Page 28 of The Heart of Midnight

That finally makes him look at me. “You’re serious.” It’s not a question, so I just purse my lips until he continues. “You need a shower. You’re covered in cum.”

“I know, someone used me like a fuckdoll when I was sleeping.” My tone is teasing as I desperately try to get my best friend back. Because before all of this that is what he was — my best fucking friend. “Will you shower with me?”

He huffs, reaching up to untie me. “You’re harder to resist than you think, and so goddamn beautiful when you don’t know what’s happening to you.”

“Am I?” I rub my wrists when I’m free and then grab his hand before he can walk away. “You can do that whenever you need, you know?”

“I’ve been taking what I want from you since the day I broke into your house the first time,” he reminds me. “But your permission is cute. We won’t both fit in the shower.”

“I don’t care,” I argue. “Make us fit; you sure didn’t have trouble with that when it was my virgin asshole.”

Finally, the bastard cracks a smile. It’s faint, but it’s there. “You’re not wrong. Come on, then.”

He scoops me up and carries me into the small bathroom, reminding me again just how small the shower really is. He runs the water as he strips and lets me get in first, giving me a moment to have second thoughts.

I barely fit alone and he’s huge.

“Come on,” I encourage, because I’d rather be stuffed into this box with him than stress over where his mind is when we’re apart. “You can clean my pussy for me.”

Shaking his head, he slides in next to me, caging me against the wall without even trying. “This shower wasn’t built for two.”

“Maybe it should have been. Did you build it?” I grab the soap from his hand and lather his chest before he can protest, noting the fleeting shock on his face at the touch.

“Yes,” he mumbles. “This basement was nothing but concrete and cobwebs when I moved in. I put the bathroom in when I realized I like spending time down here.”

“That have anything to do with those computer screens? They don’t seem very new.” I meet his eyes. “How long have you actually been watching me?”

He folds his hand over mine to stop my progress. “A while. But I didn’t have access to the inside of your house until you let me put cameras in there. I had a couple on the outside of my house pointed toward your windows, but I hardly ever looked at them. For someone who seems to love to be seen, you’ve sure avoided windows.”

That’s because I only wanted to be seen by you.

“So what now, Scarcello? What will it take for you to see I won’t turn you in?”

He spins me around and grabs the bottle of 3-in-1 he keeps down here, squirting a glob directly on top of my head. “You’re asking me to trust, Avery. That’s not something I’ve ever been very good at.”

“Neither have I, and yet I’ve felt like I could trust you since we met. You’re who I call... the only one I call.” I don’t want to keep pushing him so I decide to change topics instead. “When did I first catch your eye?”

“The day you moved in.”

The big lug sort of pushes the glob of all-purpose man cleaner around, massaging it into my head and not actually cleaning my hair at all. I hum, letting him carry on anyway because it feelsway too good. “You caught my eye that day too. That’s why I brought you cookies.”

He spins me around again and cups my chin, towering over me. “What can I say? You’re much better at baking than you are cooking.”

“Did you just hide an insult inside of a compliment?” I ask with a grin.

“Oh, I wasn’t hiding it. You’re a terrible cook,” he laughs. “Awful.”

“Hey,” I swat at him, unable to join in at the tiny semblance of normalcy. “At least you’re good at it.”

“Yet I’d burn the cookies every time.” He runs his hand down my side, guiding me even closer to him. “We can’t all be good at everything.”

“No, we can’t.” My gaze drops to his lips, instantly imagining all the times I wondered how they would feel. “Did you ever want to kiss me? During your midnight visits.”

He shuts down like he always does as he shifts to scrub my body.

I let him, but the second he finishes cleaning my pussy like he’s in love with it, I can’t help it. “Answer me. Please.”

“About what? If I ever thought about kissing you?” He scowls, staring down at my body as he gently runs his thumb over my nipple. “Every single time. But I knew once I did, I’d never want to stop. I’d never be able to sit on your couch next to you without wanting more. I also convinced myself that if I never kissed you as Midnight, you wouldn’t put the pieces together if I ever got to kiss you as Scar. I was... clearly wrong about that.”

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