Hearths of Fire (38 page)

“I’ll text you when I know anything.”

Neal was brushing his finger against her cheek as if he wanted to say more but he held back. Charlotte didn’t want him to hold back anything and instinct took over when she leaned down and pressed her lips against his. His five o’clock shadow tickled her chin and when he parted his lips, she slipped her tongue inside hoping he would play. Who knew what today would bring? Was it so wrong to grab a few extra minutes with him?

“Daegan’s waiting for me,” Neal said softly when she finally pulled back, although his warm hand remained on her cheek. Both of them were a little breathless and Charlotte felt a shiver of fear that something would go wrong today and she would never again feel his touch. Did he feel it too? “But we both need to shower, don’t we?”

Charlotte couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on her face at Neal’s suggestion. He’d made her anxiety fade with his proposal and there wasn’t a chance in hell she would say no. Her bedroom had a master bathroom attached to it, so they didn’t need to go out into the hallway and take the chance of running into Daegan. He was a nice guy and all, but she got the feeling that he didn’t like her for some reason. She wondered what he knew about her and Neal’s past.

“Whatever wiped your smile away, stop it in its tracks,” Neal said, rolling her until she was on her back. He leaned over her and she automatically wrapped her fingers around his biceps, using her thumb to trace his tattoo. “We’re on a timeline and damned if I’ll let your busy mind keep you from enjoying our shower.”

“Nothing could keep me from enjoying our shower.” Charlotte finagled her way from underneath him and hopped off of the bed. She looked over her shoulder as she sprinted for the bathroom. “Last one in makes the coffee.”

Charlotte ignored the vine of guilt that weaved around her as she took this time with him for herself. There were important things that needed to be done and a young girl’s life hung in the balance until the team felt it was secure enough to go in and save her. As Charlotte turned on the shower and allowed the water to warm, she stood there a moment and rethought what they were about to do.

“The team has been doing surveillance throughout the night and taking a shower that we would have taken anyway isn’t going to make things happen any faster or change the outcome of what is to be,” Neal whispered, his hands covering around her shoulders and pulling her body back against his. Charlotte closed her eyes and unwrapped her arms that she’d had around her waist, bringing her hands up to clasp his forearms. His strength seeped into her and she wondered how she’d made it this far in life without his support and love. That last word she would keep to herself and it wasn’t until she felt the tap of his hand on her buttocks that she realized he’d still been talking. “Hop in.”

Charlotte stepped over the side of the bathtub and waited for him to join her before sliding the shower curtain closed. It was an older house and she’d never upgraded the bathrooms. The porcelain was cold on her feet, but between the heat of his body and the warmth of the water…she’d never felt more comfortable. She was aware that this would have to be quick, but she was surprised when he reached for her loofah and scented shower gel.

“Turn around.” Neal had already squeezed the bottle and spread the fragrant lather onto the soft scrubbing ball. His green eyes bore into her until she slowly turned away from him, facing the tiled wall. He placed the loofah tenderly onto her shoulder and used it to make small circles over her skin. There wasn’t a place on the back of her that he hadn’t washed and when he slid the soft mesh up through her crevice, she couldn’t prevent the tremor of desire that shot through her. “Face me.”

Charlotte hadn’t realized how sensual being washed by a man could be. They had never done something like this when they were young. When she was looking directly at him, she could see the hunger in his eyes and felt assured that he wasn’t unaffected by something as innocent as washing her. He glided the loofah over her neck and shoulders, finally reaching her breasts. When he skimmed the soft material over her nipple, she couldn’t prevent her lips from parting or the soft gasp that escaped her throat.

“Seeing you like this brings back memories, but also shows me what a beautiful woman you’ve turned into, Char.” Neal brought the sponge underneath her left breast, lifting her ample flesh. He did the same with her right, although when he drifted the fabric over her other nipple she had to bite her lip. He was raising her level of desire and instead of being hungry for him—she was ravenous. “Uh uh…I’m not done.”

Charlotte had tried to grab a hold of the loofah, but Neal had pulled it away from her with a shake of his head. She bit her lip and finally lowered her hands to her side, wanting to be the one who caressed him. She glanced down and saw that his morning erection had gotten even thicker and longer. There wasn’t much left of her to clean so he’d better make it quick.

“Your hourglass figure is rarely seen on today’s women.” Neal slid the mesh over her waist, causing ripples of pleasure to travel from her belly button to her clit. She found herself holding her breath in anticipation that he would go lower while listening to his description of her. Hearing how he saw her through his eyes was astonishing, because that wasn’t how she saw herself. “From the way your breasts lay, your hips curve to the shape of your ass, and the sensual V of your pussy—you’re downright voluptuous.”

“Oh!” Charlotte reached over to place a hand on the tiled wall to keep herself standing when he knelt in front of her. She should have had the bathroom redone…that way she would have been able to place her hand on the other side of the shower instead of there being a shower curtain. Neal tapped the inside of her knees, wanting her to separate her legs so that he would have access to her pussy. She was rethinking this shower thing. She wasn’t so sure she’d be able to stand during the duration of what he had left to clean. “Neal, I’m clean. I’m clean enough. My turn.”

Neal’s rich laughter rose up in the steam of the water surrounding her, while all the while it entered her pores. Damn if he didn’t have a sexy laugh that made her want him all the more. She placed her free hand on his head, sliding her fingers through the short, dark blond strands for something to hold on to. She cried out when the meshed material skated across her clit, not even remotely giving her the contact that she needed.

“I’m thinking this isn’t going to get you clean enough.” Neal’s arousal was evident by the tone of his voice and her mind finally connected the dots to what his words meant when his fingers slid through her folds, one finger on each side of her clit. “There we go. All nice and clean.”

