Steal My Breath (Elixir 1)

I don’t want him to stop, but if he keeps going, he’s going to begin kissing my mask. “Luke,” I whisper.

He doesn’t stop kissing my neck, so I shift my hands to his chest and attempt to get his attention by pushing against him.

Eventually, he looks at me, his eyes glazed. “What?”

I take hold of his face. His beautiful, beautiful face. “Baby, can I at least take my mask off and rinse my hair before we do this?”

His eyes remain glued to mine. “I’ve waited this long to have you, Callie. I don’t want to let you go.”

“I know, and I don’t want you to either, but—”

He cuts me off when he holds me tight, swings around and walks towards the bathroom.

I cling to him. “Umm, what are we doing?”

“We’re going to rinse your hair and wash your face.” The determination on his face is intense. Luke is a man on a mission.

I’m not sure what he means by “we”, but I don’t question him. I’m just happy that he listened to me.

When we hit the bathroom, he puts me down and lifts his shirt over his head. When he reaches for his belt, I know where he’s going with this, and I have to admit I love the idea.

While he strips, I tear my eyes away for a minute to turn the taps on. When I look back, he’s naked and tracking my every movement. He steps around me so he can enter the shower first. Once he’s tested the water is warm enough, he reaches for me, and before I know it, our bodies are pressed hard against each other while water streams over us.

He bends to kiss me, and I try to avoid it because the damn mask is still on my face. “Shhh,” he says before claiming my mouth, and I finally throw caution to the wind. Who am I to argue if he wants to kiss me even if I have an ugly black mask on my face, sucking the sexy out of me?

His kiss practically sweeps me off my feet. It’s long and delicious and searching and anything but demanding. This kiss is different to every other kiss we’ve shared. It’s as if Luke is making a statement—I’m his now, and he has all the time in the world to explore me.

By the time his lips leave mine, my arms are completely wrapped around him, and I’m not ready to let him go. He smiles. “You want me to clean the mask off?”

I nod. “You’re going to have to because I’m not letting you go.”

“You might have to loosen your hold a little,” he says as he reaches for the washcloth.

I pout, but I give him an inch.

He lifts the cloth to my face and presses lightly, trying to remove the mask. I try not to laugh, and his eyes narrow. “Why are you laughing?”

“I’m not,” I argue.

“You are, on the inside,” he says, still not pressing the cloth hard enough.

I place my hand over his and apply some pressure. “You need to press harder.”

He nods and removes my mask. His expression is full of care as he completes his task and my heart swells. This moment is nothing like I imagined. Instead of the horror I felt at the thought of him seeing me in this state, I now feel cherished. In this moment, Luke has shown me more care than any guy I’ve ever been with.

After he finishes, he eyes my hair. “Turn around and I’ll rinse the dye out.”

“Mmmm, I like it when bossy Luke comes out to play,” I say as I turn around.

I expect him to remove the cling wrap from my hair. Instead, his arm circles my waist, and he pulls me back so our bodies press together. Pressing his erection against me, he growls into my ear, “Do you really think you’ve already met bossy Luke?”

I shudder.

Oh, God, I need bossy Luke in my life.

Before I can reply, he reaches up and takes the cling wrap off my hair. He then slides a hand over my shoulder and down my front to rest against my chest. His other hand glides along my collarbone to grip my throat. He then moves it up my neck so he can tilt my head back into the water.

“Close your eyes,” he orders.