Page 51 of Stay for Forever

Chapter 18

Imagine how excited barn owls were when people invented barns.

Maverick

When Juniper drops the curtain and ducks her head under the water, I blow out a silent breath of relief. My June Bug is the most stubborn person in the world. She’d stand here for hours waiting for the water to turn cold if she wanted to.

“Tilt your head back, June Bug.”

“There’s a pair of gloves hanging on the towel rack. You should use them or my witches’ brew as you named it will irritate your hands.”

I glove up – but not in the way I’d prefer to when I have a naked Juniper West in the shower with me – and pour the solution over her hair. I ensure her hair is completely covered with the mixture before moving on to her body.

As thoroughly as I can, I scrub her body with the mixture while being careful not to overexpose her skin. I’m thankful for the gloves – not because I’m worried about irritating my skin – but because the layer of protection prevents me from feeling her silky smooth skin.

There’s no way I can touch her naked body without my body responding and the last thing she needs now is a man with a hard-on in her shower while dealing with the result of a skunk attacking her.

“I would have been fine, you know,” she murmurs while I’m on my knees scrubbing her feet and ankles.

“Fine how?” I ask and glance up at her.

Mistake. Big mistake. I may not be able to feel her while wearing these idiotic gloves, but I certainly can view the miles upon miles of naked skin. I drop my gaze before I begin drooling. I am not an untouched high school kid, but she sure makes me feel as if I am.

“If you hadn’t trampled through the bush with your oversized feet and big mouth, the skunk would have never sprayed me.”

“Hmm…” I mumble since I know she’s correct.

I acted like an idiot rushing in to protect my woman when she was perfectly fine without me. She always is, and it rankles. I don’t want a simpering woman, but it would be nice to know Juniper needs me half as much as I do her.

“I think we’re done,” Juniper says once she’s rinsed the mixture out of her hair and off of her skin.

Done? I thought we were starting over. “What?”

“You’ve scrubbed every single inch of my body. I can handle things from here.”

Oh. She’s talking about the shower. I have no plans to let her handle things, though.

I smirk up at her. “Does this mean I can ditch the gloves and put my hands on your skin?”

She shivers and her nipples tighten. I rip off the gloves and throw them on the shower floor before placing my hands on her ankles. I wait for her nod before drawing my hands up her legs as I stand.

I palm her cheeks. “Are you sure?”

“Am I sure about what?” Her eyes twinkle as she teases me.

“Are you sure you want me to worship your naked body?”

She shivers. “I don’t know. What’s in it for me?”

“Oh, I can think of a thing … or two.” I wink.

“Two?” She cocks her eyebrow. “Is that a promise?”

“Damn straight it is,” I growl.

“If we do this.” I freeze at the insecurity clear to hear in her voice, “there will be no more kissing other women. If you need to kiss another woman for a promo stunt, I will know about it beforehand, and we will discuss it before your lips touch another person.”

Fuck, I’m an idiot. What was I thinking agreeing to do a promotion stunt just because the producer wanted the film to hit number one in the cinemas the next weekend? As if the film wasn’t already grossing millions.

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