Page 46 of Code Name: Admiral

“They’re small,” I said when he cupped it.

“They’re perfect.” I writhed as he toyed with my nipple, making noises I had no control over. At first, I was mortified, but when I felt his hardness get bigger and pulse against my bottom,I let myself go, giving in to the pleasure he so willingly lavished on me.

“Alice?” he whispered.

“Yes, Pershing?”

“Tell me what experience you have with sex.”

“I already did. You asked if this was all new. It is.”

“Have you dated?”

I shook my head. “My sister got me to join one of those apps, but apart from hacking into her account, I never even looked at it.”

The candlelight flickered, creating moving shadows that danced across the walls and on the water.

“Wait.” I sat up straighter. “The app. I think I know what I missed.”

Pershing’s hands stilled. “What do you mean?”

“Sarah knew I wouldn’t use it. At least not to find hookups. I mean, you know, date.”

“Okay, so…”

“The app’s architecture is perfect for hiding encoded messages. Nobody would look twice at random chat logs.”

“Can you access it?”

I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Seriously?”

He chuckled. “Sorry. I forgot I was dealing with an alpha hacker.”

I started to stand, then remembered I was naked and sank back down, blushing from head to toe.

Pershing put his arm around my waist like he had when he got in the tub. “Let’s finish our bath first. The investigation can wait a few more minutes. Rest against me again.”

When I did, he reached for a bottle of shampoo and washed my hair. Given how long it was, that was no easy task. Except the way he took his time, massaged my scalp, and gently ran hisfingers through the tangles felt intimate, perhaps more so than the kisses we’d shared.

“Your turn,” he said, handing me the shampoo after he’d rinsed the soap from my hair.

“I, uh…”

He lifted me from the water like I weighed nothing. “Turn around and face me.”

I draped my hair over my shoulders, covering as much of my body as I could with its length.

He took my wrists and moved my arms to my sides, then knelt up and parted the long, wet strands. “Don’t hide from me, Alice. I want to look at you. I’ll only touch what you allow, but seeing you this way, naked, God, I can’t even tell you what it does to me.”

I looked down at his erection and smirked.

“Yes, that, but more.” He slid his arms around my waist. “Kneel like I am.”

When I did, he brought our bodies closer.

“Your skin against mine feels…I don’t think there’s even a word to describe it.”

“Ananda,” I murmured. “It means a state of absolute bliss. Something I’ve never felt before.”