After seeing Pasha, I wanted to escape, drown out the voices in my head that told me that somehow our partnership had been responsible for my mother’s death. I’d been so wrapped up with the show and training for Blackpool that I hadn’t noticed how lost my mom was. Maybe I would’ve seen a sign.

Enough—he didn’t deserve to occupy my thoughts. And nothing good came from wondering what if.

I filled the tub with hot water. A large window looked out to the lake, the snowcapped mountains in the distance. I undressed and slipped into the blissful heat.

The best distraction from Pasha was fantasizing about Grady.

Everything was happening so fast between us. It seemed like a big jump to me though, going from never leaving the house, to eating at a restaurant, to spending all our time together. I hoped Grady could handle it, and that he wasn’t moving too fast.

Grady opened the door, and I couldn’t help but gasp even though I’d seen him only a few minutes ago. Every time I looked at him, he became more and more beautiful to me. His battle scars made him look rougher, tougher, badder.

His eyes focused on my body. I wanted him so badly, I arched my back and made sure to give him a view of my breasts.

His tongue darted out to lick his lips and I imagined his tongue doing its magic on me. “Can I join you?”

“I’d like that.” I watched him peel his clothes off, a private strip tease. I’d never grow tired of staring at his body, like some lovesick teenager. His cut abs, his massive chest, his huge biceps. Had he never been injured, his gorgeous face would’ve matched his incredible body. Who would he be now? Some cocky, drop-dead gorgeous player?

He climbed in the soaker tub and wrapped his body around mine as I relaxed into his. Grady’s hands gripped my thighs, and the warmth from his body sparked joy deep inside me.

He squeezed me tight. “I’m glad you dressed as Black Widow that night.”

“Me too.”

His lips crashed onto mine, and my body became alive next to his. I couldn’t get enough of his touch, his scent, his strength.

“Grady, I’m crazy about you.”

He let out a growl but kept my body faced away from his, his cock pressing against my ass. “Don’t move.”

He jumped out of the tub, and the sight of his ass, muscular and defined, was almost enough to send me over the edge. He dimmed the lights, opened a drawer, grabbed a lighter, and lit the candles placed around the tub. He poured some bubble bath in the tub, and turned on the water.

After what seemed way longer than a few minutes, he finally slipped back behind me, and I leaned back into his chest. Our breath syncopated, and his fingers began to massage my temples.

I was practically melting into him when he finally turned the water off. The scent of salted caramel bubble bath filled the room. Grady grabbed a teal mesh loofah and gently kneaded my skin. The fabric danced over my neck, my breasts, down my belly, until it rested in between my thighs. I let out a moan, as his fingers replaced the fabric, teasing my folds, pressing on my clit.

“You’re so beautiful, Isa. Let me worship you.”

He propped me up on the edge of the tub, knelt in the water, and spread my legs. One hand rubbed my nipples, now slippery and slick, while his other hand teased my pussy.

I was desperate for his tongue, remembering how amazing it felt the other night. His eyes looked up at me, and he flashed a wicked grin before his mouth covered my slit.

His tongue swirled around my lips as he rubbed my clit. The pressure was divine, the perfect blend of sucking and licking.

I released a breath and paused to create a mental picture of this moment and freeze it in time. The peaceful lake, the majestic mountains, the sunlit sky.

My pleasure was pulsing in waves, and I began to moan. Grady seemed invigorated by my response, but instead of continuing, he pulled me off the edge of the tub.

I was sure he was about to fuck me, maybe bent over on the edge of the tub, but he had other plans. One press of the Jacuzzi buttons, and I trembled with anticipation.

“Come here, Isa. I’m gonna make you come so hard.”

He positioned me so I was kneeling inside the tub, the jets blasting between my legs.

“Oh, ohmigod.”

He slapped my ass, and I moaned. The palm of his hand tweaked my nipples as the rapid stream of water blasted my clit.

“That’s it, baby, come for me.”

I rolled my hips against the waves, and Grady pushed me flat against the jet.

“Oh my God!” The surge of water unleashed the most intense orgasm I’d ever had. I was out of my mind, riding the pleasure. I screamed Grady’s name, and he held me as I collapsed into his arms.

After I came back down to earth, I couldn’t stop laughing, delirious with pleasure. I reached to stroke his cock, eager to return the favor, but he just pushed my hand away. “I’m good. I just wanted to make you feel good.” He kissed my neck, and we relaxed into the bubbles. “That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

I’d never in my life experienced with anyone else the type of chemistry I had with Grady. That instant lust, that mad obsession, that constant longing. I knew what Grady and I had wasn’t love, it was something else. Something intoxicating.

And it terrified me.