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I stare right back at her.
Stay still for a moment.
I want her to see through me. I’ve lied to her since I walked into her apartment today, but I’m not lying about this.
She has to know. She has to acknowledge that this isn’t meaningless. It isn’t a striking off of sex from my bucket list. This isn’t convenience. I’m not here because shehappensto be the sister of my legacy.
Every moment I was away from her, I wanted her, needed her, thought of her. In the moments of darkness before the emergency room doctors could bring me back, all I could think about was her.
Not Cullen Tech.
Not my legacy.
Not money or buildings or awards.
It was her.
I close my eyes when I kiss her again. The cadence of our kissing matches the rhythm of my fingers. She moans, slipping lower into the water. If she wasn’t holding on to the edge, she’d probably be submerged.
Her breathing sounds loud to my ears, matching the slap of the water against the tub. I’m making a mess around us as some of the water splashes over the lid onto the tiles, but nothing else matters.
Nothing but me and her.
This is living and dying. Both sides of the same coin. Both paths with one destination.
All roads lead to her.
I open my eyes and watch her, her eyes, her lips. Every sound she makes, every sweet sigh, every tightening of her body, I feel it. I hear it. I tune myself into her frequency and take note of the data she feeds me, building a mainframe that’s just for her.
Coiling tension heats the air.
The splashing of the water gets worse as Nardi’s legs buck. A hot, molten fire burns inside me, traveling from her body to mine. From my body to hers. We’re drenched in water, but it’s not enough to quench the growing, uncontrollable flame.
I can feel it.
It’s too much for her.
She tries to push me away.
I nip at her bottom lip hard enough to sting and then soothe it with my tongue, a silent instruction for her to take it.
Nardi scrambles her nails into the tub hard enough to leave scratches.
So close…
So close…
Her cry echoes through the bathroom, the acoustics making the sound grander and louder. An epic symphony in my ears. She shudders and her arms slip off the sides of the tub and into the water.
I rescue her wrist brace seconds before it hits the surface, but half of me ends up in the tub with her. The disturbed water laps at her chin as Nardi catches her breath. Slowly, her eyes open to meet mine.
“Are you okay?” I ask, crouching over her.
She nods, her eyes darting away.
I tear my gaze off her and reach for the towel. Thankfully, the bathroom is small and I can reach the towel hanging on the rack by leaning forward a bit.
Nardi moves to take it from me and I give her a look that makes her freeze.