Page 133 of Study Buddies

“The water heater is gas, not electric,” he explained. “So yeah, if you don’t mind, I’m going to take your nice offer of using your phone. I mean, I know where all the important parts are, but it would be nice to be able to see a little.”

“Sure.” I handed it over fully, letting the light transfer into his palm.

“That’s going to make it pretty dark down here for you.”

“I’m fine,” I said, waving it off. “It’s a little lighter in the living room. I’ll go there.”

He hesitated, frowning slightly.

“It’s just a tornado watch, not even a warning. I’ll be fine,” I told him.

“All right.” He gave me one last look. “But if it gets worse, come back down here, okay?”

“Sure. Enjoy your shower.”

“Thanks.”

35

JAYDEN

I’d just gottenthe water running, letting the spray warm up a bit, when I heard the bathroom door creak open. I turned my head, surprised but not alarmed, and there she was: Tori, stumbling inside with a candle held triumphantly in one hand.

“Found one!” she said, breathless. “I thought…”

She trailed off the second her eyes landed on me. I mean, I was obviously not wearing a single stitch of clothing, and that fact hadn’t quite registered for her until right then. I could see it in the way her cheeks went pink, and in the way she seemed to forget why she’d come in the first place.

I tilted my head, half-smiling. “Thanks.”

She blinked. “Oh—right.” She recovered, just enough to set the candle on the sink. She used a lighter she’d apparently dug out of a kitchen drawer and got a small flame going. It flickered, casting a warm, soft glow on the tile walls.

“Better than just phone flashlights,” I said. The water pounded behind me, steam filling the space. For a moment, I thought she was going to go, but she seemed frozen in place, staring at me. At least her gaze was on my face, but even in the low light I could see the flush on her cheeks.

I cleared my throat, feeling weirdly self-conscious, which was new for me. Normally, being naked wasn’t a big deal, especially in a dark house with no power, but something about Tori seeing me like this made my brain short-circuit. Not that I was embarrassed, exactly—just… curious about what she was thinking.

I reached for the shower curtain, about to pull it across. “Um,” I said, half-joking, because that was my default when I didn’t know what else to do, “do you want to join me?”

I figured she’d laugh, roll her eyes, maybe call me a perv. But Tori just stared at me, wide-eyed. Water dripped into the tub; the candle flame danced. She hesitated. Then, to my shock, she nodded.

“Okay,” she said quietly.

For a heartbeat, I didn’t move. Was I imagining that? But her mouth was set in a determined, if slightly nervous, line. She was serious.

“Okay,” I finally managed, swallowing against the sudden dryness in my throat. “I guess you got pretty wet from the storm, too. Come on in when you're ready.” I pulled the shower curtain partly closed to give her privacy while she undressed. Which kind of didn’t make much sense given that she’d be in here naked with me in just a moment, but it still felt like the right thing to do.

I held my breath when Tori stepped in the shower with me. It still felt unreal. I’d been thinking about her, and that beautiful body, a lot recently, but I never expected something like this. The girl in my dreams was naked and standing next to me.

With the shower curtain pulled shut, the light from the candle didn’t help that much. But maybe it made her less nervous. Plus maybe that would give us a chance to use our other senses.

“Here, you stand under the water.”

I attempted to switch places with her, accidentally brushing my chest against her breasts as I did so. I pretended like I didn’t notice—which, of course, I fucking did.

She had put her hair up in a messy bun when she undressed, and now the water was hitting the back of her neck and shoulders as she stood facing me.

What the fuck did I do in this situation? Maybe the best course of action was to focus on her… and not on my rock-hard cock.

“Are you warm enough?” I asked.

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