Page 39 of Between Desire and Denial
“I’m taking your things to our damn room,” he grumbled and walked off. I followed him as he combed his hand through his hair like he was trying to shake off the tension between us.
“You’re right. I’m not even thinking. I need to look like I’m living with you anyway,” I agreed as we walked down the hall.
I swore I heard him grumble that it wasn’t the point, but I couldn’t be sure. “Just put your stuff wherever you want, okay? Our bedroom should have enough space for both our things.”
“It’s your bedroom,” I corrected him.
“Well, ours tonight since you’re sleeping inmybed. I’ll let you unpack, but call me if you need anything, Honeybee. Anything at all.” His voice rumbled under my skin and caused me to shiver.
“Thanks,” I murmured, but he was already gone, leaving me to unpack and then unwind in that oasis of a bathroom on my own. I searched the cabinets and found his designer must have taken great thought into what should be stored here. There were plush towels, soaps with gold specks in them, and bath bombs that I was sure Dimitri didn’t use.
Someone had stocked and decorated this bathroom for a king. Or for Dimitri, hoping he would be thankful. It was areminder that I might have Jameson after me, but Dimitri probably had hordes of women after him.
I sighed and grabbed a bath bomb. I wanted to relax for just a short minute, to decompress alone, to relieve the tension of being in the house with him.
Dimitri didn’t know me or my past. He didn’t understand that this town could turn a person inside out and eat them alive. I was bringing him into that, shaking things up, and he was shaking me up in the process.
I let the bath bomb spread across the water and turned on the rain spout from above. The pink foam fizzed, smelling like sweet fruit. I breathed out as I got in the hot water and let it work on loosening my muscles. I was surprised to find the bathtub had small jets too.
Everything melted away—every worry, every concern—and all that was left was the thought of being in his home, in his space, completely naked, like I belonged there.
He may have had another woman create this oasis, but I sat there with the smells of him all around me and the echo of his voice still in my ears. I felt how he’d breathed my name in that kitchen, how his eyes raked over my lips as I bit them, and my hand immediately slid between my legs. Desire is always strong when a release is needed. I wanted him even though I knew I would have to deny myself. Here in the bathroom alone, I could envision him though.
I slid my hand into the water, down my body, and then between my legs. I imagined him with me, how his hands felt, how he was rough but so gentle when he wanted to be. The moans I let escape were small as I worked myself higher and higher.
“Honeybee.” My name rumbled from deep in his chest as my eyes flew open to see him leaning against the doorframe.
“Oh my God!” I jumped and a bunch of the water and bubbles sloshed over the tub onto the tile floor. It’d been designed to take water into a drain three feet away, so I wasn’t concerned about that. I was concerned that he was standing at the doorway, leaning against the frame, looking like absolute perfection with just sweatpants on.
“Don’t whisper my name when you come. When you’re in my house, scream it nice and loud so I know you’re thinking of me.”
“What are you doing in here?”
“I came to put on my sweats after I showered upstairs and heard you saying my name.”
“So, you just walked in?”
“It’smybathroom. You said that. Plus, I thought you might be calling me because you needed something. Maybe to destress?” He brought up our conversation from before and that smirk on his face was almost irresistible.
“You were supposed to be giving me time to relax,” I reminded him.
“I still am.” He looked into the bubbly water, and I didn’t shift to cover anything of mine now. “I just want to witness my girlfriend relaxing. Maybe learn a bit more about what she likes.”
I looked down and saw how his sweatpants were pitching a large tent. I couldn’t look away either. I licked my lips and tried my best to will myself to close my eyes, but they wouldn’t listen to me at all. “You should leave.”
“I should. But you know I’m not going to.”
Chapter Fourteen
DIMITRI
The bubblesin her bath were sparse enough that I could see how her nipples tightened, how the blush on her chest and neck rose to her soft face. I saw how she wanted this as much as I did. “There’s not a chance in hell I’m leaving now, Olive.”
I wasn’t good at denying myself anything. Most risks I thought were worth taking, but I had hesitated at first with her which meant she was one of the biggest risks of all. She was the one I was going to have to go all in on. I had to. Yet, I had to be careful with her, ease her into the idea, and make sure we navigated it all perfectly for it to work out. I wasn’t about to share her with Jameson or any other fucking man, that was for sure. The thought alone had me wanting to rage.
“This ends badly for all of us.” She seemed to be reminding us both. “We don’t want to be in a screwed-up situation while I’m here. When things go sideways with us, we need to remember we still each have a friendship with Kee.”
Did she think our friends couldn’t overcome us being together? I wasn’t going to be able to explain it to her now. My brain wasn’t currently functioning. It was short-circuiting as I stared at her. It wouldn’t be something I would admit later. I’dchalk it up to my dick taking control, but right then, it didn’t feel that way. This was more than lust. I wanted to own this woman in the bathtub in a way I’d never owned anything. I would have given all my prime investments for it.
