"A steaming bath would be good for all those new muscles you used tonight." He swung his feet from the bed and held out a hand for her.
Linking their fingers, she followed him into the bathroom, leaning to twist on the water—and whoa what a view. Passion fogged his vision.
Steady.
Stepping over her seashell-shaped bath mat, he lowered himself into the tub, then settled her in front of him while the faucet sluiced steaming water over their feet, her sweet bottom pressing a soft torment against him. Way to go, genius.
His skull was going to explode before he could get around to discussing the pink elephant looming in the middle of her ocean-themed bathroom. "I thought we had sex seven months ago."
Arms draped along the sides of the tub, she tipped her head on his shoulder to look at him, surprise sparkling in her crystal-gray eyes. "You don't remember what happened that night? I think you owe me a new apology."
>"Good." Nice to know she hadn't suffered this alone.
"So there's a vindictive streak in you after all." His mouth creased up in a smile she burned to explore with the tip of her tongue. "I was wondering how you could forgive me so easily when you're well within your right to be kicking my ass into eternity for what I did."
"Actually, I think I owe you an apology, as well, for what happened then. I knew you weren't in any shape to make an important decision like going to bed together."
It felt good to finally voice the guilt she'd been hiding for months. As much as his walking away had hurt her, it was about time she accepted her own role.
He flipped to his side, palming the bared patch of skin above her low-riding jeans. "While I still think any culpability rests squarely on my shoulders, we can start clean tonight."
She liked the sound of that. "Does that mean we're back to a first date? Because I won't go to bed with a guy on a first date."
His hand tunneled a hint higher up her sweater. "How about a clean slate with a history of friendship and dates."
"Sounds good to me." Especially if he would keep stroking her rib cage.
He thumbed the underside of her breast, teasing the swell through satin. "Right now I wouldn't mind hearing exactly what you want."
"I want to be with you." She slid the top button free from her lemon-yellow sweater, cool breeze drifting along passion-heated flesh.
His blue eyes lit with shock—and desire. "Uh, I meant back at my place, or yours."
"What's wrong with here?"
A growl rumbled low in his chest, vibrating against hers. "Not a damn thing."
He tracked her hands, freeing button after button until her sweater parted. She wondered at her own boldness for an instant, then gloried in it as his gaze hooked on her breasts. The chill in the air puckered her ni**les tight against the scant satin and lace.
His pupils widened with increasing passion. As if she couldn't already feel the evidence of his growing arousal throbbing against her.
She reached for the front clasp of her bra, and thank goodness she'd put on the good stuff this morning, pale yellow Victoria's Secret. On sale. And holy cow she was rambling in her brain to ward off embarrassment.
The cold kissed her skin a second before his mouth. Moist heat flowed from him through her veins until she longed to shrug away the heavy blanket, but her languid body wouldn't obey commands from her brain. Only instinct. Her frantic hands grappled over Carson, hungry to touch as much of him as possible after yearning for so damn long. Much more and she would combust.
His hands slid lower to her bottom, drawing her nearer. They rolled along the truck bed in a tangle of arms and legs that should have hurt but sensation suffused her to the exclusion of anything else.
Cocooned in the blanket, she kicked free of her jeans, needing to be rid of the confining clothes. Her sweater hung from her shoulders as her bare br**sts brushed along the rough fabric of his flight suit as they lay side by side.
The flight suit unzipped from the bottom for easy access during flight, and she definitely intended for them both to fly now, with the sky and stars, sound of the waves in her ears, the best of both worlds.
"Birth control?" she mumbled against his mouth.
"In my wallet." He combed his hands deeper through her hair, holding her with an intensity that rocked her. "Nikki, I swear I'm going to be around after."
"Can we talk about that later?" She only wanted to focus on finally feeling all of him all over her.
"I'm just doing my damnedest to be honorable here."