Home Is Where the Heat Is (18 page)

“True, but not in January.” He shivered and snuggled close.

Her hopes faltered, and she tried to think of another way to cement her memory in his mind. She spotted a control panel at the edge of the tub, and nudged his face in that direction. “Can we play in the tub?”

His laughter rumbled through her. “Yes, we can.”

She turned and teased his chest with her fingertips. “It’s big enough for two.”
Or three.

“Or more.” He swatted her butt and nipped her neck before releasing her and turning on the water. “Towels are in there.” He nodded toward the far wall.

She opened the door and walked into a closet almost as big as her bathroom. “Wow.” She grabbed two fluffy towels and took her time admiring the space.

JT peeked around the door. “Did you get lost?”

“Yeah.” She laughed and followed him out. “I was looking for bubbles.”

“I don’t have any bubble bath.”

She spotted a bottle of body wash on a corner shelf. “This’ll work.” A rich, sandalwood scent filled the air as she poured the soap into the tub.

JT turned the faucet off as the bubbles threatened to overflow. “Now you’re gonna smell like a guy.” He stepped into the tub and held his hand out to help her over.

She sat between his spread legs and settled back against him. “I’ll smell like you.”

“I don’t mind.” He slid his hand up her throat and turned her head as he bent down to kiss her.

***

He’d held onto Claire when she tried to walk out, but now as they clung to each other, slipping and sliding in the soapy water, a nagging voice sounded in his head.
Don’t get too attached.

JT pulled away from the kiss and grabbed the bubble-covered charm around his neck, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. He squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to block out the persistent warning.

He felt Claire’s fingers slip under the chain. “Should we take this off?” She tugged it upward.

His eyes flew open. “No, no, no.” He pulled it back and let the stone drop into the water. She raised a puzzled eyebrow and he cracked a smile. “A bath won’t hurt it.”

She braced her hands on the tub and turned, spreading her legs over his. “Is it as dirty as you are?” She dipped her hand under the water and stroked his stiffening cock.

“Dirty luck. Interesting idea.”

“Oh, I’ve got ideas.” She studied the control panel and pressed a button. The submerged jets on all four sides of the tub roared to life, churning the water around them. “When I said play in the tub, I meant play dirty.”

Well, fuck me with a fire hose.
“Now you’re gonna kill me.”

She positioned her spread legs directly in front of the side spray. “Woo hoo hoo!” She slipped to her knees and backed away. “Too much.”

“I can turn it down.” He reached for the pressure knob, but she slid into his hand.

“No, let me try a different angle.”

She turned around and lowered her pussy onto the rushing water, letting it graze her clit from behind. “Ohh yeah, much better.”

JT leaned forward and massaged her breast. “Want a hand?”

“No, just watch.” She glanced toward the foot of the tub, then backed up against the jet below the fireplace. “This’ll give you a better view.”

“Hell yeah.” He settled into the opposite end, spray pummeling his back as he fixed his gaze on her.

Claire purred and moaned, rocking back and forth on her hands and knees as the water massaged her pussy. “I want one of these.”

A hint of jealousy shook him, but he laughed it off.
You can use mine whenever you want to.
Why didn’t he say it out loud? He lived with uncertainty every day, had learned to deal with it, but this time, with this woman, he wanted more than blind hope and dumb luck.

She rose up on her knees and clamped soapy hands over wet breasts, rolling her nipples between her fingers while she fucked the spray. The rushing water washed the bubbles away from her thighs, giving JT an unobstructed view of her wet pink flesh. His cock hardened and poked through the bubbles over his lap, and he grabbed his tingling dick and stroked, winking at Claire when she stole a glimpse at his pumping fist.

She braced one hand on the tub behind her and closed her eyes, riding the pulsing spray. “Fuck yes.” She sighed and gnawed her lip. Her entire body gleamed in the bright sparkling light, and her skin flushed a pretty pink.

JT slid closer, wrapping his ankles behind her thighs and holding her hips while she rocked. The churning water and foaming soap made the bathtub a slippery playground. “Hang on, sweet thing.”

