Page 121 of Through the Water

“I love you too,” I murmured, letting the straps slip down my arms. Killian kissed my neck as I bent forward to lower my panties, his erection pressing against my skin.

My breasts brushed against the cold marble countertop. Suddenly, every inch of me pulsed with need, like my heart had relocated to the area between my legs. I turned, shivering as his eyes lowered to explore my body. His hands followed, lightly trailing down my spine before latching onto my backside, kneading my flesh.

“Fuck,” Killian muttered on a low growl, the word vibrating through me as his mouth found mine. This time, his kisses were ravenous and rough, making it almost impossible to function.

Almost.

I brought my fingers to the front of his wet jeans and gripped the button, overcome with the need to touch him.

He released his hold on me and jerked away with a sharp gasp. “Shower.”

I blinked up at him in confusion, my breaths almost as ragged as his. “But—”

“Come on.” He kept his arms down at his side as he walked me into the steamy shower, losing the door softly behind me. “I’m just going to throw your things in the dryer.”

Six people could have comfortably fit inside, yet he’d left me all alone. Reluctantly, I stepped under one of the shower heads mounted to the ceiling. I’d showered just this morning, but it didn’t stop me from washing my hair with Killian’s shampoo and lathering his soap into my skin. If I couldn’t have him, I’d have his scent.

It wasn’t enough. Warm water cascaded over my sizzling skin, but my nipples remained puckered and sensitive to the point of aching.

Why was he not in here with me?

I wiped the condensation from the glass and peered out to find Killian sitting on the edge of the bathtub. If I squinted, I could almost make out the twitching pulse in his neck and the flare of his nostrils.

My heart twisted with longing at the sight of him. I pushed the door open and lowered a hand to my hip before asking, “Aren’t you going to join me? In case you hadn’t noticed, your clothes are wet too.”

The muscle in his jaw clenched, but he refused to look at me. “Ari, I’m trying real hard to be a gentleman with you right now.”

“I know,” I sighed dramatically, rolling my eyes in mock frustration. “I sure wish you’d stop.”

Killian jerked his head toward me with a lifted brow. “You want me in there with you.”

A statement.

“I don’t really know how much more obvious I could be.” I ran a soapy hand over my breasts, fighting a victorious smirk as I watched the last of his control slip away.

He closed his eyes and muttered a curse before kicking off his boots and unbuttoning his shirt. Dark ink climbed up his arms like vines, coiling in a circular pattern around each shoulder.

Bible verses against tattoo markings filtered into my consciousness, but I shoved them aside. I wasn’t allowing a two-thousand-year-old book to make my decisions for me.

Not tonight.

I’d known Killian was fit but watching his biceps flex without clothes in the way was an entirely new experience. I drank in the sight of him as he coaxed his jeans down over narrow hips. It was as if the muscles had been carved into his skin.

Boxer briefs clung to his body, highlighting his hard length and leaving me with an overwhelming need to touch—to make him feel as good as he’d made me the last time we were together.

Killian’s eyes flashed with determination as he strode toward me, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his briefs. An involuntary sound escaped my throat when he tugged them down and stepped inside.

“I think she likes what she sees,” he murmured with a low chuckle, moving behind me to press a kiss to my shoulder blade.

My breath caught in my throat. I turned, stepping up to press my lips to his while guiding his hand down my belly. “Love me, Killian. Please.”

He kept his mouth on mine as his body pushed me back against the tile, grazing my dimple with his teeth. I could have sworn he was speaking, but his voice was too low to hear over the rush of blood in my ears.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he pulled back to look down at me, tracing my lips with his fingers before moving lower to cup my breasts. His thumb and forefinger kept steady pressure on my tender nipples until my skin erupted in goosebumps.

Shivers of desire coursed through me when he pinched harder, and I squirmed, moaning incoherent demands. I curled my hand around the back of his neck, desperate and greedy for the feel of his mouth.

He exhaled a laugh and trailed kisses down my jaw and neck, before reaching my breasts. A rush of air left my lungs as his mouth closed around one, his teeth scraping over the tip.

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