by Maree Green
She sucked in a harsh breath and squealed a little as the water washed over her beautiful body. It was so toned and fit, but curvy and feminine at the same time. Goosebumps spread all over her, and her nipples tightened. I swallowed. Hard.
She quickly ducked her head under the spray, trying to wash off the salt as fast as she could. There was something I was supposed to be doing, but I couldn’t quite remember what it was . . .
When she whimpered a little, it came to me. Clearing my throat, I opened the door to the wet room and stood to the side. Liv looked over at me questioningly.
“I have a warm shower right here, if you’d prefer that?”
Her eyed widened a little before she shut the water off and darted past me at the speed of light. “Why didn’t you tell me!”
I laughed. “I just did!”
I grabbed her tote and brought it in for her, hanging it up on a hook before walking back to the door and closing it. I didn’t know why I was shutting myself in with her, but the only way I was leaving right now, was if she told me to.
The instant the hot water ran over her skin, she sighed and closed her eyes. Tilting her head back under the flow, she pushed her hair back, running her fingers through its length to get the salt out. A slow, contented smile spread over her lips.
Holy motherfucking shit. I was so screwed.
I leaned against the wall to watch her. I didn’t know why I was torturing myself like this. I was probably going to need that cold shower outside after she was done.
She opened her eyes and looked over at me, giving me a wide grin. Yeah, I really needed to get out of here. And dressed. Lots of clothes would be good.
“Are you going to give me a turn?” I said, somehow thinking I could perhaps get her to leave.
She blinked at me, her smile never faltering. “Feel free to jump right in whenever you want.”
Fuck.
I knew I shouldn’t. Some little voice was weakly protesting inside my head, but my body was already reacting. I needed to be in there with her. Before I’d even made the decision to do it, I was moving toward her.
I could feel the warmth coming off her body the closer I got to her. I expected her to move when I got there, scoot over to let me under the spray, but she didn’t. She just looked at me with a cheeky little grin on her mouth. A cheeky little evil grin.
This was going to end badly if I didn’t get a handle on the situation. I knew that much. Reaching forward, I put both my hands on her waist, knowing they would feel cold to her. She gasped and laughed, but she didn’t move. Gently, I pushed her backwards, moving with her until I was standing under the spray and she was only getting the off spray.
Letting the warm water wash over me, I sighed and closed my eyes.
I heard Liv laugh just before she moved a little closer, seeking more of the warm water I was coveting. My hands were still on her waist, our bodies only inches away from each other. I turned us slightly, so my back was to the stream of water, and grinned evilly, tilting my head back and letting it stream over my head and face, and down my chest.
I felt Liv lean forward a fraction, her body lightly pressing where it shouldn’t, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop her. Her lips softly brushed against my jaw, and my fingers tightened a fraction on her waist.
I forced myself not to react, to keep control. I chanted her innocence in my head over and over, but it wasn’t working. Reason was almost gone. The only thing I could think of trying next was to think of it from Olivia’s point of view. She was a virgin, and in a few weeks’ time, we would be saying goodbye. She wouldn’t want me to take that away from her and then leave. She’d stop it. Wouldn’t she?
The second I felt her lips on my jaw, I had my doubts. But maybe I was just reading into it too much. It was just kissing, after all . . .
Okay, I could handle this. I could be good.
But when I felt her tongue take a tiny lap at the water drops that were running down my face, I broke, and am ashamed to say I took her mouth like a starved man. I tried to tell myself to slow it down, to just take it easy, but as Liv’s lips slid over mine, her hands moving up my arms to lock onto my biceps, I knew I had no chance.
Running my tongue over her bottom lip, I took a long, teasing taste of her, eliciting a low moan from her. The sound echoed through the room, fueling my fire even more. My hands slid around to her lower back, pulling her against my straining erection.
Our breathing grew heavy with need. Her hands slid up into my hair, pulling my mouth harder against hers. The desire I felt from her was like a living, breathing thing. It was palpable, and I knew right then I wasn’t going to be able to stop.
I groaned against her lips, kissing her harder. Grabbing her ass, I lifted her up against me, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around my waist. Moving us around, I pushed her against the tiled wall.
Steam rose all around us. Our bodies were pressed together in every possible way. I pushed my cock harder against her, feeling the heat between her legs. Fuck! She felt so good. Too good.
Liv gasped, breaking the kiss and leaning her head back against the wall. Not willing to stop kissing her, I claimed her neck, running my lips and tongue over her wet skin. That was when she started to move against me, rubbing herself against my erection through our clothes. Fuck me.
I pushed my hands harder against her amazing ass, helping her in her gentle rhythm. With her hands clenching my hair, she pulled me to her, claiming my mouth again, lavishing me with desperate kisses. Our tongues tangled together, exploring as we moved and breathed, panting and gasping.
Her body grew tighter and tighter, her fingers digging deeper into my neck and hair. I wanted to peel her bikini bottoms to the side and slam my cock into her so bad I ached like a motherfucker.
She gasped for air, clutching me tighter still. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was yelling at me to stop, but I was too far gone for that. She was so incredible like this. So abandoned and primitive. It was sexy as fuck.
