I quirked an eye at him as he let the water flow, but he only smirked and nodded his chin toward the sink. “I have some extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, and flossers in the bottom drawer. There’s also extra razors if you want.”
Taking that as my cue, I grabbed the items and went about getting ready for bed. While the water continued to rise, London came to stand beside, grabbing his designated toothbrush and toothpaste from the top drawer and brushing his teeth alongside me. I stared at him as we brushed our teeth, smirking a little around my toothbrush.
Catching my stare, he grinned back.
By the time we’d finished brushing our teeth, the tub was full and London sauntered over to shut off the water. I watched him through the mirror as I decided I could use a shave since my facial hair was longer than I normally liked to let it grow. Whenever it got too long, it itched. So I usually kept my face clean shaven.
Something, I was sure, London remembered.
After wetting my face and applying a shaving cream, I shaved my facial hair with careful swipes of the razor. I almost nicked myself, however, when London stripped unceremoniously out of his clothes to climb into the bath.
My mouth parted, and if I was a cartoon character, drool would have been dripping from the corner of my mouth right about now.
Alas, I wasn’t a cartoon, but that didn’t make London’s ass any less mouthwatering.
Before I was caught staring, I quickly finished my shave and set my items aside on the counter, unsure where London would want me to put them.
Face fresh and shaved and teeth brushed and flossed, I rested my hip against the counter and studied the bathroom again so I wouldn’t perv on all that warm, bare flesh on view. What was I supposed to do now?
“How much did this bathroom cost?” I asked, giving in to my temptation to peek and finding London already studying me with unfathomably dark eyes.
I gulped.
“Enough,” he said simply, leaning back and giving me a better view of his bare stomach below the surface of the water. Catching me eyeing him, he grinned. “If you want,” he said casually, bringing me back to the present, “you can join me?”
I glanced down at my still undone jeans then back at his patient face. “In there?”
Chuckling, he reclined further in the tub and let his legs fall open. I’m pretty sure I drooled a little. “Yes, Sin. In here.”
When I hesitated, water sluiced onto the slats, and then London was there, standing before me with a frown. “What’s wrong? Is it because of your body? Because I thought I already proved to you earlier just how much I wa—”
“No, no, it’s not that.” I sucked in a shaky breath, trying and failing to not to track the droplets of water cataloging the planes of his chest all the way down to… I gulped. “I’m trying so damn hard not to rush or pressure you into something you’re not ready for.”
He grabbed a fistful of my shirt and wrenched me flush against his naked body. “I’ve noticed, and I appreciate you letting me take my time here. But this is me initiating things…” He slipped a hand under my shirt, slowly and deliberately dragging his palm up to place it on my chest. I shivered, getting goose bumps. His gaze darkened as if pleased by my reaction. “So why are you still so worried?”
“Because I don’t want you to make any rash decisions. Not when it comes to me.”
“I'll admit, I’ve always made impulsive decisions when it comes to you. But I’ve been trying to be careful with you. Because I’ve already been burned twice by you, and I’m terrified that if it happens again, I won’t come back from it.” The water from his skin soaked my clothes, making them stick to me. London’s gaze dipped to my mouth for a brief moment. “But I'm willing to throw caution aside and be a little reckless with you, Sin.”
“Really?”
“Really. Just maybe let’s slow down for tonight. Right now, I’d love nothing more than to just hold you. So please, will you just get in the fucking tub? Just… be with me?”
I swallowed down the thickness in my throat, trying my damnedest not to melt.
Slowly, I nodded, and London shoulders relaxed some. He moved back into the tub, keeping his eyes on me as I peeled my shirt off, tossing it on the floor behind me somewhere. Next went my shoes and socks. When my hands shoved my jeans and boxers off, London bit his lower lip, taking in my naked body.
While I wasn’t as skinny as I had been just after leaving the prison, it would take time and effort I didn’t have at the current moment to get back in shape. Still, despite being severely malnourished, a shell of my former self, London appraised me like he would one of his priceless treasures. It was a lot to live up to, that look.
Carefully, I stepped into the tub, sinking into the intense heat with a groan. How long had it been since I’d gotten to soak in a bath? I honestly couldn’t even recall when the last time was.
With London sprawled out across from me, his attention focused solely on me, and I squirmed a little. I wasn’t used to being so unsure of myself, but I was in over my head here.
His arms were sprawled along the lip of the tub, even as water sloshed up and over them before splashing to the slats. It truly was a fascinating tub.
With the heat seeping into my bones, soothing the aches and tension lingering beneath my skin, I found my eyes closing. I allowed the steam to curl around me, the faintest wisps of eucalyptus curling in the air.
I must have drifted off, my exhaustion hitting me once more, and I woke to London’s hand entwining with mine. As the grogginess of sleep dissipated some, I felt myself being tugged across the large tub. London didn’t say a word as he dragged me into his lap, and my legs spread on either side of his hips. His erection bumped against mine, but he kept his attention on my face, as if locking it into his memory.