Page 100 of Spring Tide

I step forward, fingers tracing the hemline of his T-shirt. Together, we slowly tug the material up and off his body. Once he’s fully stripped down to his boxer briefs, I run my hands over the thick layers of muscle that line his abdomen.

“You’re so warm,” I murmur, dipping my thumbs into his waistband.

“Go ahead, then.”

With his permission, I push the thin cotton the rest of the way down his hips. He steps back, his underwear lying in a pile in the middle of our feet. Before I can help myself, my gaze drifts down, down, down, settling on the prized possession between his legs. By the looks of it, he’s half-hard already.

“Quit staring at it,” he chides, soft laughter echoing around the tiny room.

My eyes shoot up, and I give him a guilty shrug. “Woops.”

“You’re really gonna make me stand here completely naked while you still have all your clothes on?”

“If you’d just get in the bath already, then you wouldn’t have this problem.”

He holds both hands up in defense. “I’m getting.”

I shamelessly watch as he strides over to the tub. When he turns, the muscles in his back flex and bulge as he hoists himself into the bubbly water, the soft glow from the candles reflecting on his tanned skin.

“It’s too bad there’s not room in there for two,” I say.

He groans, stretching his arms high above his head as he shifts into a comfortable position. “I bet you we could make it work.”

“Luca, you barely fit inside there on your own.”

“Yeah, and you’re pretty damn tiny in comparison. Look.” He bends his knees until they’re peeking halfway out of the water. “There’s a spot right here between my legs.”

“This is supposed to be foryouso you can decompress like you wanted.”

“And this is how I’m choosing to relax.” He beckons me over with one hand. “With you pressed up against me in this bathtub.”

“Fine.” I shimmy out of my clothes, tidying them into a stack on the countertop. “But no funny business. This whole thing is about relaxing, okay?”

“Got it.” His brows are stern, but there’s an unmistakable smirk on his lips. “Absolutely no funny business.”

I lift one leg and dip into the center of the steaming water, carefully lowering myself into the bubbles. Luca loops one arm around my waist. It takes some cautious maneuvering, but we manage to fit in here nicely together.

Sighing, I snuggle in firmly between his outstretched legs. His dick presses into me from behind, causing my mind to shift course. “Okay, maybe atinybit of funny business.”

He laughs, tugging at a strand of my hair. “Harper.”

“What?” I tilt my head back against his chin. “You’re the one with an erection right now.”

“Oh my God,” he groans. “I’m in the bathtub with my girlfriend, completely naked, and her ass is pressed up against me. If I wasn’t hard, I feel like that’d almost be an insult.”

“You’re right.” I place both hands on his thighs, shaking off the thought. “Okay, let’s change the subject. Um, we can talk about our parents?”

“What about our parents?”

“My dad called me the other day. He’s gonna be here sometime next week to have a little pre-Thanksgiving dinner together. He invited you to join us if you have the time.”

He presses a kiss against my shoulder. “I’ll make the time.”

“Okay, I wasn’t so sure with how busy things have been lately.”

“I can make it work.” He runs one hand through my hair, absentmindedly twirling a strand between his thumb and forefinger. “Besides, it’d be nice for me to redeem myself. You know, since he walked in on us while my pants were down around my ankles.”

I lightly slap the top of his thigh, water splashing against the side of the tub. “You’re so dramatic. He did notwalk in on us.”

---