The scent of soap wafted my way, coming off of his freshly scrubbed skin. His hair was damp, with tiny droplets of water easing down his neck and shoulders. He was shirtless with nothing but a pair of red flannel pajama pants with his team logo, slung low on his hips. His swimmer’s body was a sight; broad shoulders, magnificent wing-span, lean, tapered torso. I swallowed thickly, trying to regain my senses.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “Does your mom know?”
I shook my head. “She thinks I’m with Amber. She had to go to work tonight and I was scared to stay home alone.” He opened his arms and I stepped into them, feeling the warmth radiating off his skin. “Why are you here?” I asked. “Thought you had swim?”
“The pump broke at the pool,” he replied. “I used Oliver’s weights for a quick workout and showered.”
I sunk into his chest, deliriously happy for the twist of fate that led us to be here at the same time. His arms wrapped tight around my back and I heard the rhythmic thrum of his heart.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, stroking my hair. “Chem sucks now. Mr. Baker tried to make me work with another lab partner but I begged off. I’m just working alone.”
“Poor baby.” I leaned back to look at him. “And you’ve got a dissection coming up. I know you hate those.”
He grimaced. “Ugh, don’t remind me.”
“I missed you, too,” I told him, pressing a kiss onto his warm chest. His breath hitched and he tilted my chin upward.
He dropped his mouth to mine, starting slow and easing my lips apart. His hands dropped to my back, pushing at the fabric of my shirt. It felt so good to be with him. So good to feel him close to me. The eagerness in his thin pants pressed against my lower belly.
He lifted me off the ground and I wrapped my legs around his waist. The sensation between us was dizzying. My stomach clenched with anticipation. I’d waited so long to be with him, feel him, and for once we were alone and on the same page.
He must’ve thought the same because he carried me over to the bed. I held my breath and waited for whatever came next, hoping it would finally happen. The bed, his body, this touch, but he paused.
“What’s wrong?”
“No one knows you’re here?” he asked, tilting his forehead against mine.
“Just Amber.”
“Not Mark or Spencer.”
“No. I made sure. Why?”
“Because I don’t want anyone sullying this for us. No photos. No creeping. Just me and you, okay?”
I nodded, feeling relief. That’s all I wanted too.
Anderson laid me gently on the bed, standing over me like a Greek god. Slowly we undressed, my sweater falling to the floor. His eyes widened when he saw what I had on underneath and he leaned over, poking a finger in the threadbare shirt.
It was the shirt Anderson admitted drove him wild.
“Remember what I said that day?”
I nodded. He’d told me to wear it as a signal for when I was ready.
My body, my heart, and my soul were beyond ready.
He reached for his pajamas but I sat up, stilling his hands. I kissed both his hip bones, teeth grazing the soft skin just below his belly button. He hissed and it made me laugh. I liked seeing him vulnerable. I liked having control.
His erection surprised me. Hard and bobbing. I touched it carefully but he just grunted and said, “It won’t break, babe.”
That made two of us.
I blinked and he was gone—having moved to the bedside table, knocking over the stack of books in his haste. They fell with a clatter.
“Shit,” he muttered but ignored the mess, reaching in the drawer instead. He fumbled, finally pulling out a square package that he tore with his teeth. I watched the whole thing in fascination. Watching the perfection of his body, the dimples on his lower back that eased over the hard curve of his ass. The fine, lean muscles that corded his swimmer’s body.
He appeared over me again, rolling the condom on, kissing me for my patience. After what felt like forever, he finally eased on top of me, lifting the orange and purple shirt. He kissed my belly, smiling when I squirmed, feeling ticklish and silly. Soon my shirt was with the other clothing, tossed on the floor. He touched my body everywhere, sending chills across my skin, and when he pushed inside, he took it slow, moving inch by inch. I gritted my teeth and clamped down on his shoulder.