But she tugged and twisted her nipple, thrusting her exposed clit against the relentless rushing spray. “Oh fuck. Right there!” She gasped and curled up, moaning and swearing as bubbles flew in all directions.

He caught her as she slipped, splashing water onto the floor. They fell together and his head went under, but as he surfaced, he impaled her hot, throbbing pussy. He coughed and sputtered while she wiped the bubbles from his face. “Trying to drown me?”

“Nope. Then I couldn’t do this.” She gripped the tub behind him and thrust down on his rigid cock, driving deep as her knee slipped.

“Fucking hell!” Soap stung his eyes, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her in place.

She swept wet hair from his face. “Mmm… soapy and slippery. Fucking in the tub is just so… decadent.” She grabbed his shoulders and kissed him, and he tasted his body wash on her lips.

He raised a hand to fondle her breast, and his elbow connected with solid porcelain. Tingling pain shot through his arm, rendering his fingers numb on her nipple. “Decadent and dangerous.”

“You’re going to feel that in the morning.” She ground down on his cock.

The pain disappeared as slick, slippery goodness flowed over him. “I feel it now.”

She braced both hands on the tub and rode his upright cock. Bubbles dripped from her pert nipples onto his stomach. Her thighs flexed as she rose up on her knees then slid back down to engulf him.

He gasped and tried to grab her ass, but the side jets knocked his hands away. “Let’s slide back just a little.”

She adjusted her grip backward a couple inches as he slid down, aligning their joined bodies with the spray. Claire cried out. “Oh my God!”

“Shit!” JT clamped his hands over hers, clinging to the tub as the water rushed over them, pounding his cock and her pussy from both sides. “Hold on!”

She gasped and twisted. “I can’t.” Her body rocked on top of him, curling and clenching as she cursed him to hell and back.

He held on to the tub, but lost his grip as the surging water and her seizing pussy swept his sanity away. They tumbled, crashing and splashing into the tub and landing bruised and battered in each other’s arms.

Drops of water speckled JT’s face as Claire squirmed. “Turn the jets off,” she groaned. “I can’t take it anymore.”

The spray still throbbed against her ass, no doubt tormenting her oversensitive flesh. He groped for the control panel and slapped the off switch. The water calmed, and she sighed on his chest. “I’ll bet you’ll never forget that.”

“I think those odds are stacked in your favor.” He peeled a wet strand of hair from her cheek and kissed her. “Getting cold in here.”

“Mm-hmm. Think we can make it to the bed this time?”

“If I can walk.” He grabbed the edge of the tub and hoisted himself up. “Lots of water on the floor. Stay here while I mop that up.” He grabbed a towel and wiped the tile as well as he could, then held Claire’s hand while she climbed out.

They shared the remaining towel and dried each other off. “You’ve got bubbles in some strange places.” JT rubbed the thick cloth under her breasts.

She inspected his cock. “So do you.”

“Whoa.” He grabbed her wandering hand. “Better stop that if you want to leave the room.”

She giggled as he scooped her up and strode to the bed. He dropped her on the quilt and then fell on top of her.

“Ow!”

“Oh sorry.” He leaned up on his hands. “Did I crush you?”

“No, your arrow stabbed me.”

A red scratch raked across her breast, pointing straight to her heart.
Fuck me with a bad omen.
Or could it be a good one? Had the lucky charm marked her as his? He bent down and kissed the warm wound. “Does it hurt?”

She shook her head. “A few bruises and scratches mean I had a good night.”

“
We
had a
great
night.”

She smiled and arched under him, pressing her hot body into his as he sank down and held her tight. “It’s not over yet,” she breathed on his neck.

Chills spread over his skin as her promise made his heart tremble. Uncertainty lurked in the darkest corners of his mind, but he pushed it back and held onto the hope she offered. Luck might or might not favor him, but he’d fight fate with every scrap of strength he possessed to keep Claire happy.

He just hoped she believed him worth the trouble.

Chapter 13

JT had told Claire he’d be working overtime to rebuild the burned jobsite. He’d warned her that they might not see each other much this week, and he’d cancelled their date last Friday night. She hadn’t heard from him at all on Saturday, and on Sunday he called and said he needed to rest. His explanations made sense. He apologized with sincere remorse. He promised restitution. A reasonable person would find him not guilty.