And then she stiffened against me, her whole body shuddering as her arms and legs held me in a death grip. Her head fell back, her mouth a perfect O as she cried out her release.
Holy fuck.
I froze, pressing my lips to the little curve where her neck met her shoulder, and squeezed my eyes shut tight. My head spun. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before.
As I held her tight, feeling her continue to tremble in my arms, I forcefully shut down all thoughts inside my head. I did not need to hear what my conscience was saying right now. That could wait until later, as I was staring at the ceiling when I should be sleeping. Right now, I just needed to feel her like this. Nothing else mattered.
Chapter 27
Olivia
My whole body felt like it was singing.
Josh still held me in his arms, his lips pressed against my neck as he breathed, but his hold was gradually loosening, as though he was slowly bringing me down from wherever he’d taken me. I honestly thought I was in shock. I knew what I’d experienced was an orgasm. Solo sex had been the only kind of love life I’d ever had. I’d never experienced anything that intense before in my life.
Tentatively, I loosened my hold on him and unlocked my legs, easing them to the floor. Oddly, they felt stiff, but wobbly at the same time.
Josh didn’t take his mouth from my neck as I moved, and he didn’t step away from me, either. He just wrapped his arms around me and held me close against his body. My arms were still wrapped around his neck, so I snuggled closer and pressed my lips against his neck too.
We stayed like that, both our hearts racing, until both of our breaths returned somewhere closer to normal. After a while, Josh slowly put a little space between our bodies, and a little shiver ran through me.
Hesitantly, I looked up at him. “What just happened?” The surprise in his eyes made me pause. “I mean, I know what happened, but . . .” I groaned, my cheeks heating with probably the brightest blush I’d ever had. I buried my face in
my hands.
I hated that I was so inexperienced. I knew that was the only reason he was so reserved with me. He’d told me as much. I would’ve loved to have him let go with me and not hold back. I wondered what that would be like.
I felt his fingers circle my wrists before he gently pried my hands away from my face, then he placed his hands on each of my cheeks. The look he gave me was intense. It was as though he had a million things he wanted to say.
Softly, I touched his lips with my fingertips, only letting them fall when his lips parted. When he spoke, his voice was low and rough. “You make me forget my own words.”
I drew in an unsteady breath. “In a good way, or a bad way?” I whispered.
He smiled. “Definitely a good way. You completely amaze me. That . . . was fucking hot. It was seriously the hottest thing that has ever happened to me. Shit, just thinking about it makes me want to rip that bikini off your hot little body and carry you to my bedroom.”
I bit my lower lip, trying to cover the smile that was trying to creep onto my lips with his words. God. His words . . . My body trembled, and I found myself leaning into him.
Josh suddenly drew in a deep, shaky breath, and his fingers tensed against my face. His eyes closed, and his jaw clenched as though he was in pain, startling me. I wasn’t sure what had happened. I didn’t like the thought of him being in pain. But, slowly, his fingers loosened and his eyes opened again. For a second, he simply watched me, then, with the gentlest of touches, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine.
My head instantly clouded over again, but before I could completely swoon, he released me and shut off the water. I watched him quickly dry himself and wrap the towel around his waist before grabbing another one and holding it out for me to step into. I held my arms out to the side as he wrapped the towel around me and pulled me forward, enclosing me in his arms. I sighed, wishing I could stay there forever.
When he released me, he kissed my forehead and grabbed my hand. Grabbing my tote with his free hand, he opened the door that led into the house and towed me up the stairs.
All the other guys were in the living room when we emerged. I wasn’t sure what kind of expression Josh was wearing because I couldn’t see his face, but judging by the cautious looks he was getting from the guys, I guessed it was one that read ‘don’t talk to me’ because not one of them said a word.
Clutching the towel tighter around me with my free hand, I gave them a shy glance before Josh pulled me up the next flight of stairs and into his room. When I was safely inside, he closed the door and walked me over to the door to his bathroom. “You can change in here. Feel free to use the shower if you want to wash your hair properly. I’m just going to go grab some snacks, and we can watch a movie when you’re done.”
I nodded mutely, taking my tote from him and closing the door behind me.
The bathroom was huge. It was all whites with black marble trimmings. There were twin sinks set into the glossy counter and a massive mirror that was surrounded by natural toned lights. The shower was one of those huge double-sized ones with two showerheads, and over by the windowed wall, there was an oversize spa with padded headrests.
I stared at the room in awe, my mouth actually gaping open a little. I didn’t know how I’d missed seeing this the last time I’d been up here.
Shaking my head to clear it, I carefully placed my bag on the sink and stripped. It took me a little while to work out how to operate the shower, but when I did, I was glad I hadn’t given up because, damn, I was in heaven. And when I started using the shampoo and soap, I almost melted. The smell gave me such a strong reaction, reminding me so achingly of Josh, I instantly wanted to experience that intense explosion I’d felt downstairs all over again.
I thought back to Josh’s behavior after our interaction in the wet room. I was immensely thrilled by the way he’d held me and taken control of the situation—even the fierceness he’d shown the guys. It was almost as though he was protective of me. I liked it.
