I look up and think for a second, then I finish the message.
But you should know I haven’t shaved. Just for you.
Red stares at her phone for the longest time until my gut starts to tighten.
And then her gaze slowly slides to me, and she says, “What are you making us for dinner?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I turn the shower on to let the water heat up for Red. Steam fogs the glass and fills the bathroom.
At this moment, I’m glad I bought a place with a shower built for two and a master bathroom fit for a king. Impressing a woman with my brownstone was never a priority. Why would it be, when I never let a relationship progress beyond one night? But Red is different, and the rich look of the expensive granite shower and counters, the nice finishing touches my interior designer added, and the dimmer switch my contractor installed for nuanced lighting are suddenly very important because I want Red to have the best shower of her life tonight. Whether I share it with her or not.
I grab two plush towels out of the small linen closet and place them on the towel bar just in case she invites me to join her. Which I so fucking hope she does.
When I walk back into my bedroom, Red is sitting on the end of the bed taking off her shoes. I lean against the doorframe and watch her profile. One running shoe thuds against the wood floor, then the other, and she rubs her ankle. Her head falls back, and her eyes slide shut like she’s letting the pain drain away.
“Do I need to get some ice?” I push off the doorframe and kneel in front of her.
Long lashes flutter up, and she stares at me for a second like she’s trying to bring me into focus. Her lush lips part, and her breath catches when I cradle her ankle in one hand and gently massage it with the other.
“It’s not swollen,” she says.
The muscles around her ankle are tensed into knots. Softly, I circle my fingertips over one knot then move on to another.
“A hot shower will loosen up the muscles, and then I’ll try to work out the spasms.” I find a particularly angry knot on the inside of her ankle, and I smooth the pad of my thumb up and down, trying to get it to release. “If I dig into the spasms now, it’ll hurt like a motherfucker.”
She chuckles. “I can take it. I’ve endured much worse. Gymnastics is murder on the body.”
I smile and keep massaging her ankle. “I don’t want to be the one inflicting pain on you.”
The double meaning isn’t lost on either of us. We lock stares, and everything around us melts away. I swear, I can feel her racing pulse just by touching her ankle.
My hands still against her silky-smooth calf. “How about I make dinner while you’re showering?”
She fists my T-shirt in one hand and reels me in. “You promised to wash my back.” Our noses graze, and her warm breath washes over my jaw and neck.
“I also promised to let you get some sleep,” I whisper, then take her mouth with mine and kiss her long and lovingly. When I pull back just enough to look into her eyes, I brush a whispy lock of hair off her forehead and tuck it behind her ear. “We can eat dinner and get a good night’s rest. We both need it.”
She spreads her knees wide and tugs me between them. Her arms circle my neck. “Not until we shower,” she murmurs against my lips.
I can’t help it. I slip a hand between us and massage the soft space between her thighs. Her heat seeps through the spandex and warms my fingertips almost instantly.
A soft breath whistles through her lips, and her eyes slide shut.
“That’s what you want?” I ask.
She opens glazed eyes, and they’re filled with so much need that my dick turns to a plank of wood.
“Yes,” she rasps out. “In the shower.”
I’m already wound up like a fucking clock, and we haven’t even undressed yet. That’s what this girl does to me. “Okay,” I whisper, and suckle and bite the creamy skin at her neck.
She angles her head to give me better access. I take full advantage, feathering hot, wet kisses over her shoulder and drag the strap of her workout shirt down her arm. I get up off my knees and drag her along with me. We’re all over each other while making our way to the bathroom. We only pull apart long enough to shed another piece of clothing, then we’re stuck to each other again.
Mouths, hands, groping, kissing, licking.
By the time we step into the shower, we’re both about to come.
“Wait,” I back away. “Need to get a condom.” I get out of the shower and rummage through my bathroom cabinets, finally finding a foil square in my shaving kit. When I turn around, my heart stops beating.
