He couldn’t believe his ears. Or his eyes. Cooper really thought he’d died or was so deep in a coma he hallucinated a hot-ass encounter with Jada in the shower. But it was real. She was real, and so was the slight tremble in her hands and voice, and the way she looked at him all shy and sweet. He hadn’t dared to hope that she would reach out to him so soon, instead bracing himself for a few months of drought before he got to take her to bed again, but maybe the adrenaline and danger pushed things ahead of schedule.

Cooper wanted to drag her into the shower and have his way with her under the scalding water, pressing her up against the tile or pushing her to her knees or bending her over the side of the tub so he could see all of her... But they couldn’t wake up Francine.

He kissed Jada but didn’t let himself get too distracted before he pulled away, feathering a few more smooches along her cheek as he reached for the doorknob. “I’ll be just a second.”

She blinked but didn’t say anything as he slipped out of the bathroom. The shock of cooler air and no steam smacked him with some good sense, and Cooper double checked that the door and window were both blocked. He shoved plastic utensils into the window tracks, so no one would be able to open it without breaking the glass, and stacked the coolers against the door to provide a little warning if anyone tried to get in that way. Then he checked on Francine, who was still passed out with her mouth hanging open and half-burrowed into the covers, and switched on the television to a low volume to provide some background noise to cover up if he and Jada made some noise.

Cooper added another blanket on top of Francine, just in case she got chilled in the night, and picked up his cell phone to bring into the bathroom with him. He retrieved the shampoo and body wash from his bag, since he didn’t like the looks of the bar of soap in the shower, and wished he’d brought a loofah so he could exfoliate her brains out.

He left the phone on the vanity before closing the door, glad that Jada still had her clothes on so he got to see her undress. “Francine is sound asleep, door and window are locked, and all is well.”

“Finally,” she said. When she looked at him, a hint of leopard peered out as well. He wondered if she’d ever used the animal side to gain confidence, to borrow courage when she needed it. Not that he thought she needed courage to face him, but... after the way her family behaved, he wouldn’t have been surprised.

Cooper couldn’t wait another second and leaned in, so hungry for her it was like he hadn’t eaten in months. Maybe years. Her lips parted in sweet invitation, and he plundered her mouth as his fingers worked the button on her jeans. He hated buttons. He’d have to find her tearaway clothes or clothes without fasteners of any kind, so nothing would slow them down. Jada made a soft sound against him, her fingers tentative as she tugged on the waist of his sweatpants, and Cooper had to take a deep breath to keep from losing control completely. The bear wanted to tear her clothes off with his teeth and shred them with his claws.

Instead, Cooper took his cues from Jada. The jeans slid low on her hips until he pushed them down and they fell to the floor, then he turned his attention to the bra. The hooks required a finer touch than he had, and after fumbling for more than three seconds, Jada twisted her arms back and undid it for him, a hint of a smile in her eyes. He loved it. He fucking loved it.

So he kissed her and grumbled his approval, tossing the bra aside. “I’ll get you some that hook in front. Much easier. Or those sports bra things that don’t have any hooks and I can just pull off. Or nothing at all, so every time I touch you there’ll be nothing between us at all.”

Jada laughed breathlessly, her attention still on his sweatpants as she stepped out of her jeans. “Or you could just practice.”

“That too.” He stripped off the sweatpants and dropped them where her bra and shirt ended up, and toyed with the waist of her panties. “What about these?”

“Kind of hard to shower with them on,” she whispered. Her perfect breasts rose and fell rapidly as she breathed, and the creamy white flesh and sweet pink nipples distracted him until he leaned down and kissed them.

Jada squeaked in surprise as he dragged his tongue across first one, then the other, and gently rolled each in his fingers as he sucked on the other. Her hand rested on his head as Cooper listened to her breathing grow shallow and quick, and felt it when her muscles relaxed and tensed at the same time. He backed off, appreciating the flush that spread from her chest up her neck to her cheeks, and tugged at one hip of her panties.

He didn’t even have to say anything; Jada stripped them off, tossed them on the pile of clothes, and looked at him square in the eye, her whole face flaming red. He almost came right then.

He checked the water to make sure it hadn’t cooled, but never took his eyes off her. Jada’s lips pressed together before she picked up the shampoo and body wash that he’d left on the counter. “But I really do need to wash my hair.”

