Page 52 of Pretend

Without missing a beat, he said, “Your socks,” making her frown as she glanced down at her pink socks with baby teddy bears on them.

“My socks?” Morgan asked, slowly blinking as she looked back up at Eric to find him nodding. “They have to go.”

Wondering if he’d hit his head during that fall, Morgan reached down and-

“I really fucking hate your pants.”

-was forced to clear her throat to stop herself from smiling.

Making sure to sound put out, Morgan finished pulling off her socks before she reached for her pants. She took her time unsnapping the fly, watching as Eric’s hungry gaze followed the move. When she reached for the zipper, his gaze became hooded and when she pushed her pants off…

She watched as Eric released a shaky breath.

“What else?” Morgan asked as she stepped out of her jeans.

“I really fucking hate your shirt,” Eric said hoarsely.

“You picked it out,” Morgan pointed out as she reached for the hem of the pink tank top that she really loved.

“I was clearly out of my fucking mind when I did it,” Eric murmured absently as she stood there, slowly exhaling as she struggled to ignore just how nervous she was.

The last time that he saw her naked, they’d been four years old and forced to share a bath after an unfortunate incident involving the gallon of old paint they found in his father’s shop and the tube of glitter that she got for Christmas. They’d spent the entire time their mothers were scrubbing them from head to toe fighting over a rubber ducky, and now…

Now, she was really nervous.

“I hate how beautiful you are,” Eric said softly as he reached for her.

“I hate how unbelievably kind you are,” Eric said as he pulled her closer.

“I hate how you make me feel,” he said as he reached up and took her hands in his.

“How do I make you feel?” Morgan whispered as he gave her hands a gentle tug that had her climbing into the tub.

“Whole,” Eric said as he helped her lower herself into the tub so that she was straddling his thighs as she got her first real look at him and-

Oh, God…

“What else?” Morgan asked, swallowing hard as she grabbed onto the sides of the tub with trembling hands.

“I hate just how fucking happy you make me,” Eric said as he reached up and cupped her face in his hands.

“What else?” Morgan asked hollowly as she licked her suddenly dry lips.

“I hate you,” Eric murmured softly as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.

“How much?” Morgan asked as she dropped her hands away from the side of the tub.

“More than anything,” Eric whispered reverently against her lips.

“And you’re not just saying that to get me to take my shirt off, are you?” Morgan asked with a watery smile.

“Oh, I’m definitely saying that to get you to take your shirt off,” Eric said, brushing his lips against hers as she reached into the water, and after a slight hesitation, she decided to show him just how much he meant to her.

* * *

“What else?”Morgan asked as Eric watched her pull her shirt off the rest of the way and drop it on the floor while he sat there, biting back a groan as he ran his eyes over her.

She was so fucking beautiful, Eric thought as he took in the tear-dropped breasts that had him struggling not to lose his fucking mind. “Did I mention that I’ve thought about this moment a lot?” he asked, unable to stop himself from licking his lips as he took in the light brown nipples that had his cock jerking hard beneath the water.

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