The glass shower is fogged over, and Red’s naked silhouette is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. Her outline is blurred by the condensation, leaving just enough to the imagination to make my entire body ache with need.
Even more beautiful is the message she’s left for me on the shower door. She’s drawn a heart into the foggy condensation and the words I want more, too.
I swallow. It’s been seven years since I was in a real relationship. No idea if I’ll suck at it or not, but Red is the only woman I’ve met since college who’s made me want to try.
I pull the shower door open, and let my hungry stare lick over her slowly. Her back is too me, and she’s washing shampoo out of her hair. The water sluices down her toned back, cascading over the small dimples just above her fine ass.
She turns to me, dragging a hand down her face to swipe away the water. She gives me a look that says she wants me and lets me devour her with a greedy stare. I don’t even try to hide it. I want her to see what she does to me. Want to communicate with my eyes and my body instead of my words how much her message drawn into the steamy shower door means to me.
Pride flickers in her eyes, at my obvious admiration. “Come here.”
She damn well doesn’t have to ask me twice.
I climb in, toss the condom next to the soap, and wrap her in my arms. I lay a smoking hot kiss on her, then back her to the shower wall.
She gasps when I dip my knees and rub my dick against her wet pussy.
“I’m so fucking hard for you, babe,” I say. My hands go to her full, lush tits, and I palm them. “After I fuck an orgasm or two out of you, I want to slide my dick between these beautiful babies.” I dip my head and bite one nipple.
She arches and moans at my dirty, filthy talk. So I keep it going since she likes it so much.
“I want you on all fours, so I can fuck you from behind until you come all over my throbbing dick.”
Her hips buck against my dick that is still sliding back and forth between her thighs. “Yes,” she gasps out. “That sounds so good, Ethan.”
My hands get rougher as I keep playing with her tits, the nipples turning to rock.
“I’ll fuck you as many or as few times as you want tonight, babe. I can go all night, or we can just sleep. You tell me what you want, and it’s yours,” I say in a hungry whisper.
Her head bounces up and down in an exaggerated nod. I’m about to tear open the condom when her nails rake down my arms, over my hips, and she sinks in front of me, just like she did in the storage room at 7th Inning Stretch.
She licks along the underside of my cock, swirling her tongue around my tip. Then she takes me into her mouth and sucks.
My fucking vision blurs.
Her tongue sliding over me, her lips wrapping around my cock is so damn good my mind blanks.
“Shit,” I hiss out as I thread my fingers into her wet hair. “Goddamn, that’s good, Red.” My voice is a needy ravenous growl. “So fucking good.”
My dick slides between her full, pink lips, and she lifts her gaze to mine. Our gazes lock as she sucks my cock. Water stars her lashes, and her big green eyes sparkle with satisfaction at the pleasure she sees in my expression.
Fucking her lovely mouth is so damn sexy the faint ache of an orgasm starts deep in my core and spirals out until I start to pull away. She slides her hands around my t
highs and holds me in place.
And keeps pumping my cock with her incredible mouth with so much suction I forget what fucking year it is.
I fist her hair, and my hips jerk toward her. I nearly hit the back of her throat. “Red.” I grind my teeth into dust. “Gonna come.” I try to warn her, but I can barely speak.
Instead of pulling away, she sucks harder, her head bobbing at a faster pace.
I explode in her mouth, and the muscles in her slender neck work as she swallows me down.
I brace my weight against the shower wall and squeeze my eyes shut, letting the sweet sensations of orgasm wash through me.
Red releases my cock and kisses the droplets of water off my abs, tonguing and licking her way up my chest. By the time she gets to my neck, I’m hard again. My arms close around her, and I mold her against me, placing a lingering kiss on her lips. A sexy little sound escapes from the back of her throat, and I release her mouth to wrap her up in my arms again.
“I love the way it feels with over six feet of lean, hard man wrapped around me.” Her tongue flicks over my earlobe and sends a shiver racing over me.
