In the morning, I awoke to a heavy, male arm wrapped around my waist, and Carter’s muscular chest glued against my back. Looking at him, naked and glorious, the bedsheets tangled around his narrow hips, made my heart race. He’d kept me close all night, pulling me into him, curling his body around mine. It was the best feeling in the world. I felt protected and cherished, like he truly appreciated my presence. Now that we were sort of, kind of seeing each other, I wasn’t sure how to handle myself. I decided to take a shower and clean up before pondering all the changes in my life. The hot stream of water soothed my aching muscles and battered body. I closed my eyes and let myself relax for the first time in weeks. A knock on the bathroom door sent my heart into palpitations.

“Mind if I join you?” Carter’s voice rumbled from outside the shower.

I peeked around the glass wall partition to find him standing in the center of the bathroom. “It’s your shower. You don’t need my permission.”

A smirk curled his lips. He strode toward me, naked and confident. I bit my lower lip, mesmerized by the flat stretch of his belly, the cut of muscle below his hip bones, and the long, thick length of his cock between hard thighs. “You’re like a fantasy come true,” he said. His eyes darkened as they swept down the span of my nude body.

“So are you.” I shivered at the heat in his eyes. He drew a fingertip down my sternum.

“If I asked you to get on your knees for me, would you?”

“Yes.” I swallowed past the thickness in my throat. I kneeled in front of him, holding his hips. The granite tile bit into my knees, but I didn’t care. This was erotic as hell. I’d kneel on broken glass if he asked me. He fisted a hand in the hair at my nape. Using the one hand, he tilted my face to look at him. I blinked against the spray of water at my back.

“Open.” The pad of his thumb swept over my lip. Obediently, I opened my mouth, eager to taste the salt of his skin. With his free hand, he held the base of his cock. It jutted out, swollen and dark. His voice was harsh and broken. “Suck.”

I did as he requested. Not because I owed him a dozen favors or because I felt intimidated. I did it because I wanted to give him pleasure. And I knew, without asking, that he’d give back more than I gave him, because that was the way he was.

With both hands gripping his ass for control, I let him fuck my mouth, slowly at first then in short, jabbing thrusts. The water beat down on my shoulders and back. The head of his cock brushed the back of my throat, bringing tears to my eyes. He threw his head back, braced one hand against the wall behind me, and groaned. When his legs began to shake, I knew he was close. I cupped a hand over his balls and kneaded. He began to plead and praise me in broken sentences. In that moment, I held all the power in our relationship.

“Oh God, don’t stop. Please don’t stop,” he begged. “Jesus, your mouth. So sweet.” He pushed into my throat. I gagged then swallowed, regaining control. He cursed as my muscles convulsed around him. “Fuck, you’re good. That’s it. Perfect. Don’t stop. Deeper.”

When the hot, salty taste of his release hit the back of my mouth, I smiled up at him. He smiled back, stroking a finger over my cheek. Our eyes met, and I came undone. I didn’t want to have feelings for him, but I could no longer separate my desire from my emotions. There was something so tender and vulnerable in his touch. I blinked away tears of confusion. It was hard to remain distant when his eyes brimmed with heat and tenderness that matched my own.

He pulled me to my feet. Without a word, he poured a dollop of his shampoo into one of his palms and massaged it through my hair. I closed my eyes, enjoying the strength of his fingers on my scalp. Next, he took the loofah from its hook, loaded it with his shower gel, and began scrubbing my arms. I stood still and childlike, enjoying the attention. No part of my body escaped his attention. He took particular care between my legs. When I winced at the ache of his fingers on my tender flesh, he froze.

“Did I hurt you?”

“I’m a little bit sore from last night,” I said, not wanting him to stop. “But it feels good.”

“I rode you hard, didn’t I?” It was more of a smug male statement than a question, so I didn’t answer. He brushed his lips over my forehead. My pussy began to ache, this time from need. Screw the soreness. I wanted him again. I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever get enough of his big hands on my body or his ridiculously large penis inside me.

Once he’d finished washing me, I returned the favor. It gave me a chance to admire his body. I traced the thick veins running down his biceps, ran my palms over his smooth skin, pausing to tug on his nipple ring with my teeth. He grunted but didn’t move. The twitch of his cock, hanging long and thick between his legs, told me he liked it a little rough. When I reached his ass, I bent down and bit his left cheek. He burst into laughter.

“What’s that for?”

“You have the nicest ass I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, that makes two of us,” he said. He drew my front against his, cupping my bottom in his big hands. My chest swelled with love and lust. I rested my chin on his chest and blinked up at him. He brushed his fingers along my face, from temple to chin. “Damn, girl.”

The confusing swell of emotions kicked up again. Standing like this, naked and vulnerable, seemed the most natural thing in the world and filled me with happiness. The warmth of his strong arms around me, the nudge of his cock against my belly, brought a contentment I’d never known before.

With a thick, fluffy towel, he dried me from head to toe. When he was finished, he tapped the tip of my nose with a finger. “Go lie on the bed. Knees up. Spread your legs wide.”

“Why?” My hands shook as I pushed my damp hair away from my face.

“Don’t ask questions.” The smile slipped from his face. My belly flip flopped at the darkness in his tone. “I’m going to put my mouth here.” He slipped a finger through my folds. I murmured in approval, pressing into his hand, already slick and needy. “I’m going to make this pussy mine.”