“Pretty great, huh?”
“I’m keeping it.”
He laughs, still squatting down beside the tub. “It’s yours.”
“No take-backs.” I set the wine glass on the edge of the tub and drop my hand into the water. The movement causes bubbles to splash on Grayson’s face.
We laugh, and I reach up to wipe the suds away. A zap of electricity pulses through me when my hand touches his face.
Did he feel that too?
The air around us thickens, and I struggle to take a breath as I swipe a finger along his cheek.
Grayson’s smile falls. His lips part. I blink and watch my hand glide along the side of his face and down his stubbled jaw. His skin is so warm, and we’re so close.
So close.
And then I realize I’m practically feeling the guy up, seconds away from pulling him into the tub with me.
I move my hand, but Grayson catches my wrist in midair.
17
Grayson
I’m going straight to hell.
I promised Nick that Nora and I are only friends, and we are, but I want us to be so much more.
And now I know she wants it too. Nora does very little to hide her emotions, and when she looks at me the way she is now—with a thick hunger in her eyes—I can’t ignore it.
She has a way of making me feel like I’m so much more than just a single father. When I’m around her, I feel like I’m fourteen again and crushing on a girl for the first time.
I want her more than I should, and I don’t have the strength to walk away. Not when she blinks those big doe eyes up at me and licks her bottom lip the way she is now.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks.
A million answers race through my mind, but the truth is what comes out. “How beautiful you are. And how badly I want to kiss you.”
Her chest rises as she drags in a deep breath. Soapy water slides from her body, giving me a glimpse of the smooth, soft swells of her breasts.
I let go of her wrist to keep from yanking her out of the tub and into my arms, but Nora has other plans. She dips her fingers into my hair and plays gently with the strands as she glides her fingers to the back of my head.
“Do it,” she breathes.
Two words grant me permission to do what I’ve been dreaming of the last few nights. Desire swells between my legs. Nora’s eyes are hot and commanding as she looks at me. I’ve never been stared at like this by a woman. It’s like she wants to devour me.
In all of my years with Lorelei, she never looked at me with a quiet intensity like this.
I move from my haunches to my knees as she lifts herself out of the water. Suds slip from her breasts, revealing tight, pink nipples. My pulse is erratic as I lower my head and brush my lips against hers.
A woman like her could ruin a man in the best possible way. I’m not sure how I feel about that, or if I’m ready for it, but I don’t have any other choice. With one kiss, she brands me.
“Nora,” I growl softly against her lips.
Her eyes flutter open, peering deep into mine. They’re filled with desperation and longing, and when she parts her lips and tilts her head, I dive in.
I sink my tongue into her mouth, push my hands into her hair, and kiss her.