Page 24 of Mated to the Pride

In my bathroom, I set the shower running. Preston was already awake and out training in the fresh air, so I didn’t have to worry about being too loud; I could turn my speaker on and play the kind of high-energy music I needed to wake up properly. As the mirror began to steam up, I dropped my clothes in an unceremonious pile and stepped with an audible sigh into the water. With the combination of the intense pressure and heat of the shower and the background buzz of my music, I felt like I was coming back to life — and I hadn’t even been too worn out to begin with.

For a military man, I had always been a little too prone to losing myself in showers. In ordinary service, I’d never get away with it. Here, in our little special ops cabin with our two shifts, it didn’t matter so much that I closed my eyes and forgot how long I’d been under the spray. It didn’t matter that I forgot about almost everything except Jess’ warm smile and the curve of her ass until I heard a knock at the bathroom door.

“Yeah, come in,” I called. I assumed it was Preston, needing something from the bathroom — but when the door opened it was Jess that appeared there, forcing herself to hold my gaze with a shy, brave smile.

“Hey.”

“Well, hi.” I couldn’t contain my surprise, but I certainly wasn’t embarrassed. She couldn’t see anything immediately private thanks to the frosted glass at waist-height, and I sure didn’t have a figure to be ashamed of. She seemed to like what she saw — but that didn’t answer any of my questions. “You okay? You need something?”

“I, uh.”

She cleared her throat. Only when she caught her bottom lip between her teeth did I realize that this wasn’t a practical visit, and in a heartbeat our roles reversed. My jaw dropped a little, staring with unabashed intensity at the grin on her face.

“So, um. You want company?”

“You fucking bet I do.”

I stepped closer to the glass, one hand up against the pane to get a better look at her. That blush was still present across the bridge of her nose, but she was working through the shyness. She even seemed to be enjoying it as she pulled her t-shirt up from the hem, revealing the smooth plane of her stomach inch by agonizing inch — then, as she lifted it high enough to reveal her soft, round breasts, I pressed closer to the glass with a quiet groan, feeling its pressure against the already-hard length of my cock.

Her eyes darted down, and her smile widened. “Oh.Hi.”

I grinned. “Yeah. Hi.”

Maybe such an obvious sign of attraction helped her uncertainty to melt away. Maybe it was the confirmation she needed. Either way, when Jess’ eyes met mine again, I saw only excitement in her face — not nerves.

“I should hurry up and get in there, huh?”

“Uh-huh. Water’s real nice.”

Her fingers dipped below the waistband of her yoga pants, peeling them slowly down until she could step neatly out. Now only the thin black cotton of her panties remained, but she didn’t move to take them off just yet. Instead, she sank down into the bathroom chair, legs parted, and traced her fingertips over her stomach.

“Or maybe I’ll make you wait a little longer.”

I groaned, slipping a hand around the base of my cock for a few slow strokes, eyes rooted on her fingertips as they trailed an indeterminate path over her skin. Finally,finally, they made their way down inside her panties, and I swallowed hard as I heard her gasp.

“Fuck, Jess.”

“Still think I scare you?” Her voice was already pitched up at the sharpness of her pleasure, and her laugh sounded breathy as I shook my head in silence. “Youareintimidating. But it kind of makes me want to rise to the challenge.”

“You’re incredible,” I told her, lifting a hand to wipe away the steam on the inside of the shower. I wanted a better look.Neededa better look. “So fucking beautiful.”

Jess flicked a thumb over her nipple, and I watched as it peaked to a nub within a matter of seconds. That hand in her panties sped up a little; beneath the thin fabric, I could see her fingers teasing away in a circling motion.

“You’ve got to get in here,” I pleaded. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“In a minute,” she teased. “I want to be so ready for you.”

I groaned, giving my cock a few more desperate strokes. “Yeah? You want me that bad?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Her head tipped back as her breath shuddered, and I mapped out the spread of that beautiful blush of hers all the way down her chest — watched her toes curling, and the dampness of her skin in the humid heat.

When she stood up, I was so enraptured in watching her that it jolted me back into my senses. The water pounded down on my back as I kept my eyes rooted on her, drinking in the sight of her sex as she finally dropped her panties.

I opened the door, and watched her eyes fall straight to the unhindered sight of my cock. I groaned, pulling her close to me under the water for a deep, rough kiss.

“I can’t wait,” she said, fastening her arms around my neck. “God, please-”

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