This is Love by (Checkmate Duet 2)

Making eye contact with him, I watch as a smug expression forms over his face, and he stands with both hands on his hips.

“Are you sure you’re up for this, princess?”

Blinking, I clear my throat and flash a forced smile. I stand up and watch as he finally kicks his shorts to the side. “You really think you’re going to win this game?” I challenge, knowing exactly what he’s trying to do.

I will not cave. I will not cave.

“I know I will.”

“You’ll never learn, will you?” I smirk.

He shrugs.

I’m not above needing to prove myself to him when I need to. I bring my fingers down to my jeans and unbutton them. He watches me intently as I remove them, and then I bring my hands to the bottom of my shirt and pull it over my head.

“What the hell are you doing?” he finally asks.

“Getting undressed.” I reach behind my back and unclasp my bra.

He watches as it slides down my arms and falls to the floor.

“Why?”

“Well, I don’t normally shower with my clothes on…” I lower my hands to the fabric of my panties and begin pulling them down.

“Wait,” he says eagerly, stopping me. “Don’t you think you being naked is a safety hazard? I mean, you’re supposed to make sure I don’t stumble or some shit.”

I smile, ignoring his hand and push my panties the rest of the way down. “Good thing you have your very own personal nurse, willing to go the distance.”

Stepping toward me, he closes the gap between us. I feel his cock throbbing against my skin and my body shivers. He cups my face and brings his mouth to mine. Slowly, he kisses me and parts my lips with his tongue, giving me a torturous taste of exactly what I want.

“You forget who you’re playing with, princess?” he asks, breaking the kiss.

I swallow, keeping my eyes closed as I try to compose myself and not give into the temptation my body so deeply wants.

“Viola,” he whispers, his breath vibrating against my lips. “Viola, look at me.”

I hear the desperation in his voice, the eagerness in his tone, and I fight obeying with every part of my body. “No,” I say, exhaling. “I don’t trust myself with you.”

I hear a soft chuckle release from his lips, and it brings me comfort. “I don’t blame you.”

His words make me laugh, and I shake my head in protest. “Arrogance isn’t a flattering trait, you know.”

“Your body seems to disagree.” He pinches my nipple between his fingers and releases a deep, satisfied hum. “In fact, every part of you disagrees.”

I can feel myself getting wet as the ache intensifies between my legs. It’s as if he has pussy radar or something. He knows exactly what he’s doing to me.

“My body needs a cold shower,” I admit, needing to diminish the tension in the air. I need the shock of the cold water on my skin to wake me from this spell Travis has cast on me.

“You’re the boss, nurse.”

I peel my eyes back open and see the amused grin on his face. “Sometimes I really want to smack you.” I put my hand under the shower to test the temperature of the water.

“You wouldn’t be the first to say that.”

“Not surprising.” I roll my eyes with a grin and step inside the shower. “Ready?”

“Ready if you are,” he says, taking a step in. “Just don’t forget the real reason you’re in here, princess,” he warns with fake authority.

“Yes,” I say, closing the shower curtain. “To make sure you don’t slip and break that big head of yours.”

“Oh.” He turns to face me, handing me a bar of soap. “I’m not supposed to move my arms behind my back, so it looks like you’ll have to soap me up, too.”

“And who helped you when you were in the hospital?” I ask, grabbing it from him.

“Nancy. She had grabby hands, so watch yourself. I had to remind her to keep her eyes up quite often. I think she enjoyed the show.” He lowers his eyes to his still-hard cock.

I shake my head and hold back a smile. “You’re ridiculous.”

He chuckles. “She was also old enough to be my grandmother, and I’m pretty sure she was blind in one eye.”

Rolling my eyes, I lather the soap in my palms and wait as it foams between my hands. I begin rubbing circles over his chest and massaging the soap into his chest hair and then carefully over his ribs and stomach. He’s watching me intently, studying my every move. A comfortable silence hangs between us as I continue lathering and washing him. My hand slides around his waist and down to his hips. I’m tempted to wrap my hands around his cock and torture him the same way he does to me, but then I decide not touching him would bring him more agony.