Page 61 of Red Hunt

She sniffled.

“We are not ready for this. Tell you what. I’ll step out of this shower, go downstairs, and shower there. When you’re ready, you wrap yourself in a towel, and I’ll do the same as soon as I’m done. Then we’ll go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, we’ll revisit this, talk about it, maybe even make out a little and we’ll take it from there. Sound good?”

She nodded, her forehead against my chest. What I wanted more than anything was to hold her in my arms, kiss her on the lips, her neck, her breasts. Tease her just a little. Take things slow.

I didn’t want just sex from Milli. I wanted more. So much more. But not now. Not like this.

Never like this.

I reached for her shoulders and groaned when my hands touched her wet body. Her skin felt like silk against my rough fingertips. I turned us around, stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and left the bathroom.

Once the door closed behind me, I groaned.

How stupid was I to leave a naked woman in the shower?

Very stupid.

I hurried downstairs, jumped into the cold shower, washed up, and was done in seconds. Then I dashed back up, with a towel slung around my hips, just as the bathroom door opened. I couldn’t believe how good she looked. A true natural beauty. Her lashes still clung together with wetness which made her eyes look even more vulnerable.

I stretched out my hand, and she immediately took it. “Thank you, Max.”

I kissed her forehead. Everything else would’ve been too tempting.

I led her downstairs to my room. At least I had a bed by now. And the sheets were brand spanking new, too.

“Hop in.”

She did as I told her. And I got in right beside her. This was what I’d hoped for all along, what I imagined heaven would be like: in bed with fresh sheets and a beautiful woman. I turned off the lights and got back in.

“Max?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think I’m weird?”

I turned to her, and even though I couldn’t see her face, I just knew she was looking at me. “No, do you think I’m weird?”

“No, but you weren’t the one acting crazy tonight. I was.”

“Acting crazy? No. Maybe a little impulsive. But I liked it. Seeing you come out of your shell.” Hell, how I enjoyed witnessing her like this. Brave, unashamed of her wants and needs. Perfectly feminine.

“Good.” She snuggled a little closer until her head pressed against my forearm and I could feel her breath against my skin.

It took a while until her breath evened out. I enjoyed listening to her. Liked how she felt in my arms. I kissed her forehead before I let myself slip into sleep.

37

MILLI

I woke up and it was still dark outside. I could feel Max’s breath against my cheek. Sometime after falling asleep, I must’ve turned because he was snuggled against my back with his hand—oh boy, his hand was lightly grasping my breast. Sometime during the night, my towel must’ve slipped. I held myself perfectly still. But something must have woken him. He released his grasp one finger at a time.

“I’m awake.”

I could feel his breath rush out of him. Then his hand was gone, and I missed it.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what? I was the one pushing for sex, remember?”

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