Before turning the shower off, I quickly gave my bikini a little wash and hung them under the showerhead.
When I was done, I looked over my appearance in the mirror. I didn’t mind having wet hair, but I was worried it would drip on Josh’s couch if we were going to watch a movie. Eyeing the blow-dryer anchored to the wall, I decided it was best to give it a quick going over. Thankfully, my hair was so fine it only took a couple of minutes to dry.
Josh was sitting on the couch, waiting for me, when I finally emerged. His hair was still a little damp from our earlier shower, and he was wearing a worn pair of denim jeans and a navy blue T-shirt. Damn, he was hot.
I looked at the table in front of him, mainly just to get my mind away from asking for a repeat performance of our shower interlude, but found it covered with bowls of popcorn, heated nuts, and lots of candy. It looked scrumptious.
“Feel better?” he asked softly.
I didn’t know why, but I blushed as I smiled. Things felt different between us now. It wasn’t better or worse. It was just different. Kind of more intense, if that made any sense.
“I do. Thanks.”
He held his arm out. “Come on. You can choose the movie.”
I looked up to see a giant flat-screen against the wall. My eyes widened. I didn’t remember seeing that there the other day. “Uh, where did that come from?”
He chuckled. “It’s a pop-up thing. What do you want to watch?” He had the remote in his hand, and he was scrolling through a list of movies on the screen.
I sank down beside him and stared at the screen. I didn’t recognize any of them. “You can choose. I wouldn’t know what any of them are.”
His hand drifted up under my hair, making me shiver. “That’s not fair. I don’t know what kind of movies you like.”
I giggled. “I don’t really know, either. The last one we watched was okay.”
“Do you like horror?”
“Uh, I’m not sure,” I said, hoping he wasn’t a big horror fan.
He laughed at my expression. “All right. Let’s stick to something light, then. I’ve got one I think you’ll like. It’s got Lucas Cantrell in it.”
“Is he good?”
He looked at me a little strangely, but he smiled just the same. “He’s great. Good guy too.”
My eyebrows went up a little with that. “Do you know him?”
“Mmmhmm.”
I grinned. He looked like he was trying to be all blasé about it. “Well, la-di-da. Look at you, knowing all the famous people.” I laughed at his sheepish face.
His hand tightened on the back of my neck, his fingers poised to tickle. “Are you teasing me?”
“No!” I laughed louder. “I’m not! I promise.”
Josh chuckled and pulled me toward him, kissing me on the forehead. I would’ve preferred it to be on my lips, but I thought I might’ve stretched the boundaries with him already today.
Grabbing a bowl of popcorn off the table, he thrust it into my lap. “Here. Eat and behave.”
I bit my lip in a poor attempt at hiding my amusement. Tucking my legs underneath me, I leaned into Josh’s side and obeyed, watching the beginning credits start rolling across the screen.
Chapter 28
Josh
The sky was stained with varying shades of pinks and yellows as the sun crept upwards, over the horizon. As I sat on the deck, feet up and crossed at the ankles, and coffee in hand, I contemplated the situation I’d managed to dig myself into with Olivia.
Looking back, I could see that I’d been drawn to her in a way that was out of my control from the very moment I set eyes on her. I wondered if that was just the way she’d always been, or if it was a product of her upbringing for the past six years. Something told me that even if she hadn’t gone to Africa, she still would’ve been a light people were drawn to. She was too special for it to be any other way.
“You’re up early.”
I smiled at the sound of Amy’s voice and turne
d to see her shuffling outside with her own coffee in hand. I nodded in agreement. “Unfortunately, the body clock’s been set this way for too long now.”
As she lowered herself down onto a sofa, she nodded. “I feel like that’s where I’m headed too. Mae seems to like the sunrise.”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “Is she still awake?”
“God, no. She’s fed and happy now, cuddled up in Daniel’s arms. Can’t say I blame her,” she added, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“So, I take it things are going well with you, then?” I said, watching her carefully. “I mean, the job’s not creating any dramas?”
She took a sip of her coffee and wobbled her head side-to-side evasively. “The last few months weren’t great, but that was unavoidable. Mae needed to be near the therapy team as much as she could. It’ll be better now we all know what we have to do. I’m looking forward to Florida.”
“I think we all are.”
She watched me for a little while, her mind ticking over. “Liv seems nice.”
I smirked at her attempt at subtlety. “She is.”
“It’s crazy that she doesn’t know who you are.”
My mood sobered a little as my thoughts moved back to Liv. “I like it. This is the first time I’ve felt like me since I came to LA.”
She pursed her lips, biting the inside of her cheek. “Josh,” she said. “Can I say something? From a girl’s point of view?”
I inhaled, my breath pausing as I considered her request. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it. But she was a friend, and I honestly did value her opinion. “All right.”
“I get why you don’t want to tell her who you are. I really do,” she said, sitting forward a fraction. “It’s a pure platform for the both of you to get to know each other and enjoy each other.” I nodded, in complete agreement. “But in a way, you’ve done that now. She’s gotten a sense of the real you, and what kind of person you are. Do you know what I mean?”
“I think,” I said carefully. “But that’s why I don’t want her to know. I don’t want things to change how she sees me.”