Page 26 of Take Me Now

“Oh, absolutely. I closed it when I realized he was gone. No worries. Every window is closed. I checked before I left.”

Humpty jumped to the floor and ran in circles around the apartment before hopping back on the couch and rubbing himself all over it. Cooper watched with a slow smile stretching across his face. When I looked up at him, my belly swooped. His eyes met mine, and he grinned. “He’s home.”

Just then, I remembered I was covered in mud and brown slime and probably smelled something like Humpty. I looked down at myself. “Oh my God. I’m going to have to go downstairs to the laundry room.”

“Oh, I have laundry in here,” he said quickly.

“You do?” My eyes widened as I glanced back up at him.

“One of the previous tenants installed one of those small stacked washer and dryer sets. You’re welcome to use it.”

I nodded before I could think better of it. Cooper gestured toward his bathroom door. “All yours.”

I hadn’t even noticed I still had my purse on my shoulder. In my rush to get Humpty into the sink, I’d forgotten about it. I carefully took it off and set it on the counter.

Cooper watched me, offering, “I’ll clean off the strap for you.”

Holding my arms out to my sides, I walked over and kicked off my shoes by the door before hurrying into the bathroom. I’d managed to get the stinky slime just about everywhere except for my shoes. I peeled everything off and stuffed them into the washer, seeing Cooper conveniently had the laundry soap on the shelf. Aside from this addition, his bathroom was like mine. A rainfall shower was centered over an oval-shaped tub with a curtain pulled around it. The toilet and sink were to the side. Where I had wider shelving, he had the washer and dryer, with a small set of shelves tucked between them and the door.

I was a little jealous. I made a mental note to ask Janet if I could add one to my bathroom. I hopped in the shower, savoring the hot water. I had Humpty’s slime everywhere, even in the ends of my hair.

ChapterSeventeen

FARRAH

It wasn’t until I stepped out of the shower and started drying off that I realized all of my clothes were in the washer and I was completely naked. My only option would be to walk out with a towel wrapped around me.

“Oh well. Oh hell,” I whispered to myself as I dried off.

I ran my fingers through my hair after rubbing it with a towel to get it sort of dry. I studied myself in the mirror. I was flushed all over from the hot water. I glanced over at the washer, my eyes landing on the digital screen to see that even though I had selected the quick wash option, twenty whole minutes were still left.

I wrapped the fluffy towel around me, securing it tightly above my breasts, and gathered my dignity. When I looked down at my feet just before I opened the door, I laughed to myself. My toenails were painted bright purple, a fun color.

Whatever. It didn’t matter what Cooper thought of my toenails. Surely, he would understand that I wouldn’t be walking out in a towel unless I waited in the bathroom until my clothes were dry, which would probably be an hour or so.

When I stepped out, he was seated on one of the kitchen stools, looking at something on his phone. I cleared my throat as I crossed the room with one hand curled over the top of the towel where the fabric was tucked in.

“I need to get some clothes,” I announced.

Cooper set his phone down, his eyes whipping over to mine. I was already flush from the shower, but heat blazed through me the second our gazes collided. I stopped a few feet away from him and cleared my throat again, shifting on my feet. He simply stared at me, his mouth parting slightly before he closed it quickly.

He thumbed toward the door. “I can—” His hand dropped, and his eyes narrowed. It felt as if the air around us shimmered to life, almost electric. “Come here,” he said, his voice low.

I couldn’t have stopped myself from responding to his command if I wanted to. The floor was cool under my feet, while the rest of my body was on fire. I took one step, and then another, and another until I stood right in front of him.

He reached for me, one hand coming to rest on my hip. His palm slid from there around my waist to rest just at the base of my spine, where his fingers splayed over the upper curve of my bottom. He coaxed me closer to him with the subtlest of pressure.

I stood between his knees, feeling my heartbeat pounding hard and fast. My breath was short, and I swallowed. His eyes were dark.

“I want you,” he rasped.

I tore my eyes from his, looking down. My gaze landed on his muscled thigh, shifting upward to see the hard ridge of his cock visible through his jeans. That sent a rush of arousal through me. I could feel it between my thighs. I shifted on my feet, needing to do something, anything, to relieve the pressure building there.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

I lifted my eyes to his again, and the look there nearly took my breath away. My knees felt liquid, and one of my palms fell to his thigh. I needed something to hold me up.

“Tell me what you want,” he whispered.

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