Page 40 of Just One More Moment

She let out a light, tinkling laugh. “Suit yourself. It’s not like you’re going to find sexy, frilly underwear or teddies.” She pushed to her feet and he left the room, walking to his sister’s bedroom and returning with a handful of girly things and placing them on the bed.

Raven was digging through the suitcase and as he walked in, she pulled out a pair of plain, white silk panties and one of his T-shirts.

His, he thought, and raised his eyebrow.

She bunched it up, put the material to her nose for a few seconds and sniffed. “What can I say? It’s super soft and smells like you.”

And on that note, she gathered all her things and strode across the room, disappearing into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

***

During her bath,Raven pushed Lance and the unknown future aside. Instead, she closed her eyes and thought about Remy. Although he didn’t know it, she’d heard him and Dex talking. Her name had stopped her from joining them and though she hadn’t meant to eavesdrop… she had, while waiting for a good time to walk in and intrude.

When Dex had said goodbye, she’d rushed around the corner and let him go to his room without seeing her. She had every intention of telling Remy what happened, but she’d needed time to think and now she had it.

Married. Remington Sterling had been married. How had she not known that and why had he never mentioned it? An even bigger question floated around her brain. Was Raven just his woman of the moment as Dex had insinuated?

It shouldn’t matter because she couldn’t commit to anything without risking not just Remy—because she knew he could handle himself—but the people he loved. His sister and brothers. Lance would use anyone to get to her. It shouldn’t matter, she thought again. But it did. Despite the obstacle keeping her from a happy future, she wanted to know she was special to him. Yes, he’d said as much to Dex but she wanted to hear him tell her himself.

She’d found a new loofah sponge in the linen closet in the bathroom and now she used it to coat her skin with the bubbles around her. The bathwater smelled like lavender and when she stopped thinking so hard, it relaxed her. Soon she’d leaned back against the tub, a plastic pillow behind her head, closing her eyes and just letting herself be.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when a knock intruded and Raven startled, realizing she’d fallen asleep in the tub.

“I’m coming in!” Remy called and opened the door. “Oh good. You’re alive in here. I was beginning to worry.”

Feeling her cheeks flush, she said, “I fell asleep.” The bubbles had all but disappeared and the water was cool.

He stepped into the bathroom and her gaze traveled over his sexy body. He was naked but for a pair of black boxer briefs and his substantial erection tented the soft material. Immediately, her body softened and she became aware of the heaviness between her thighs.

He let out a groan. “Stop looking at me like that or you’ll find yourself soaking wet on the bed and my cock deep inside you before you can even blink.”

Her cheeks warmed at his words. “You promise?”

With an eye roll, he picked up the large, fluffy bath towel she’d laid out and held it open. Rising, she let the water sluice over her skin, doing her best not to give in to impulse to shake it off like a wet dog.

She took his extended hand and let him aid her, stepping out of the tub carefully so as not to slip on the flooring. Once he’d wrapped her in the bath sheet, he began to pat her with his hands, letting the towel absorb the water as he rubbed it against her skin.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed being pampered but her thoughts from earlier came back to her. “Remy?”

“What is it?” he asked in a gruff voice.

The tone let her know he was as aroused as her, but she had more important things to concentrate on. “I heard you and Dex talking in the family room.”

His hands stopped moving and she opened her eyes to meet his gaze. “How much did you hear?”

“Why didn’t you ever mention you’d been married?” she asked. She’d met Remy a little over two years ago and only knew him as a fun man who enjoyed dating. She’d also never seen him in a serious relationship. And in all that time, his past with other women never came up.

“Why don’t you come to bed and we’ll talk?” he suggested, and she nodded.

He walked out of the bathroom, leaving her to finish drying off. She pulled on his T-shirt. The one she never planned on giving back.

A few minutes later, she joined him in bed and she sat cross-legged, facing him. She waited for him to speak.

“I’m not sure where to start,” he said. “So much of my past is tied up in my mother’s murder.” A muscle ticked in his jaw and he didn’t meet her gaze, proof this conversation wasn’t easy for him. “I’d planned on going to business school and follow in my dad’s footsteps but once Mom was killed, becoming a cop was the only way I could channel the helpless feelings I had.”

“I understand,” she murmured, her heart aching for his pain.

He eyed her warily. “If you heard Dex and I talk about my ex, you must also have heard us discuss my penchant for ending up with women who needed me.” His frown and the light red stain on his cheekbones told her the admission embarrassed him.

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