Page 48 of Fragile Kiss (Fragile 2)
As she slowly regained consciousness, she heard him in the shower. Phew, he’s not gone. Of course he wasn’t gone; he would never have left without saying goodbye or waking her up or something. He couldn’t just leave; that wasn’t him.
The room was warm on one side from the hot shower and cold on the other from the air conditioning. She coughed, and rubbed her eyes encrusted with sleep. Delirious, she flopped over and weakly reached for her glass of water, draining it all at once. As she set it back down, she heard him step out of the shower. A seriously pleasing image of his body—the whole thing—crept its way before her eyes. She smiled, lowering herself down to sprawl on the bed.
“Good morning, gorgeous.”
She looked up at him through sleepy, droopy eyelids, and at the sight she was a hundred percent more awake. His abs. Hot damn, his abs. Even after all they had been through together, she still felt like a self-conscious, puppy-love-giddy teenager when she looked at him. Does he notice I’m looking? Does my face look too embarrassed? Am I blushing? He must know I’m staring. He’s not that aloof.
She was slightly horrified when he noticed that she was dazing off with her eyes stuck on his torso. “You all right?” he asked with a mischievous smile, taking a hand towel from the bathroom counter and rubbing it through his hair. Little sprinkles of water flew out, catching the warm light of the bathroom behind him. Steam drifted to the ceiling, curling around his shoulders.
Shit, collect yourself, Lillian! She ripped her eyes away from his muscles, but found them on the next best place: the towel around his waist. More specifically, the part where he tucked the end in to keep it from falling down.
I would undo that part in a heartbeat if I were bolder, she thought, and didn’t feel a bit of shame about it. There was nothing about this guy that didn’t make her melt. She was hopeless.
You always said I was hopeless, she sent out to Amelia, wherever she was. I bet you’re laughing now. I find a guy who’s irritatingly aware of his good looks but also soft and cushy on the inside. Dammit, I’ve just got to keep him.
In her mind, she saw Amelia with that annoying “I told you so” smirk on her face.
“Hey,” Cayden said again, following her gaze to his towel and putting his hand there. The cheeky glint in his eyes was almost blinding. “Where are you?”
“Here,” she replied too quickly. “Uh, sorry.”
Cayden smiled that little lopsided smile of his, the one that meant he had caught her doing something he knew she would be embarrassed about. He also knew full well that that smile drove her wild.
“Don’t do that,” she commanded him, but it was too late. She felt that familiar quiver inside her body. She wanted him, and fast.
“Why not?” He did it again.
“You know you’re not supposed to smile like that.”
“Why not?” He bent at the waist, so his face was at her level, and inched closer.
“Oh, my gosh. Stop it.” She felt pale. Her heart was pounding alarmingly fast.
“Stop what?” he murmured, now in her personal space. His fresh-shower-smell made a thick cloud around them.
Taking a deep breath without realizing it, she looked straight in his eyes. Not to make eye contact with him, but to examine his eyes. She hadn’t been this close to him willingly—and sober, at that—in what seemed like years. It had actually been months, when she thought about it. She had forgotten how clear and how vividly blue his eyes were, nestled there in the chiseled features of his face.
“Damn, you’re beautiful.” Snapped out of her trance, her hands flew to her mouth. “It was supposed to be a thought!”
“Huh?” He drew back just a tad.
“Nothing.” Dammit, Lillian, the “nothing” trick never works. Don’t pull that one.
“Tell me.” He grinned.
“No!” she barked.
“Come on, tell me.”
“No way.”
“Okay, then.” He stuck out his lower lip. “I already know, anyway.”
She froze. “What?”
“I know what you said.”
“What did I say?”