“Then I can help with that,” he murmured, and lifted her into the tub. He stepped in quickly and drew the curtain, wanting her to feel safe and secluded, and fiddled with the showerhead to aim at the crown of her head.

She faced him from under the stream of water, her cheeks already pink, and Cooper tried not to think of how close his dick was to her soft folds and even the close grip of her small hands. He dumped some shampoo into his hands and started rubbing her head, folding her hair up and working his fingers against her scalp until Jada sighed and relaxed, her hands flat against his sides. Her head tilted back and a soft groan of pure pleasure escaped as her lips parted, and Cooper couldn’t take it. His hands slid to her back in a mass of suds and pulled her close so he could kiss her, devouring her mouth as her slippery skin slid against his.

Jada murmured and kissed him back, just as hungry, and Cooper kept moving his hands through her hair to get the rest of the shampoo out. His brain nearly shorted out as Jada’s hand wrapped around his cock and gave him a tentative stroke. He froze, bracing one hand against the tile, and concentrated on breathing. Jada blinked, uncertainly in her eyes. “Is that okay?”

“It’s more than okay,” he said. He caught her hand and repeated the motion, guiding her grip on him until she had a good rhythm going, then he cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples until she squeezed his cock a little harder.

Cooper closed his eyes against the spray of hot water and started to drag her closer so he could pick her up, wrap her legs around his waist, and pound into her until they both came. But Jada was still a bit hesitant and uncertain, and he didn’t want to look after his own needs without getting her ready.

He stepped back and then turned her so her butt nestled against his groin, the iron length of his cock sliding between her butt cheeks and down, and he moved them both forward so the water sprayed against Jada’s chest and lower. He kissed behind her ear as he dumped the body wash across her chest. “Things are about to get slippery.”

Jada drew a shaky breath and gripped his forearms as Cooper’s broad hands squeezed her breasts and started spreading the creamy body wash all over her. His fingers dipped between her legs for only a moment before traveling on, even though Jada’s head fell back against his shoulder and her feet shuffled apart to give him better access.

He dragged his teeth along her shoulder and teased her slit again, searching for the bud of nerves that made her tense and rock her hips against his hand. “Normally I like to take my time.”

Her arms drifted up to tangle in his hair, her whole body undulating in his hands, and Cooper lost himself in the expanse of heated, slippery skin. His cock hardened even more against the soft give of her ass, and he envisioned taking her there, too, some day in the future. Cooper groaned and gripped her tightly, pinching at her clit as he slid two long fingers into her core.

Jada gasped and arched her back, jerking against his touch. Cooper’s bear wanted to mark her, wanted to fuck her hard until the wolves would never mistake her for someone else’s. He breathed in her scent, heightened by the steam and close quarters, and backed off to tease her just a bit at a time.

She gripped his wrist and tried to push him to go faster and deeper, but Cooper chuckled and pressed his mouth against the back of her neck. “Patience, my love.”

“Cooper, please.” She reached back to touch his cock, trying to stroke it despite the close quarters, and even pushed her ass against him in invitation. “I need you.”

The bear almost took over. He groaned and plunged his fingers into her, moving faster while his thumb rubbed her clit. He listened to the soft gasps and moans that escaped as she dangled against his grip, completely relaxed and at his mercy and... trusting.

He felt her tense as her muscles clamped down around his hand, but he kept moving, kept fucking her with his fingers, as the first wave swept through her. She bit down on her knuckle as a throaty sound bounced through the bathroom, and Cooper chuckled as he moved his hand faster, searching for another, deeper climax before he took his turn. “You like that?”

She whispered something that sounded like a prayer, then jerked against him, arching away as she went up on her toes and ground out a cry. Her hips thrust against his hand and back against his cock before stilling, and she slowly went limp against him.

He smiled, waiting to draw his hands away until she started to lift her head, then wanted to gloat as more tremors ran through her as he slowly slid his fingers out of her channel and brushed against her sensitive clit on his way out. Jada moaned but clapped a hand over her mouth to try and stifle the sound. He kissed her throat and went back to slowly, leisurely, lathering up bubbles over as much of her body as he could reach. “I told you it would be tough to stay quiet.”

Another sigh was her only response.