“Relax,” she rolls her eyes. “I’m the big sister, remember? I’m supposed to be the one giving you the lectures about staying safe. And besides, I have the TV and wine. It’ll be like a vacation for me. God knows I need one.”
I know she’s just trying to make me feel better. I pull her into a hug, emotional. “I just got you back,” I tell her, muffled against her hair. “I can’t lose you again.”
“You won’t.” Wren pulls back and gives me a reassuring nod. “Nobody knows I’m here. This is the safest place for me to be. Now, you two should get back on the road,” she nudges me towards the hall. “I’m going to take an hour-long shower and wash my hair.”
“Then I definitely won’t stand in your way,” I sniffle, trying to pull it together. “Because I love you, big sister, but you need it!”
We drive backto London in comfortable silence. I’m suddenly worn out from the emotion and drama of the past few days, and Saint can clearly tell, because the moment we’re back at his London house, he takes me by the hand and leads me up to the calm of the main bathroom suite.
“Sit,” he tells me gently, perching me on the armchair in the corner. Then he starts the faucets running into the massive claw-foot tub, checking the temperature and adding a whole bottle of lavender bath oils, until there are bubbles billowing, and the room is filled with a fragrant steam. “Don’t move,” he tells me, before disappearing downstairs again.
I couldn’t if I tried.
Wren’s reappearance, her shocking revelations… It’s been a whirlwind, and that’s on top of my decision to quit Oxford and move in with Saint, taking our relationship to the next level. But sitting there, exhausted, I still feel a sense of peace deep in my heart. Despite everything, I know I’m exactly where I need to be.
With him.
Saint returns, carrying a tray of my favorite snacks, and a steaming pot of tea. “I brought supplies,” he says with a warm smile.
“Angel,” I smile back. “Although, you might have to carry me to the tub, I don’t think I can move a muscle.”
“Undressing you…? Hmm, what a chore,” he teases, setting the tray down on a stool beside the tub. Then he does just that: peeling my clothes slowly from my body, until I’m naked, and sinking into the hot water with a sigh of relief.
“That feels amazing…” I say, leaning back into the bubbles.
“Good.” Saint knees beside the bathtub and reaches for a soft washcloth. “You need to relax. You must have been running on pure adrenaline since Wren showed up again. The body can’t keep it up without crashing,” he adds, dowsing the cloth, and slowly running it across my shoulders.
I melt into his touch, feeling the stress leave my body with every slow, deliberate stroke. He massages my back and arms, running the damp cloth over my aching limbs until I’m almost liquid.
But still, I can’t shake the worries in the back of my mind. “I hate all this lying and sneaking around,” I confide softly. “We just got to this place where I was going to leave all that behind me for good, and start a new chapter, and now… Now it’s all more complicated than ever, and you’re the one who’s going to have to lie, as well.”
Saint gives a rueful smile. “I know, baby,” he says, sitting beside the tub. “I can’t say I’m looking forward to going in to work at Ashford tomorrow and looking them all in the eye. Wondering what they know. Who’s behind this…. I thought that the company was finally doing good work,” he adds. “Changing the world for the better. But now… It’s all just a lie.”
I feel an ache for him. We’re talking about his family here. Flesh and blood.
“I’ve ruined everything for you,” I whisper, feeling guilty. If I’d never turned his world upside down… If we’d never met…
“No,” Saint says fiercely, cupping my cheek. “You saved me, Tessa. I was killing time, amusing myself with meaningless distractions. I thought just opting out of my family bullshit was enough, but you’ve showed me there’s something more than that. Something real. This matters, what we’re doing,” he adds, eyes full of determination. “The truth matters. Doing the right thing, and making a stand, no matter what the cost.”
My heart melts. I reach for him, kissing him passionately, his mouth hot and searching against mine as I run my fingers through his rumpled hair and slide my tongue deep to tangle with his.
Saint groans against my mouth, and the sound shivers through me. The sound of raw desire. I pull away, and rise to my feet, the water running off my naked body.
He gazes up at me for a moment, full of reverence, and I feel a hum of power. When he looks at me like that, I feel like the center of the universe.Invincible. I hold out my hand, already breathless with wanting him.
“Take me,” I tell him boldly. “Saint… I need all of you tonight.”
He rises to his feet, his expression turning dark and hungry now. “Is that so, darling?”
He takes my hand and helps me step out of the bath. Still naked. Still wet—and getting wetter by the moment. “How, exactly do you want me?” he murmurs, settling a towel around my shoulders, his hands skimming my damp curves. “On my knees for you, baby? Giving that sweet pussy the tongue-lashing it deserves? Or on my back, watching those magnificent tits bounce as you milk my cock dry?”
I give a moan at the filthy images, swaying into his warm hands. He slips his fingers between my legs, dragging them lightly through my drenched core. Saint sounds a hiss of satisfaction. “So wet for me, aren’t you? You’re going to feel like heaven… But first, I need a taste.”
He withdraws his hand, and brings it to his lips, slowly licking his fingers clean as his eyes stay locked on mine.
My stomach twists.Fuck, it’s hot. Watching him savor me, like the finest wine.
“Your turn.” He moves his fingers to my mouth, and slowly pushes one inside. I shudder with an illicit thrill, tasting myself on his skin as I close my lips around him and suck.