Page 33 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
“What? Are you going to watch me shower, too? I can’t be alone anymore?” I hated how good he looked standing there with the muscles of his arms pulling his shirt sleeves taut, the way he practically glowed under the warm lighting, pulling me into his trance with his eyes alone. It made me want him to stand there and watch as I washed my body and hair.
“Well, I wasn’t going to at first, but…” He dropped his arms to grip the counter behind me and hefted himself up onto it so he was sitting with his legs dangling. “If you’re offering, I’d be an idiot to pass it up.”
With a roll of my eyes and subtle shake of my head, I began unbuttoning the top of my diner uniform. “You’re an idiot either way.”
He set a hand over his heart. “You wound me.”
The top fell apart, and I slid it off so it landed in a heap on the ground. “Good. It’s working.”
Austin’s hungry gaze fell to my breasts spilling out over the top of my sky-blue bra. White lace covered the soft fabric, and I was secretly glad I chose this one today instead of a more plain option. He clearly seemed to be eating it up as he shifted on the counter.
I moved to my skirt, shimmying it down my legs to lay next to the top. The lace panties matched my bra, and my focus fluttered to Austin for a split second to find him licking his bottom lip like a man deprivedof water for months.
I straightened, moving my hands behind me to unlatch my bra. I fumbled with it for a moment before dropping my arms back to my sides. I pasted on my best pouty look. “Help me?”
His throat moved on a swallow and he slid off the counter, crossing to me without a word. With a hand on my upper arm, he spun me until my back was to him. So fucking gently. I wanted to scream at him to manhandle me because his soft touches made me more feral than anything else.
He brushed my hair over my shoulder, hand lingering on the strands before moving away. His fingers didn’t need to trail down my shoulder blade and elicit goosebumps all over my body, but they did. He didn’t need to grip my waist with his other hand, but he did. He touched me like he wanted to take his time. Like this was the highlight of his day. Like he hadn’t just killed a man for touching my ass less than an hour ago.
My bra suddenly loosened, and I realized how good he was with the clasps. It made me wonder what else he was good at. Made me kind of want to find out.
He moved closer as he delicately pulled the straps of my bra down my arms. Once they were past my elbows, it slid to the ground. I barely saw any of it as all I could focus on was his boner pressing against my bare ass through his jeans. The fact that he was still fully clothed, and I was nearly completely naked, drove me crazy.
His chin was hovering over my shoulder, his stubble tickling my skin. His breath, warm and intoxicating, was so close to my ear that it sent shivers down my spine.
“Problem?” I asked, mustering all my strength behindthe word so it didn’t come out in a whisper. I spun around slowly, meeting his heated gaze. The fire that blazed behind those eyes… The man was ravenous.
Ravenous for me.
“Nope. Not at all.”
But even I could detect the lie behind those words. We both could.
I hooked my thumbs in my panties and slid them off, and clearly that was his breaking point because he moved past me, opened the glass door, and turned the shower on. Then, he returned to his spot at the counter, this time remaining standing. I took in the sight of his boner pressing against his zipper. Heat ripped through me like he’d set me aflame. I knew the hot water would only accentuate the feeling, but if I turned it to cold, he’d know.
But it wasn’t like he didn’t already.
Once steam began to rise in the air, I stepped inside and closed the shower door. It didn’t hide me from him, but that wasn’t the point. I needed something to separate us right now, even if that something was a thin sheet of very breakable glass. Otherwise, my hands would be flying to his zipper and I’d be begging him to take me. I didn’t care if he still had traces of Marv’s blood on him at this point.
I took my time washing my hair then moved to my body, lathering every inch of my skin in a thick sheet of bubbles. When I moved to my breasts, his lips pressed into a flat line.
“McKenna,” he gritted out.
I shook my head, running the body wash over my nipples. “Didn’t I tell you not to talk to me until you weren’t covered in another man’s blood?”
All it took was the blink of an eye before he was peeling his clothes off, shucking his shirt to the floor and letting his belt buckle hit the tile with a loud clang. Once fully unclothed, he opened the shower door and stepped in, not once taking his eyes off me as he closed it behind him and stepped in front of me, the spray of the water hitting my back.
Austin opened his mouth to speak and I gave him a silencing look, angling my chin down and darting my gaze to the blood smudged on his neck. I grabbed a bar of soap off the shelf in the wall, holding it out to him. As much as I wanted to feel every inch of his skin right now, it would only cloud my mind if I did. Though, I think my thoughts were already skewed. There was no way we were getting through this night without touching each other in some capacity. And by the way he reluctantly grabbed the soap from me, it was obvious he was letting me set the pace.
How polite.
“I don’t think Marv was your stalker, but”—he ran the bar down his neck and around his shoulders—“you need to tell me if the signs stop or not.”
Each pass of the soap over his tan skin sent fireworks of heat careening through me, causing my thighs to clench. The slight movement was noticeable, I guess, because Austin’s eyes darkened.
“McKenna,” he said, voice gravelly.
I pulled my focus from his efforts at cleaning himself and met his gaze. “What signs?”
