Her desire hitched higher, until she felt fevered with it. She stretched into him, until the chafe of her bra against her sensitive skin became an exquisite agony.
She broke the kiss, catching her breath. She wanted him. Needed him skin-to-skin. Desired him with an intensity that made the heat of the water nearly unbearable. “Too hot. ”
“It is hot,” he growled, taking her mouth again.
After a minute, she broke away again. “No, the water. ”
Holding her in his lap, he swept them to a bench that sat higher in the tub, exposing more of her upper body to the cold air. It was instant relief. “Better?”
With a moan of pleasure, she kissed him hard in answer. She wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck and tilted her hips, craving him closer, deeper.
He reached around and unclasped her bra. Pulling away, his eyes met hers. He still held her straps in place, as if asking permission to let the scrap of fabric fall from her shoulders.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He brought his hands down, drawing the bra slowly along her skin. Sensations overwhelmed her—the shiver of cold air on naked skin, coarse lace dragging over her body—it drove her desire to the edge. But it was Eddie’s eyes on her, hooded, devouring her with a look of such wanting, that gaze was what pushed her over the edge. She gripped his shoulders, needing him to take her, to quench this fire.
Her breasts pebbled in the cool air. She arched her back, wanting him to taste her, take her, something. “I want you. ”
Instead, he slowly, reverently, brought his hand up, cupping her. “You’re like an angel. ” She leaned into him, using her body to beg for more, and he answered with a firmer touch, squeezing her, palming her. “Magnificent,” he whispered. “Perfect. ”
She grabbed his head and pulled his mouth to hers for a kiss. But still, it wasn’t enough. She pulled away, unable to stand it any longer. “Now, Eddie. I need you. ”
He leaned down to steal a taste of her breast, and she pleaded, “Please. ”
Finally, he parted from her. “Wait…” Keeping her legs wrapped around his waist, he held her as he half stood, reaching for the towel, and then when he settled them back in the water, he flashed a condom pinched between his fingers.
She grinned. “Smooth. ”
“I’m a man with a plan,” he said, grinning back.
He stretched, tossing the towel well away from the water, and the move showcased his torso and flexing muscles. It was a beautiful sight.
She swept her palm lightly along his chest, teasing him to goose bumps. “You need to go shirtless more often. ”
He sucked a breath in through his teeth. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“You bet. ”
With a smile, he cupped her face for a quick kiss, but it soon grew heated, deeper. The next time they parted, when they settled back again, the rest of their clothes had disappeared.
She took Eddie inside her, and he filled her, hot and perfect. The bad boy and the good man, all at once, in a single package. It was almost too much.
Afterward
, he held her close, and she felt raw, overflowing with sensation, with emotion. With a sense of completion that frightened her.
“You know I’m in love with you,” he said, his voice so quiet. So serious.
She held her breath. Darkness had fallen, and with it, silence had descended like a blanket, shrouding the woods from all sound but for settling leaves and the occasional distant cries of coyotes. A vast canopy of stars spread overhead.
She was overwhelmed by the night. Overwhelmed by him.
She couldn’t answer his extraordinary declaration. She only clung tighter, squeezing him closer.
He seemed to understand, though, and began to caress her in long strokes, from her head, along her hair, and down her back. “I’m glad you’re here,” he told her gently. “Glad you’re home. ”
“Me, too. ” She felt it in her heart. She wanted to be there, to be with him. She’d meant the words, but she was too afraid to consider beyond that.