Page 162 of Beat of Love
“Just checking.” He grinned and eased his boxers off, kicking them aside.
Brandy stared. And salivated. She wasn’t a novice to well-endowed men, but Rafferty’s cock was outstanding. Literally. Jutting straight and strong, its girth promised a deliciously tight fit.
Unless he was a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kinda guy.
But somehow, she doubted that strongly.
He cleared his throat. “Speechless, Red?”
Her eyes flew to meet his, her face on fire. “Stop calling me Red.”
“Aw, Brandy-Lyn, you love that nickname.” Rafferty stepped into the bath. He arched a brow. “Have you changed your mind about bathing in silk and lace?”
“No.” She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. It fell to the floor, exposing her breasts to Rafferty’s gaze. And an unexpected bout of anxiety attacked her. What if he thought they were too saggy? Or—
“Stop thinking and get in the fucking bath, Red,” he groused.
Before she could talk herself out of this really crazy idea of hers — whathadshe been thinking? — she slipped off the scrap of silk that passed for underwear. Stifling another freaking yawn, she approached the bath, keeping her gaze on the floor, treading carefully across the wet tiles, hyper aware of her nakedness. At the sound of running water, she lifted her eyes. Rafferty sat at the far end of the tub fiddling with the elaborate faucet in the center as more water poured into the bath.
Gah.What was her problem? He wasn’t evenlookingat her.
Brandy clambered in and sat on the opposite end. She couldn’t help but groan as the warm liquid engulfed her skin. “So good.” The tub was deep, and the water lapped at her breasts. She longed to lie back and sink down to her neck but felt awkward. Ensuring her feet didn’t touch his, she hugged her legs to her chest, rested her chin on her knees, and observed the man across from her as he swirled in fresh hot water. Splotches of foamclung to the smattering of black hair covering his pecs, and her eyes tracked a glob of froth running down the furrow bisecting his abs until it dissolved when meeting the water.
Had she imagined the spark of lust earlier? Was he merely humoring her? She’d just die of embarrassment if that was the case.
Biting back a sigh, she lifted her head. This was not going how she had imagined. If only she weren’t so tired, she might be able to fathom his mercurial moods.
The water turned off. And his gaze moved up, met and held hers, but she couldn’t get a read on his expression. He straightened his legs, and his feet brushed against her hips, making her jump. “Relax, Red. You’re supposed to enjoy your bath. Instead, you’re wound tighter than a pissed off rattlesnake.”
She couldn’t argue — he wasn’t wrong. But she couldn’t quite settle, either. The question burned too hot to ignore. “I need to know … Did I force this on you?”
One dark brow lifted. “This?”
She gestured vaguely, heat prickling her cheeks. “Bathing. Together.”
“Right,” he huffed, and moved forward until he was right up close. He took hold of her hand, breaking her grip on her knees. Shifting nearer even more, his knees lifted out the water to bracket hers. And her toes … her toes were wedged right up under his thighs. If she wriggled her big toe, she would feel … more.
“I can see now where your mind’s at,” he said, all enigmatic like.
Her mind was firmly in the gutter, that’s where. She sighed. “And where’s my mind at?’
“Wondering why I haven’t kissed you. Touched you.”
She dropped her eyes from his all-seeing stare to his hands holding hers captive. “You are touching me.”
He clicked his tongue. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“Rafferty, I’m too tired to play mind games.”
“And that, Red, is exactly why all we’re doing tonight is bathing. No kissing. No sex.”
Disappointment rolled through her, settling in a knot at the base of her belly. “Oh.”
“And there she goes again.” Rafferty placed a finger under her chin and nudged her head up. “Look at me, Brandy-Lyn.” He waited till her eyes leveled with his. “I want to kiss you all over, map every inch of your silky skin with my tongue. I want to explore every nook and cranny of your luscious body, discover what drives you wild with desire. I want to watch your body flush scarlet as I wring orgasm after orgasm out of you, first with my fingers and tongue, and then with my cock. I want you, Red. With every fiber of my body, I want you. But I also want you to be wide awake when I finally make you mine, not fighting exhaustion like now. So, yeah, tonight we bathe. Just bathe. Then we go to bed and sleep. Just sleep. But tomorrow … I promise, Red, tomorrow you’ll find out exactly how much willpower it’s taking me to not ravish you into oblivion tonight. Now” — he moved his hand and prodded her shoulder — “stop overthinking this, lie back, stretch out, and fucking relax.”
Rendered speechless, she did just that. Lying back, she sank until water lapped her chin and closed her eyes. And closed her mind. It felt wonderful. The hot water warmed her muscles, and bit by bit the tension abated.
And then he surprised her even more. Taking one of her feet in his hands, Rafferty started massaging it. And damn, his fingers were magic, kneading the sole with his knuckles, applyingpressure in the right places, drawing the strain right out of her body.
