Page 69 of Claiming Pretty

Ava searched out among the shadows for the missing piece and found it:me.

Need overwhelmed me and for a moment I had to lean my damp forehead against the wood of the door to catch my breath.

The stream of water in the shower stopped, the faint squeak of the handle twisting echoing in the otherwise silent room. I listened intently, hearing wet feet padding softly across the tiles, a towel pulled from the rack, followed by a quiet, almost contented sigh.

The lock slid open under my picks—a soft, inviting click—and I seized the moment, slipping inside the bathroom.

Closing it silently behind me, I pressed my back against the wood, the oppressive humidity from the steam wrapping around me like a veil, thick with the scent of her jasmine shampoo.

My heartbeat thundered, but I forced myself to stay still, concealed by the fogged-up mirrors and the haze of heat.

Ava hadn’t noticed me yet.

In front of the mirror, completely blurred by condensation, Ava tucked the towel around her chest, her hands tucking the edges into place.

Her hair, dark and glistening like raven feathers, clung to her shoulders, droplets trailing down her skin.

It was captivating. Hypnotizing. I was half convinced that if I reached out to grab a fistful of it, it would flutter against my fingers.

I stepped forward, deliberate and silent, moving through the steamy haze until I stood just behind her.

She still didn’t sense me. Not yet. The old Ava would have. She would have felt me before I even breached the room.

She had grown careless. Soft. Too quick to unlearn the instincts I helped her hone at Blackthorn. Too coddled by my brother’s suffocating protectiveness.

The thought simmered in my chest as I slipped my arms around her waist, pulling her back against me in one fluid motion.

She stiffened briefly, startled, but it didn’t last. Her body softened almost immediately, melting into my embrace with a sigh that sent a rush of satisfaction through me.

Her hands found my wrists, clasping them tightly as if tokeep me close, and my lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile against the damp curve of her shoulder.

She gasped when I pressed my erection against her ass.

“Shhh,” I whispered into her ear as I eased her towel open.

Her fingertips fluttered against my hand as if she considered stopping me, but the twitch of my cock made her murmur low in her throat and the towel fell to the floor with a dull flop.

Then she was naked and wet.

Her bare body was hot against mine, her pink nipples hard, her breasts already heaving as she rocked her ass against my cock.

Perhaps she thought I was Ciaran.

Or perhaps deep down she realized it was me and needed me anyway.

I’d only let her keep making excuses for so long.

But right now, I didn’t care which twin she thought I was.

She wasmine.

I palmed her breasts and she melted into my touch, head falling back to rest against my chest, lashes fluttering closed. Her hair soaked through my shirt and the fragrance of her jasmine shampoo filled my nostrils.

God, I wanted to drown in her, choke on all she had to give me with her thighs straddling my face.

Ava whimpered as I smoothed my palm over her soft belly and between her legs.

She used her fingers over mine to guide me toward her wet folds and I fought back a groan at the wetness of her.

---