Page 218 of Ominous: Part 1
“You can come in.”Her words are strong and clear, and I press my temple to the door, exhaling a sigh of relief. I would’ve gone in anyway, but now, at least, we can pretend she should always take me at my word.
The lights are dim when I enter, only the one above the glass shower on, but it’s enough to see by, so I don’t make her more uncomfortable by flicking on the others. I close the door behind me and lean against the counter, between both sinks, arms crossed over my chest.
She’s sitting up, the water full of bubbles from my body wash, on the ledge of the tub, and she has her knees pulled to her chest, arms draped over them. The air is sticky, and when I glance over my shoulder, I see the mirror is fogged with steam. Her clothes are folded neatly on the floor by the tub, and I see the yellow edge of a pad tucked discreetly beneath her sleep shirt. But not completely hidden, like a reminder.For me.
The fan is on, nice background noise over the gush of the faucet in the tub.
“What lines are you going to cross now?”
I can only smile at her. There are no lines between us, I don’t think. Not anymore.
“I’m going to fall asleep soon.” Her words are thick with exhaustion, a little sluggish.
“I think we already discussed that wouldn’t stop me?” Truthfully, I don’t think I’d enjoy fucking with her if she wasn’t awake to enjoy it, too. But there’s only one way to find out, right?
She ducks her head, shyly. “Yeah,” she whispers. “We did.”
I walk to the tub, sitting on the edge of one corner, gazing at the water dripping over her kneecaps, down her shins, her calves soft and curved. Her legs hide her breasts from view, but not the slender column of her throat. The fullness of her cherry red lips.
The suds cover everything else though, and the tingly tang of minty body wash overrides her own natural scent. But she’s doing this how she wants, the way she feels most secure, and I can appreciate that.
It’s just… not how it’s going to go.
“Give me your foot.”
She gives me alook;her eyes narrowed and lips pressed together.“Eli.”
I reach for one of her hands, wound around her shins. Pressing my fingertips against her inner forearm, working my way up to her wrist, then her hand, trying to relax her with my touch, I don’t look away from her. “I do not give afuckabout your period, Eden. I just don’t, okay? It doesn’t bother me, and I’ve already seen you naked—”
“Mostly naked.”
“—so I know that’s what this is about. Give me your foot. Let me do this for you.”
She studies me, unblinking, but she doesn’t pull her hand away either. The slightest flinch when I reached for her, but otherwise, no resistance. I wonder what it is she’s looking for, then she says, the running water by my ear almost drowning out the words, “Why does everything always feel so heavy between us?”
It takes me by surprise, her question. But it gets under my skin, too, because there’s nothing about it that isn’t true. “Because it’s the only way we can feel,” I answer her, my nails biting into her palm. “Deeply, or not at all.”
Her eyes drop to my abs. “Maybe not always deeply,” she says, a smirk on her lips.
I sit up straighter, glancing down at the tattoo on my hip, half-hidden from my swim trunks. I’ve always been in shape because of sports, and tan from staying outdoors and Mom’s genes. I’m accustomed to people ogling me, and I use it to my advantage. But when Eden looks at me that way, well…
“Baby girl, give me your goddamn foot.” I drop her arm, and this time, she doesn’t hesitate or ask questions that make me think more than I want to right now. Things have beendeepbetween us from the moment we first spoke in the library.
If they had been shallow, she would be a one-night stand. Maybe like Dominic or Luna. A pawn. She is none of those things.
But I still want to enjoy her all the same.
She shifts in the tub, and lifts one perfect, chunky foot for me to take hold of, my fingers around the base of her ankle.
I reach into the water, scalding hot—a temperature she chose—and press the slippery, silver button to the drain. A moment later, it starts gurgling and the levels of the bubbles sink down slowly.
Eden jerks in the tub, splashing water over the sides as she twists around. “What the hell—”
I pull her close to me, her bent knee crashing into the porcelain, her arms slapping into the water, palms seeking purchase to stop me from yanking her close.
But all I can focus on for a second is her tits.
It’s the first time I’ve seen them without anything in my way. Her nipples are dusky pink, drawn up tight, the tiniest hairs standing up along her skin. Her breasts are small and firm, a light orange freckle grazes the underside of one, and I want to run my thumb along it, pinch her and bruise the paleness of her skin here, untouched by the sun.
