Risking the Crown (The Crown 2)

I had gone over the expense budget this morning. Cole would be lucky to pay the utilities this month. He definitely didn’t have money for extra plumbing fixtures.

“Can I help or something?” I walked closer to the tub, admiring the view hovering above me.

“Yeah, I think the smaller wrench is on the vanity. Can you get it for me? I don’t want to move.” He nodded at the placement of his feet.

“Don’t do that. It looks like you could fall. I’ll get it.” I reached for the wrench and handed it to him.

“Thanks. I think I’m almost done.” He fastened the end of the wrench behind the showerhead and twisted the head a few times.

“I made some headway this morning on your numbers.”

“Really? What did you figure out, numbersmith?” His attention was on the pipe in front of him.

“It seems like you might have a few decisions to make.” I didn’t know how open Cole would be to discussing the real estate offers with me, but the reality of his situation called for a se

rious resolution.

“Good. I think that’s fixed. This room is done.”

Cole made a hop straight up and landed with both feet in the tub. I smiled at him, just as the showerhead sputtered to the floor of the tub and water spewed from the open pipe. I shrieked under the cold water.

“Turn it off! Can’t you turn it off?” I giggled while trying to turn the handles. Cole reached for the pipe above me, twisting the nozzle until the geyser ceased.

“Damn it. That actually didn’t work.” He rested his forehead against the shower wall. “So much for trying to save on parts.” Water trickled down the back of his neck.

I stood, my drenched clothes clinging to me. A few seconds passed before Cole turned around.

“Oh my God, I got you completely soaked. Sorry.” He laughed as he tried to wipe the water from his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m not the only one. Look at you.” I pointed to his white T-shirt. It hugged every muscle on his torso and it had become almost transparent from absorbing the water. My fingers reached forward, needing to trace the lines the wet shirt made against his skin.

I inhaled sharply, recognizing the shift in the mood. I felt his gaze lingering over the V of my throat, and the involuntary twinge in my belly as I looked into his eyes. The space between us was so charged with energy, it felt thick enough to grasp and push aside, like a curtain.

Cole pivoted as if he was going to step out of the tub. “Maybe I should get us some towels.”

I remembered how it felt last night when we were so tangled around each other it was hard to breathe. I wanted that feeling again. I wanted him.

“Cole, wait.” I clenched a handful of his wet shirt in my fist, preventing him from moving past me.

His eyes shot from my hand to my face. The expression he wore was a mix of lust and hesitation. “Kaitlyn, I …” He closed his eyes and leaned against the back of the shower.

I didn’t give him a chance to explain. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressed my body into his, and kissed him, holding nothing back. His lips responded with hungry kisses that tilted my world where it had never been. He tasted like the perfect combination of sweet and salty. I dipped my tongue into his mouth, eliciting a full moan from somewhere deep within his chest.

His hands slid along the curves of my hips until his fingers were tucked under the waist of my shorts. His palm pressed against my skin, gliding down until he had my bottom cupped in his hand.

“Ohhh.” I breathed into his ear as he squeezed me tightly against him. He took my mouth again and I melted into his hands.

We couldn’t stay in these wet clothes. We definitely should not stay in these wet clothes. My hands fumbled for the hem of his shirt.

The shirt slid over his chest and he stood while I stripped the wet fabric over his head. I felt an ache in the center of my body. I had never seen anyone I had wanted so much. There had to be a way to tell him.

“Cole—” He silenced me with a slow kiss before his fingers wound along the edges of my tank top, and then peeled it off my chest. His mouth was hot and his tongue was in and out doing that thing that made me weak in the knees.

The hardness of his tool belt pressed into my bare stomach. I reached down to find a way to loosen it from his waist.

“Hold on. Let me do that.” His lips broke from mine, and he unclipped the belt and laid the tools on the floor. “Better?” he asked while hitching me up around his waist.

“God, yes.” I latched my ankles together to keep from sliding down his wet and slippery waist.