Page 79 of Lavender and Linebackers

“Ryder,” she whispers, her eyes locking with mine. “Don’t go.”

The primary bathroom is also not a room I have started working on yet. I wanted to get the common space done first in case anyone came over, and this bathroom is going to be my next project. While I’m grateful this bathroom doesn’t have carpet on the floor, it does have a pink countertop and a pink tub. My heart rate spikes as I think, maybe she’ll want to pick out what goes in here next. Let it be her vision.

Taking a step back, she tentatively lifts the purple T-shirt and pulls it over her head. The wet fabric drops to the floor as the air whooshes from my lungs. I’ve seen Alice in sports bras and bikinis, but this is different. The nude fabric of her bra is damn near sheer due to being wet, and she’s as close to naked as I’ve ever seen her.

Outside, thunder rumbles as the storm keeps getting stronger, but inside, my emotions have calmed. There’s no more tug of war with what I want to do versus what I should do. I’m singularly focused on what she wants to do. And what she’s doing is unbuttoning her shorts, sliding down the zipper, and letting them drop to her feet. She steps out of them, keeping her gaze locked with mine.

“Are you going to stand there or are you going to join me?” she teases.

If she’s inviting me, of course I’m going to join her. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away. I reach behind my head, grab a handful of my shirt, and pull it off. It lands on the floor to keep her clothes company.

Dark brown eyes rake over my chest, and she swallows before dragging them back up to mine. Tentatively, she reaches behind her back for the clasp of her bra, and this is where I have to step in.

“Stop. Please.” I hold out my hands.

She freezes and then drops her arms.

Moving past her, I step into the large shower to turn on the water and make it warm. It takes no time for steam to fill the enclosed glass space, and then I move behind her. She looks over her shoulder at me as I wrap my arms around her and pull her back against my chest. She fits perfectly, it’s quite possible I could hold on to her for forever.

I drop my mouth next to her ear. “After all these years, if anyone is taking the rest of your clothes off, it’s me.”

My hands slide up her arms and over her shoulders to the clasp. Very gently, I undo it and, using only my fingertips, I slide the straps so they slip off and the bra falls to the floor. Goose bumps break out across her skin. She starts breathing harder, but she stands taller. Not needing more of an invitation, my hands circle her rib cage and slide over her chest so I’m cupping both breasts. She may be petite, but she gives me the perfect handful. As I massage the feel of them, she lets out a moan and her head falls back against my chest.

“Al, promise me you’ll tell me if there are things you don’t like or don’t want to do. I don’t want to mess this up and cross a line you don’t want to.”

She tilts her head so that she can see me. “There are no lines. I want to do everything. With you.”

My heart skips a beat. Never has anything sounded this good.

Groaning, I bend down allowing my mouth to capture hers. In less than a week, her taste has become familiar, and I’m fucking addicted.

Reaching back, one of her hands falls under my ass. She pulls us closer, while the other reaches up and hooks around my neck. I’m hard, I know she feels it in her lower back, and I lean into her more. I need this girl. I want her desperately the ache inside me is bone deep. Moving one hand, I slowly slide it down her flat stomach and into her underwear until I’m cupping her. She gasps against my mouth and pushes harder into me. She’s wet and so soft. It’s quite possible when I do finally make her mine I might black out. If I hadn’t dreamed of this moment many, many times, I would think that this is what this is, a dream. But it’s not because it’s infinitely better.

My mouth, my hands, I’m all over her when she shivers, reminding me that I’m supposed to be warming her up.

“Shower,” I mutter as I pull away, and she turns around to face me. Never have I seen anything so beautiful.

Not wanting to leave her vulnerable to me, I hook my thumbs into my shorts and boxer briefs and pull them both off at the same time. Her gaze instantly drops, and her eyes widen before returning to mine. I can’t help the smile that creeps onto my face, and for the first time she blushes first. Following suit, she shimmies out of her underwear, and finally, we’re completely naked together.

Is it possible to have an excitement-induced heart attack in your twenties? I’ve been in love with Alice Monarch for over a decade. This moment is as surreal as it is real.

“Come on, let’s get you warm.” My hand moves to her bare hip so I can guide her in front of me. No one would blame me for my inability to look at her ass. The line that runs under her cheeks . . . I can’t wait to have my mouth there.

Together, we step into the shower and share the hot water. She dips her head back to move her hair away from her face, and I’m just awestruck. This is every fantasy I’ve ever had come true.

“You are so beautiful,” I tell her as I take in all of her curves and her perfect skin.

Her eyes pop open, her lashes are heavy with water, and her lips part. I wonder how many minutes of my lifetime I have already spent staring at her. Not enough, but right now, I’m seeing her in a whole new light. She steps closer, rises up to her toes, and pulls me down to kiss me. My hands move to her tiny ass as I tug her against me.

Over and over, I kiss her. I kiss her mouth, her neck. I slide my tongue down to her breasts, where I experience sheer bliss sucking them both one at a time into my mouth. The sounds she makes, how hard she pulls my hair, when her teeth graze my skin, I know without a doubt we are going to have the most spectacular sex life. And this is what spurs me on to get us clean and out of the shower.

Pulling back, I reach for the shampoo and squeeze some in my hands.

“Turn around,” I instruct as I lather her hair and begin massaging her scalp. Her head falls back against my chest, and I use the opportunity to soap up the rest of her. Head to toe, I run my hands over her, relishing the feel. Eventually, I gently guide her back under the water, where I let her rinse off while I wash my own hair and body. She watches my hands as they slide down my chest and over my dick.

“Can I touch it?” she asks, her eyes are zeroed in.

I can’t help but grin. “Al, let’s clear this up once and for all. You never need to ask. You can touch any part of me anytime you want.”