“I care about you, Red,” I whisper against her neck. It’s true, I so fucking do.
“Show me how much.” She snakes her arms around my neck.
The hot water rolls over us, but she still trembles in my arms. I grab the foil square and roll on the condom while she feathers soft kisses around the cuff of my ear.
“Take some weight off that sore ankle,” I say and clamp a hand under her thigh to lift her leg off the ground.
She squeaks and clamps her leg around mine.
I brace one hand next to her head and enter her with one long scorching thrust of my hips. Goddamn, her pussy is so tight around my cock that I fill her completely.
She pulls in a sharp breath, her head thumping lightly against the shower wall.
I still and give her a few seconds to adjust. My forehead rests against hers, and our breaths are so hot and heavy we fog the bathroom as much as the hot water.
“Christ, Red, you’re so fucking tight.” I start to move my hips, slow at first then faster, stroking deeper with each thrust.
She bites my bottom lip. “Christ, Ethan, you’re so fucking big.”
My chest swells right along with my dick. Her nipples tighten into hard peaks and brush against my chest with each rock of my hips. My hand closes over one and I play with her beautiful breast, the tension coiling tighter inside of me.
Her nails dig into my shoulders, and her eyes clamp shut as she moans my name and rasps out dirty commands.
Harder, faster, deeper. Fuck me, Ethan. Keep fucking me.
That eggs me on, and I drive into her harder and harder still.
“Oh, God, Ethan!” Red lets out a scream of pure pleasure loud enough to rattle the windows.
The look on her face in the midst of a roof-raising orgasm is pure bliss and pulls me over the edge with her.
My heart drums against my chest, as we soar on the powerful high of orgasm, then slowly start to float back to Earth. When I can think again, I realize the water is starting to run cold. We get out, and I towel her off only to get hard again.
When she sees my dick grow stiff, she swipes her towel over the mirror to clear off the steam, then bends over the sink. Her green eyes lock with mine. I dig another condom out of my shaving kit, and wind her wet hair around my hand. I fuck her to another orgasm while we both watch in the mirror.
It’s so fucking fantastic, that I moan her name when I come, and mold my chest against her back.
“I’m hungry.” She turns her head to the side so I can taste her lips.
“I’ll get you a robe.” I nuzzle her ear with my nose. “You relax. I’ll cook.” I step back and swat her bare ass.
She hisses in a breath and flashes a naughty smile at me. I gotta say, that gleam in her eye is promising. I wouldn’t mind tying her up with a silk tie, swatting that nice ass of hers just enough for the sweet sting to turn her on, then fucking her blindfolded.
But I’ll leave that for another night.
The thought knocks the air from my lungs.
I’ve spent years making sure to never think beyond one night when it comes to fucking a woman. Now all I can think is how much I never want our nights together to end.
A thought pops into my mind and blinks like a fucking neon sign.
I’ve cleared one hurdle with Red by opening myself up to the possibility of a long-term relationship. Unfortunately, I have to remind myself that she’s still my competitor. And as is the case with all competitions, one of us will win. And one of us will lose.
Chapter Twenty-Five
As great as it was to have Red in my bed for a second night, as incredible as it was to make love to her again, I made sure we actually slept, too. I made her a healthy breakfast this morning, then took her home to get fresh clothes before heading to the gym.
We’re running a little late. Odd for me, but it doesn’t even bother me this morning. We breeze into A Pound of Flesh ready for another hard team workout, and I feel like I’ve got the world by its fluffy tail.
Aaaaand that fluffy tail slips right through my fingers once we get a few steps inside. The gym is stuffy and warm.
The teams are already milling around the gym, but several members aren’t here. Must be running late, too. When they see us, they start a warm up, getting ready to sweat. And I’ve got no air conditioning and no showers.
Grace intercepts us half way to my office. “We’ve got problems.”
