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“That’s my line.” She smiled, warm and caring as an embrace.
“It’s just…” He gestured toward the bathroom counter, like that was supposed to mean something.
“Let’s take a shower. Kiss me like the years weren’t missing.” She stepped to him, pushed her bare breasts against his chest, and he almost moaned. He considered bartering for a ten second shower, then a long dive under the covers, but her lips met his, she hooked an arm around him, and they kissed into the shower. No bartering or negotiating needed.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Heat surrounded her. It wasn’t the hot water pouring down that made her feel wash-cycle dizzy. The granite-tiled wall of water jets and the rain showerhead added to the mind-reeling moment. Cash was naked, gloriously large, broad, and overwhelming. His rolling pecs and biceps rippled as he moved. His muscles barely hid under the layer of golden, water-flecked skin. He locked her with a gaze that made her legs tremble. The knowing and depth in his eyes told the story of their past and made her heart bleed and her hands heavy.
In this impossible moment, she existed in the midst of deliberate, tender kisses. The minty taste of his kiss flooded her mouth and melted away her hesitation in the way only a promise and a hope could. As Cash explored her throat, his stubble tickled the underside of her chin. This was more than she remembered. Deeper. A grown man on a mission. She teetered on the devastating edge of a Cash coma. She’d dissolve and slip down the drain, a puddle of the liquid fire burning through her veins.
“Sweet girl,” wet lips whispered against her neck. Vibrations buzzed inside her, and her body responded with a desperate wetness that only Cash knew how to command.
Nicola swayed forward, her hand finding balance on the rigid plane of his abdomen. Cash cupped her jaw, thumbs skimming over her cheeks.
“You still with me, Nic?”
Absolutely.She nodded, a lust-drunk smile slipping onto her face. “Still here.”
“Good.”
“Wait.” Pulling back, reaching for reality, she grabbed the shampoo bottle. “We’re in here for a reason.”
“Nah. I’m here ’cause you’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, and then you smiled.”
Oh, the things he said to her. Heat flared in her cheeks, and she focused on action, rubbing a dollop of shampoo into a lather. She reached for his hair. Caring for him felt as natural as running kiss-first into the shower.
Her fingers massaged in the soap. Lathered hair feathered under the water. Zips of sensation spiraled from her fingertips. Cash’s eyes closed. Sudsy, soapy water ran down his chiseled cheekbones and straight nose. All hints of the bruises were gone. His face was unmarred and unhurried.
“I missed you, Cash.”
The corners of his mouth turned up, not quite into a grin, just an acknowledgement of this perfect moment.
She rinsed his hair clean, watching the last of the bubbles slip down his chest and over his torso, past the light dusting of hair that rolled down his stomach leading to his hardened shaft. Nicola felt twenty years old again. All she could do was stare. Each time she brushed and moved against him, shockwaves of excitement pulsed to her core.
Startling blue eyes caught her staring. Her breath hitched in her throat, a rare mixed reaction of nervousness, interest, and eagerness. His finger ran over her lips, then he kissed her mouth.
“Come here.”
Water cascaded down her face, dripping off her eyelashes. Cash thumbed the droplets away and carefully lowered her down onto the massive shower’s built-in ledge. The cool tile was a welcome contrast to his warm, strong hands. Cash knelt in front of her and nudged between her knees with his large hands. He was a massive man. Built powerful and beautiful, and his laser focus made her feel like the center of the universe.
She wanted him. Wanted them. Nerves and doubt could disappear. She had no interest in second guesses. Right now, they had the opportunity to make things whole again.
“In your truck tonight—I swear.” Nicola cradled his chin in her fingers, holding his gaze to hers. “I trembled for your touch.”
Honesty. It was the only thing she could offer. The only thing she knew might heal the aching, gaping hole. A hole just like hers that every deep breath in his arms helped to repair.
He took her hand in his, put her palm to his mouth, and kissed. His tongue stroked each finger. Nicola moaned, whispering his name. Steam danced around them. The heat of his touch swirled with memories. Thank God for the warm waterfall protecting them from the outside world.
Putting one word after another was too hard a task, and his kiss said that it was all right. She would be okay.
Cash leaned forward and nuzzled the valley between her breasts, then turned his attention to one stiff nipple. He drew it into his mouth, and the tip grew tighter against his gentle suction. Her sex ached for contact.
He moved to her other breast, repeating the action. She arched forward, needing to be against him. Needed to feel him covering her. Her hands threaded into his hair, moving with the lazy motion of his kisses. Lips, mouth, and tongue, he teased her. Heat bloomed within her, a magical feeling both intoxicating and addictive.
He whispered in their waterfall. “I’d wait a decade for you again. For this.”
Her bottom lip quaked. Cash smoothed his hands over her stomach, gliding between her legs. His lips followed, creating a sensual trail her body craved. Nicola tightened her grip in his hair, shifting toward him. She swayed in place when his tongue licked her hip bone.