Page 24 of Embattled Ever After

Alex grabbed a towel from the bathroom and padded out to the outdoor room. It was surprisingly balmy, from the heat of the tub she was sure. Duncan had already settled into the water, the tops of his strong shoulders, neck and head the only parts of him out of the water. She’d hoped she could have seen him before he got in. Though he moved pretty rough, she had a feeling he had a banging body.

Then he looked up, his dark eyes in shadow, and Alex remembered how much she wasn’t wearing. Though she worked out fairly regularly, she still tended to be a little leaner than was perhaps good for her. With her hours and not so great eating schedule, it was hard for her to gain weight. Her boobs had always been a nice C though, which men seemed to appreciate.

She dropped the towel beside the tub and used the steps to climb in, aware his eyes were on her the entire time. Gasping, she sank down, loving the feel of the heat. “Oh, damn this feels good.”

He smiled in agreement and rested his head back against the rim. “As soon as I get in, I can feel the tension in my tendons easing. It’s one of the few things that actually helps with my pain.”

Heat had wonderful recuperative properties, so she wasn’t surprised he enjoyed it so much. They used baths much the same way at the hospital where she worked.

Their legs bumped under the water and she felt him shift away, but they were still in close proximity to each other. Alex wanted to slide over and lean her head against his shoulder, but even that might be too much, too fast. It was a very strange phenomenon, but she felt like she belonged with him. They matched somehow. She wasn’t sure how exactly, but it was enough to keep her looking for ways to get in.

“I wanted to thank you for going with me tonight,” he told her quietly. “You kind of got sucked into the drama.”

Alex chuckled. “Well, I don’t mind drama. And I was with you, so it was all good.”

He gave her a narrow-eyed look. “I’m not a catch, Alex.”

She shrugged, knowing he was trying to warn her off. “I’m not after a catch. I’d be happy with a guy who knew how to show a girl a good time.”

Grinning, she allowed herself to slip under the water, then lifted back up, slicking her hair back. Duncan continued to stare at her, as if he still couldn’t believe her words. Well, if he wouldn’t believe her words, maybe he would believe her actions.

In spite of her feeling that they should move slowly, she pushed across the suddenly small tub. Making sure to keep her hips angled out so that there was no chance she would bump into him, she rested her hands on his strong shoulders. His hands came up to hold her ribs and he gave her the perfect support she needed to lean in for a soft kiss. For a moment she feared he would push her away, but he didn’t.

He tasted of…she wasn’t sure what. But it was minty and spicy and exciting and intriguing. In spite of her plans to keep it short, Alex lingered. With one hand she reached up, cupping his lean cheek. It bristled with beard hairs, but she smoothed down, with the lay of the grain. Feeling a little daring she reached out with the tip of her tongue, tasting his lower lip.

For most of this Duncan held completely still and let her do what she wanted, not responding to her kiss. But when she tasted him, licking along his lips, he seemed to give in to some inner struggle. One of his hands moved down to cup her hip, pulling her deeper into the water, and the other hand reached up to cup the back of her head. Then, using his grip on her hair, he took control of the kiss.

Alex thought she had an idea what he would be like, taste like, but every preconceived notion flew out of her head the moment he finally made his move. Goosebumps erupted all over her body and her heart began to race. As he tilted her into the crook of his arm, she lost all sense of time and space. Every molecule of her being focused on the movement of Duncan’s lips on hers and the sudden free-fall of her stomach.

Alex had been kissed many times before. She’d had several boyfriends, all of whom had been awesome, at the time. But they all settled into the ‘merely pleasant’ category compared to Duncan’s kiss. It was shocking to her how much she enjoyed it. She never wanted to leave.

He also seemed to be enjoying the touch. He lingered over the lower bow of her lip, then gently nipped the plumpness. Alex gasped, more aroused than she could remember being just from the touch of a man’s mouth. Her breasts felt full and needy, and she wished there was an easier way to brush against him. Yes, he held her, but he also made sure to keep some distance between them. She didn’t want to sink her bottom half and hurt him in any way. That would be a total mood killer.

So she had to wait for him to make the next move.

Or not.

Rather than losing this opportunity, she would be happy sitting here kissing him for the foreseeable future.

Duncan started to pull back, then seemed to change his mind because he pressed his mouth to hers again. Reaching her free hand up, she cupped the back of his neck much like he had her and pulled them tight. All of the worry and anxiety about traveling out to meet a guy she barely knew faded as the rightness of the kiss sank into her.

Duncan rumbled in his throat then gave her a couple of short pecks, as if he were trying to pull away but couldn’t seem to force himself. The hand that had been holding her hair drifted down her neck, ran along her clavicle then traced a path down her chest. Alex could feel him getting closer to her left nipple and her breath caught in her throat, wondering if he’d actually touch her.

He seemed to pause as well, as if debating in his mind whether or not to go further. Alex didn’t do anything more aggressive, because she wanted him tochooseto take it further. In her heart she already knew there was nowhere he would lead that she wouldn’t go.

All of these little thoughts and feelings took moments for her to digest. Alex tried to be patient and not move as she waited for Duncan to make up his mind about what he was going to do.

Then, achingly slowly, his hand drifted down to brush against her turgid nipple.

Alex jerked at the touch and moaned, sinking her chest into his hand. Duncan turned his hand palm up and cupped her completely, the sports bra little protection from his broad hand. If she could have banished the thing into the ether she would have, but she had to settle for him shaping her from the outside. But that felt so shiveringly good…

Then the hand holding her hip pulled her closer to him and they were skin to skin from hip to chest. Alex shuddered at the feel of him against her, his skin even hotter than the surrounding water.

A steady throb set up a rhythm between her legs. The arousal was sharp and demanding, and stronger than she’d ever felt before. Arching her hips, she tried to show him what she wanted.

He continued to kiss her, dragging her as tight as he could against his chest. Then, as if in answer to her plea, he dropped his hands to her hips and urged her to spread her thighs over top of him. Doing her best to move slowly, Alex moved over top of him and settled her groin to his.

Time slowed to a crawl and their gazes connected when their bodies touched. Now they were getting serious.

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