Charlotte could have cried when he slipped his hand away, leaving her clit throbbing for more. He continued to wash the inside of her legs as if he hadn’t touched her so intimately. She’d had just about enough of his teasing when he threw down the loofah and stood, turning her around in one motion. She placed her palms on the tile to keep herself upright. He had somehow managed to get his hands on one of those condoms that she kept under the sink and place it on the lip of the tub.

“No fair,” Charlotte complained, looking over her shoulder and seeing his green eyes darken to that color she loved so much. “I get my turn.”

“Tomorrow,” Neal promised, ripping open the condom wrapper and then tossing it outside of the shower. He quickly rolled on the rubber before placing his hands back on her hips. Her heart accelerated at the fact that this wouldn’t be the last time they made love. She rested her lips on her arm as she continued to look back at him. “Right now I need to be buried inside of you.”

As if he was using his cock to punctuate the end of that sentence, he drove his dick into her with one thrust. Because they were so far away from the stream of water, the cool air that slipped through the curtain stroked her nipples. They hardened to the point of pinching but she would much rather have his fingers doing that job. As they both acclimated to the fact that he was inside of her, she realized this was the third time he’d taken her from behind. True, when she straddled him on the chair in the kitchen, she was facing him, but what they were doing at the moment seemed to be his favorite position. She wanted to change that. Reaching down, she captured his hands and moved her body so that his cock slipped from her pussy. The action caused both of them to moan in displeasure, but it wouldn’t be long before he was back where he belonged.

“And what do you think you’re doing?”

“Doing things my way for once,” Charlotte answered, raising an eyebrow at the challenge in his tone as she faced him. She placed her hands on his shoulders, backing both of them up until her back was against the cold tile. She winced but knew that she would eventually get used to the feeling. Most likely she would be too preoccupied from the heat his body was about to provide her to worry about the cold. “I want to look into your eyes when I come.”

Charlotte wasn’t used to talking dirty and technically, some women and men wouldn’t think that even came close. To her it did. Her stomach fluttered as he wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her until her legs wrapped around him, his cock sliding right back into where he needed to be. She was pleased to feel the vibrations in his chest as he moaned his pleasure. He repositioned his hands to lift her as he started to thrust in and out of her, giving them what they wanted most as she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and ignored the slight pain in her back. Watching the tightening of his jawline and the hunger in his eyes made it worth every ache that would be felt during the rest of the day.

“Are you allowed to come before I give you permission?” Neal whispered, the width of his shaft creating that slight burn she loved so much. She felt a bubble of laughter rise up at the ludicrous question, yet at the same time she felt the thrill of exhilaration at such a challenge. “I think it’s only fair to wait until I’m ready to come, don’t you?”

“Don’t men usually come before satisfying a woman?”

Charlotte tested him with some mischief. He withdrew slowly, only to enter her fast and cause her to lose her breath. Apparently he didn’t like her thought process and proved her wrong by grinding his pelvic area against her clit. The direct contact made her close her eyes as pleasure rippled through her.

“Have I ever left you unsatisfied, Char?” Neal placed one hand behind her, protecting her back from any more impact as he continued to drive into her. She hadn’t realized she’d been using that slight pain to keep herself from coming too soon. As if he’d flipped a light switch, her body started to climb that sweet mountain that would end in free-fall. “Do I not—”

Neal cut off his sentence before finishing what he had to say. Charlotte could have filled in many words but it seemed to be a trigger of his passion as he started to thrust into her repeatedly. She searched his eyes for something, anything that would give her an indication on what he’d been going to say but found nothing but animalistic hunger. Over and over, with her clit coming into contact with his pelvic bone on each lunge, she was the first to go over the edge.

Charlotte tilted her head back, allowing a strangled cry to release into the air. Neal’s lips sealed against the sensitive side of her neck as waves of pleasure rolled through her body. Her pussy continually contracted around his cock and right when she was riding the last wave down, his shaft expanded. The telltale sign of his own release, followed by his guttural groan, only extended her own orgasm.

Thankfully Neal waited until both of them had caught their breath before releasing her. When her feet hit the bottom of the tub, Charlotte was glad he still had a tight hold on her because her legs were still trembling. What was it about the two of them that they couldn’t get enough of each other? It wasn’t like they hadn’t made love before, so this should have been old hat. Instead they went full steam ahead and didn’t stop until they were both satiated.

“One of these times we’ll do it in bed,” Charlotte whispered, resting her head against his chest until she felt like she could stand on her own. When he remained silent and only kissed her tenderly on top of her wet hair, her heart felt the slice at the meaning and yet she ignored it. He felt like they couldn’t make this work between them but she was starting to think otherwise. His logic had been sound when he’d made his argument but there was always a way to make things work. They just needed to get through these next couple of days before she brought up their relationship once more. In the meantime she’d keep things casual as they’d agreed. “Need a wash?”

“I think I can manage,” Neal said, putting some humor into his words but it didn’t cause Charlotte to smile. It made her a little sad that she wouldn’t get to touch him like he had her. “I’ll be out to make that coffee I owe you in five minutes.”

“I’ve got you covered.” Charlotte finally lifted her head to look up at him. He used to be such an open book when they were younger and now she could never tell what he was thinking or feeling. She cleared her throat and lifted up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips softly to his to prevent her from saying something that she’d regret. Their day would come. She had to believe that because she was falling for him more every hour they were together. Finally feeling she had a better handle on her emotions, she pulled away and gave him a wink. “Our next wager will involve a bed and you can bet your cute little tush that I won’t let you off so easy.”

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