Page 67 of Scatter the Bones

Water streams in my eyes and up my nose, choking me for a second. I said I wanted to drown in her but not like this.

I reach for the water and shut it off. “Let’s move this to the bedroom.”

“No.” The forlorn but desperate pout on her face tickles an inner sadist I didn’t know I had. “I was so close.”

“I’ll make it worth it.” I drop a kiss on her shoulder. “Promise.”

Damn she’s pretty all surrounded by steam, cheeks rosy from the hot water. I slide the door open and reach for a towel.

“But what if I can’t come now?” She wiggles and rubs her thighs together. “I feel like a bottle of champagne you stuffed the cork back into.”

Jesus, she’s so fucking cute.

“I will dedicate the rest of the night to making sure you come all over my face. Or any other part of me you want.” I yank the other towel free and quickly rough it over my body, wrap it around my hips, then take hers and gently pat her dry.

She’s silent now. No more twitching either.

“You okay?”

She tugs the towel out of my hands and wraps it around her body. “My thighs are too big, aren’t they?” She tips her head toward the shower. “I couldn’t give you enough room to work with?”

“What?” I scowl, confused by the question but not liking the direction it’s headed. “No.” I swipe my hand over my chest and throw on my cockiest smirk. “Look, I know I’ve got the body of athirty-year-old Greek god, but I also have the knees of an eighty-year-old linebacker. Kneeling on the tile was killing me.”

Would I admit that to anyone else?Nope.But I can’t have her thinking she’s the problem. Not even for a second.

Her anxious frown shifts to playful. “And the humility of a rock star at the top of the charts.” Her smile fades. “Sorry, I don’t want you in pain.”

“My own fault for not being able to control myself.” I scoop her into my arms, and she lets out a soft squeak, quickly looping her arms around my neck.

Her skin’s still warm from the shower, slick and damp against mine. The bathroom’s full of steam and the faint scent of her bodywash clings to both of us. I’m going to need to buy my own bottle of whatever that is to use when we’re apart.

I step into the hallway, headed toward her bedroom, which has never seemed farther away. She buries her face against my neck, her breath warm on my skin, her tongue sliding over a sensitive spot I didn’t know I had. We may have started out with me giving her some “lessons,” but she’s taught me just as much.

Halfway to her room, Gretel streaks across the hallway, letting out a yowl as if we’ve offended her.

Margot shakes with laughter.

The knot on my towel loosens. My hands are too full to fix it. And a second later, it unravels completely and lands on the floor.

“I’ll get it later,” Margot says, peering over my shoulder. “Don’t stop.”

“Wasn’t planning to.” I push the bedroom door open with my foot, then kick it closed after I cross the threshold.

Next to the bed, I stop and set her on her feet.

Margot

My legs shake, too weak to hold me up. Jigsaw doesn’t give me a chance to compose myself, though. He tugs at the towel tucked around my body, ripping it free.

“I need you on the bed.” He cups my face and brushes a kiss on my cheek. “Right now. We have unfinished business.”

“Yes, we do.” I sit on the edge of the bed and scoot into the center. “Where do you want me?”

I stare wide-eyed at the glory of Jigsaw’s naked body as he stalks to the foot of the bed, all coiled intensity, a predator waiting to pounce on his next meal. Me.

“Right in the middle. Up on the pillows.” His voice sharpens, all command and focus—barking orders like he’s directing a scene he’s already played out a hundred times in his head.

Excited by his intensity, I can’t arrange myself in the spot he wants fast enough. I stretch out my legs, crossing them at the ankles.

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