was hyperventilating. Why did I think sex with him was going to be no different from sex with the many men I’d been with over the years? Just a body for pleasure that would leave no impression on me after the act was done. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I got to my feet and almost collapsed back onto the shower bench, but I steeled my resolve. The faster I washed up, the sooner I could get out of the shower, which was designed for two grown men but felt too small when shared with Sergei, and it wasn’t because he was so much bigger.
On unsteady legs, I shuffled over to the faucet and adjusted the water temperature. By the time he rejoined me, I used the water spraying down on me as a shield.
Game face back on.
As much as I wanted to shrink away from him, I forced myself to remain in position as he stood behind me and took the soap from my palm.
“I’ll do it.”
I frowned. “I’m perfectly capable?—”
“I know.” His voice was steady, but there was something in it, something that made me pause. “But I still want to take care of you.”
And there he went, kissing my shoulder again. I should be happy. My plan—semblance of a plan—seemed to be working. For whatever reason, this man was smitten with me, and Icould use that to my advantage. Sex with him was but a small price to pay for the revenge I wanted.
Maxim Morozov deserved to go to prison for what he’d done. And if that meant using Sergei to put him there, that was exactly what I would do. I had to get justice for Brad.
So when he started lathering me up, I stood still. It was just a shower. How bad could it be? But it wasn’t clinical nor detached. His touch was unhurried as he spread the lather across my shoulders and chest as if he had all the time in the world.
“I don’t think you should go into the hospital today,” he said.
I stiffened. “We had sex one time, Sergei. You’re not going to dictate my life because of it.”
“I’m just saying. You had a bad accident last night. You’re exhausted. The hospital won’t fall apart because you take a day off to rest.”
I hated that he was making sense. There was still my car to take care of, the insurance to deal with, and getting Brad’s car serviced so I could use it in the interim. And then there were the cops to deal with. Why hadn’t they shown up since I’d fled the scene of an accident? Sergei had to have had something to do with that.
“I’m on the night shift. I’ll see how I feel by then.”
His hands moved lower, and every pass of his palm lingered a fraction too long, memorizing the shape of me. It was unsettling, especially when he teased the belly button ring I’d gotten years ago after losing a bet. I’d ended up liking it, so I’d kept it.
“You didn’t seem surprised that I bottom.”
My head jerked back at the unexpected direction of our conversation. I’d been anticipating that he would press me more about taking the day off.
“With all my experience sleeping with other men, there’s little that surprises me anymore.”
His hand on my hip tightened, and he turned me around to face him. “It’s true that you and… Ugh, you are a swinger, then?”
“Yes.”
“You must have been with quite a few men.”
“More, but who’s counting?”
His gaze flicked up; the expression on his face caught me off guard. It looked suspiciously like jealousy. Because I mentioned other men?
Brad and I never had that between us. Not once. We’d been open, honest, comfortable in ways that didn’t involve ownership or possessiveness. It worked for us. It was easy. Even when I wanted to slow things down, I never felt jealous of his desire to experience pleasure with other men.
The look of upset on Sergei’s face? The unhinged possessiveness? That was not the norm for me. And yet…I found I didn’t hate it. I sort of liked the idea that he wanted me all to himself.
He shoved me under the water to rinse off and turned the soap on himself. “What about you? You’re a strict top?”
I shrugged lightly. “Mostly. Sometimes I make an exception for the right person.”
