I turn the faucet the hottest it will go, and the water hisses through the pipes and out the showerhead. The bathroom in Mom and Dad’s guesthouse is nice, but basic.

Right now it feels fit for a king.

Speaking of, Tripp steps in behind me, and I admire his naked body.

“That’s way too hot,” he laughs. And I agree. But he means the water. I turn it a fraction of an inch toward the cool side. “Thanks.”

“It was a terrible sacrifice,” I tease.

“I’m sure.”

I smile at him…and he at me. The adrenaline from our afternoon has long since faded; three hours at the police station will do that. But the euphoria I feel at being alive is strong. So is the sense of certainty I feel about being here with Tripp.

I pour some body wash on a loofah and trace it over his pecs. His nipples harden underneath the filmy material, and for some reason, it makes me giggle.

“You laughing at me?”

“With you.” I tweak one of them. Tripp groans and presses himself against my hip.

“I was right, huh?”

I soap down his chest…below his navel…down to his cock, thick and long and proud. I smile up at him. “Right about what?”

He runs a soapy hand down my side. “I knew you’d rethink that friends-only, no-sex thing.”

I trace the rim of his head, then give his cock a long and steady stroke. “All it took was being nearly killed, right? It all came together just as you planned.”

I love his dreamy little grunt. I use the soap to my advantage, working Tripp until he’s hard as rock and groaning.

He reaches for my pussy. “Let’s sit down, so we can…” He rubs his thumb over my clit, and we sink to the tile together. Tripp’s fingers find their way inside me…he’s teasing my clit. I tease him, too, with short, light strokes that make him curse and push against me.

“C’mon woman…”

I laugh, and he strokes a fingertip against my g-spot. “Ahhhh—oh God.”

“Friends with benefits…at least,” he murmurs, sounding hoarse.

I cup his balls and feel them tauten underneath my fingers.

“Fuck,” he breathes.

“The benefits are nice,” I manage. God—I’m going to come soon…

I try to direct my focus to his cock, but if this is competition, Tripp’s fingers are winning. My clit’s so swollen…God, I need to get off…

I’m there, and as I pant, I find his sweet spot and feel his warm cum between my fingers.

“More than friends,” I admit.

We leave the shower and move to the bedroom, where we both come again.

Afterward, Tripp gets a warm rag to help me clean up, then snuggles into bed beside me. He curls his big, warm body behind mine, and I wrap my hand around his arm, pulling it closer.

“You’re not so bad,” I tease. “I think I could maybe date you.”

“Yeah?” I feel his breath against the back of my neck. I suppress a shiver.

“Maybe.” I turn around to face him, run a finger down the line between his eight-pack.

“Maybe?” He toys with my hair, giving a small smile. “C’mon, woman…what’s holding you back?”

“I’m not sure anything is.” I look into his eyes and find them soft and serious. “It’s kind of scary,” I whisper.

“Like roller coasters, not like gun-shots, right?”

“Yeah.” I sigh, drawing my body closer to his. “More like a ride that feels too fast…but really, really fun.”

“The kind you’d like to ride again?” he smirks.

“Oh yes.”

He smiles, and I smile, and it’s a lot of mushy, smiley stuff.

“I think I’m going to call in sick tomorrow,” I say.

Tripp chuckles. “Me too.”

“What should we do for our day off?”

“Hmmm…I think you owe me a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.”

“Yeah?”

He nods.

“Is it a date?”

Tripp kisses my cheek, and then my mouth…along my jaw and back behind my ear, making me shiver. “It’s a date,” he whispers.

I’m looking forward to it.

-THE END-