“Air conditioner still isn’t fixed?” I ask.
“Correct.” Grace nods and winks at Red. “He’s pretty good for a lunkhead, isn’t he?”
Red shrugs playfully. “He’s okay, I guess.”
Normally I’d think my sister and my girlfriend teasing me is cute.
Girlfriend. I swear, the gym gets even stuffier, and I pull at the neckline of my Nike shirt.
“It won’t get really hot in here for a few hours,” Red says. “Maybe we can prop the doors open while we’re training in the weight room.”
“Or go to one of my other gyms,” I say.
“It won’t hurt us to sweat,” Red says. “We’re supposed to be weekend warriors.”
“Yesterday’s repairman recommended we replace the whole unit.” Grace hands me a piece of paper. “Here’s the estimate.”
My gaze immediately drops to the bottom line. Shit. Replacing an air conditioning unit to cool a space this size costs a hell of a lot of money, which will chip away at the cushion I’ve got saved.
Good thing I’ve got a nice payday coming in a few weeks when my team wins the event.
My chest tightens as I glance at Red.
“I’ve got another company lined up this morning to look at it. I figured you’d want a second opinion before forking out that much cash,” Grace says.
I rub the back of my neck and keep staring at the paper. “Thanks, baby sister.”
Grace’s hand goes to her hip.
“What would I do without you?” I try to pacify the laser hot look she’s giving me.
“Curl into a fetal position and refuse to come out of your office for a month?” Grace deadpans. “That’s not the only problem we’ve got this morning.” Worry is etched into her face.
“What else could possibly go wrong?” I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“In my experience, it’s never a good idea to say that out loud. When I do, things tend to get worse.” Red runs a hand up the back of my arm. Her touch is light but firm at the same time, meant to reassure and show support.
Contentment feathers through me. I’m so glad she’s here. I can see a future with Red, she and I facing all of life’s challenges together—big, small, personal, professional. Wouldn’t matter because we’d be there for each other.
Amazing that the thought doesn’t make me want to hit the door at a dead run and never look back. Even more amazing is I find the thought of a future with Red exciting. L
ike an incredible adventure, each day getting more interesting. Each night getting more hot and sensual.
“The phone has been ringing off the wall since I got here this morning,” Grace says. “Zach and Sean have both been trying to reach you.”
I frown and pull my phone from my pocket. “Dead.” My focus wasn’t on charging my damn phone last night. After two incredible rounds of sex, Red snuggled into me, her back molded against my front as I spooned around her and wrapped her in my arms until the alarm went off.
“They didn’t sound happy, so you better get back to them soon.” Grace heads over to the dumbbell rack and organizes them.
“Go call them.” Red hands me her gym bag. “Put this in your office for me?”
I take it and nod.
“I’ll get the workout started,” she says.
I go to my office, drop Red’s bag behind my desk, and fumble around in a desk drawer until I find a charger for my cell. Then I dial up Sean on the gym’s landline.
“’Bout damn time.” Sean answers on the first ring.
“Good morning to you, too. What’s up?” I sit and lean back in my chair.
“Hold on. I’m conferencing in Zach.”
The line goes silent for a few seconds, then both Zach and Sean are talking.
“What the hell were you doing playing on monkey bars yesterday?” Zach asks.
Sean doesn’t wait for me to answer. “We thought you’d keep everything moving along smoothly. How the fuck did you let this happen?”
They both start talking at once, and I can’t hear either one of them.
I wait for them to finish their tirade. When they both finally stop yapping, I say, “Back the fuck up. How about you take turns talking instead of trying to shout over each other, and then if you’d be so kind as to tell me what the fuck you’re talking about, I’d really appreciate it.”
The line goes quiet again.
“Hello?” I say and hold out the phone to look at it.
“Yeah, we’re here,” Zach says.
“Good. You go first,” I say.
Get Wilde (A Checkmate Inc. Novel Book 3) Page 14