So on a plain old Wednesday night the following week he should’ve been caught up and rested.
Right?

“Sorry, I’m going to the Nuggets game with Kurt tonight, remember?”

Wrong.
She sighed,and her fingers curled around the phone, clinging to a last remaining shred of reason. “Kurt gets a date with you, and I don’t?”
Ow!
A fingernail bent as her grip tightened.

His husky voice warmed her ear. “I’ll make it up to you, sweet thing, I promise.”

“I know.” She hung up without saying goodbye, cutting off his pleas and promises.
He’s turning into Michael.

The clock on her computer monitor read 3:53 p.m., and she remembered Alex had an appointment at four. A knock on the office door signaled that the appointment had arrived. She stood, straightened her skirt, and turned the knob.

“Hey darlin’, how are you?” Detective Will Barnett’s magnetic smile curled her toes.

“Hi Will. Come in.” She stood back, but his body brushed against her as he walked by. She shook off the old attraction and focused on her job. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No thanks, I’m good.” He perched on the edge of her desk.

She’d seen him a few times since they’d broken up, always at work, always professional, but this time she had to dig her spiky heels into the carpet to keep from throwing herself into his arms and seeking comfort against his big strong chest. “I’ll see if Alex is available.” She approached his closed door. “Sounds like he’s on the phone.”

“I’ll wait.” Will smiled and rested his hands on his powerful thighs.

“Did you have fun on New Year’s?” She leaned back next to him, hoping for a juicy tidbit about their wild weekend.

“Oh yeah,” he grinned and winked. “How about you?”

Her face flamed and she glanced down at her shiny red shoes as an image of JT’s glistening, soapy, body flashed into her mind.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He laughed. “Someone got more than a kiss at midnight.”

Until the sun came up. “Yeah, but I haven’t had much luck since then.”
Literally.

“What happened?”

She slumped beside him. “Nothing. He’s been working a lot.”

“Sounds familiar.”

“I know.” Yet another man had abandoned her for his work. When would she stop picking guys who put their careers first?

Will rubbed her hunched shoulders. “You need to find a guy who adores you completely and won’t let anything come between you two.”

JT had practically worshipped her during the trial. Every time they shared the courtroom, she felt his gaze on her, studying her every move. The State of Colorado had required his presence, but Claire believed she’d been the real reason he showed up every morning. Then, as soon as the trial ended, real life intruded. Maybe JT’s business did come first. She hadn’t seen it before.
Am I wasting my time with him?

Alex’s door popped open. “Hey Will. Claire, can you print the Garrett autopsy report for me?” He disappeared into his office.

“Yes, sir.” She jumped up and scurried to her computer.

Will stood, but lingered at her desk. “Is there anything I can do for you, Claire?”

She swept her hair from her hot cheek, tucking it behind her ear. “No, I’ll be fine.”

He nodded and stepped away, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him into a firm embrace. His arms folded around her, filling her with warmth and boosting her strength.

“Thank you,” she sighed.

“Anytime, beautiful.” He kissed the top of her head.

She smiled as he walked into her boss’s office. She’d learned a lot about herself from her short, hot fling with Will. He’d seen into her soul and exposed her wildest desires. Maybe he understood her needs now.
A guy who adores me completely… wouldn’t that be nice?

Her desk phone buzzed. “Do you have that report?”

She glanced at the silent printer. “It should be on the… cheese and crackers!” The infernal machine blinked some unintelligible message. “The printer isn’t working again,” she yelled at the intercom.

“Call IT.”

She slapped the stupid hunk of metal and dialed the helpdesk extension from memory. Kurt appeared within minutes, but she’d hoped someone else would fix it this time. The ever-present geek owned the number two spot on her crap list.

He walked over to the lifeless machine and inspected it. “Printer down again?”

She stood behind him with her arms crossed. “Brilliant deduction, Captain Obvious.”

“Uh….” Kurt shoved his glasses up his nose and blinked.

Claire raked her fingers through her hair. “Sorry, I’m having a bad day—bad week—and Alex is waiting. Can you fix it?”

“I can fix anything with a hard drive.”