"Tell me," his lips curve against my neck in response and he pushes his palm up against my sex, his middle finger pressing perfectly against my sweet spot. "I want to hear your sweet voice say something dirty."

Without hesitating, I say exactly what I'm thinking. "I want to feel every inch of your cock rammed in me right now."

"Fuck yeah." He hisses. He backs away from me and lets the water spray down my back, then grabs the bottle of lavender body wash I keep here, squeezing some into his hands. I stay where he put me, still facing the tile with my hands flat against it, and he begins to rub the lather all over my back. My nipples harden against his palms when he reaches around to cup them, gently pinching my nipples before moving his slippery hands down to soap up my thighs, running his hand between my cheeks on the way, his fingers lingering and pressing into places that make my breath catch.

His hand tangles in my wet hair and pulls my head back to him, his lips capturing mine, licking the drops of water that have dripped down to my mouth. I twist my head back to kiss him deeper when he grips my waist, guiding my lower body to meet with his and pushing us so the stream of water flows between our bodies. His hand moves between us, fisting his cock and pushing the slick head into my passage. Grabbing my hips, he thrusts up into me long and deep, making me go up on my toes from the force of him filling me.

"If you ask for every inch, I'm going to give you every inch," He rasps against my ear, his voice so sexy it makes me sigh and arch my back, craving even more of him. His hands slide up and cover my breasts, cupping them for leverage as he continues to plunge in and out of me, his forehead leaning against the back of mine. As his breathing becomes more ragged, he reaches up to grab the shower head above us, detaches it, and flicks the controls with his thumb. I'm vaguely confused but too focused on his cock to care - until he holds it between my legs and the pulsing water sends my throbbing nerve endings into overdrive, launching me into an instant orgasm. My legs almost buckle beneath me but he wraps his arm around my waist to hold me as he pulls his shaft all the way out then sinks back into me, his balls slapping against me with every thrust.

"Tor..." Orgasmic delirium has me liquifying under his touch, as if my bones are melting. Dropping the shower head, he spins me around and grabs my ass, lifting me up and pushing me back against the tile, his stiff cock finding home again as I wrap my legs around his waist. He kisses me with wild hunger, pumping into me while the dangling shower head spins around, spraying water everywhere. He moans against my mouth and stills, buried deep inside me, his kisses halting to slow, deep, and soft, and I feel him surge and pulse as he comes. I move my pelvis in slow circles against him, milking and caressing him with my tightening walls. Exhaling deeply, he stares into my eyes and loosens his grip on me.

"Damn...I love you," He says, his voice filled with raw emotion.

"I love you back." I say breathlessly, raining kisses over his face and smoothing his wet hair back.

He lowers me to my feet and we take a lightning fast real shower together as the water has gone mostly cold. When we step out, I realize water has sprayed onto the floor from the shower head flinging around. I kneel down and wipe up the water with an extra towel. "That was pretty amazing." I say, the ecstasy still quaking through my body.

He grins down at me and my eyes are drawn to that incredibly sexy V as he wraps his towel around his narrow waist. "You're not allowed to touch that by yourself. I hold the keys to the magic shower stimulator."

"Oh, really?" I tease.

"Really."

I stand and kiss his cheek. "I wouldn't want to do anything without you, anyway. That would be cheating."

A frown replaces the smile he had a few seconds ago and his eyes turn a shade the color of molten chocolate. "You actually mean that, don't you?"

I squeeze the excess water from my hair with the towel and look at him quizzically. "Mean what?"

"That you wouldn't cheat on me."

My stomach pitches just thinking about that. "Of course I mean it. Are you crazy? Why would I ever cheat on you?" I poke his abs playfully. "You're the perfect man. Sexy, sweet, caring, you love pets, you beat up bad guys, you kiss bunny noses...should I go on?"

He leans back against the sink and watches me as I dry myself off. "I never told you about this but Sydni cheated all the time. Of course she didn't think of it as cheating because we were in a so-called open relationship, but she was the only one with the opening."

I look at him in confusion. "Open relationship? What's that?"

"It means you date and sleep with other people but still have an ongoing relationship with someone else."

"Oh!" I say in surprise. I had no idea. "Ew."

"Yeah, ew."

"Did you...?" I don't want to know that he's been having sex with half our town.

"Once. A long time ago. I was young and thought it would be fun to be able to have a free pass to sleep with anyone I wanted, ya know? But it sucked. I felt guilty and dirty. Back then I cared about Syd a lot, but over the years with all that going on, it destroyed us. Especially her obsession with your father."

"Were my parents like that too?" I ask, starting to feel sick. If my parents were in a relationship like that it would ruin everything I believed about them.

He wraps a thick white towel around me and pulls me to him. "Fuck, no. Your parents were completely committed to each other. Asher hasn't touched a woman in years even though Sydni has done everything but beg on her knees to blow him."

I breathe a sigh of relief but I'm still nauseous thinking about how Sydni has been chasing my father—her best friend’s husband, on top of sleeping with other men. She's worse than I thought.

"I'm sorry, Kenz. I shouldn't be talking like this. Sometimes I forget that he's not just my friend, he's also your dad."

"It's okay, you can talk to me about anything. I just don't understand why Sydni would do that when she had you."

"Variety, fun, excitement, riding different dicks. Who the hell knows." He shrugs but it's obvious her behavior has hurt him.

"You don't ever have to worry about that with me, Tor. I don't care if I'm eighteen or fifty. I'll never want anyone but you."

He swoops me up into his arms, kissing me as he carries me to his bed. My head falls to the side and my gaze lands across the room as his lips tickle my neck. It takes me a moment to register what's different about his room today, and then it comes into clear view. The glass jug, the one that’s been filled with coins for as far back as my memory goes, is now empty.

The engagement ring family tradition.

It seems like a lifetime ago when he told me about the tradition, but in fact it's only been two years. I distinctly remember the unexpected feelings of jealousy that crept over me at the time, picturing him with some lucky woman who would become his wife someday, and secretly wishing it could be me.

My arms tighten around him, his body still hot from the shower, as his lips move over my bare skin.

Could it really be me? Or am I living a temporary dream on borrowed time?

29

Tor

Tor ~ age twenty-two

Ember ~ age twenty-two

"Did you tell him yet?" I ask her softly. Her breathing is soft and even in the dim room next to me, but I know she's awake.

"Not yet."

I turn on my side and prop my head up on my arm.

"You have to tell him, Em."

"I know...I just don't want to hurt him. I don't think he'll understand."

I reach across the bed and touch her hand. "He loves you. He'll understand. Trust me, he just wants you to be happy."

"I know...but I'm afraid he'll think it’s like I'm leaving him in a way," she lets out a shaky sigh. "And I'm not. I just want to do my own thing. I'm always going to be Asher's wife in Ashes & Embers, ya know? They think of me as a backup singer. People don't see me as anything else. In my own band, I'll be me." She turns her head towards me. "Does that make sense?"

"It does. You have to do what's good for you, Ember. You can't just be Asher's wife and Kenzi's mom, you have to be you, too. You're an amazing singer, and I think your own band will do awesome. An all-girl rock band is fuckin' kick ass. I think he'll be proud of you."

"I hope so."

Sitting up, I squint at the digital clock next to their bed. It's almost five pm.

"Do you feel any better?" I ask. Earlier today she got sick to her stomach, became dizzy, and then fell in the kitchen. She's sure it’s just the flu, but she asked me to stay with her while she rested in bed in case she felt sick again. Asher's away for the weekend with his dad, but when I wanted to call him to let him know she was sick, she made me promise not to so he wouldn't rush home.

"A little bit. Just tired."

"You keep resting. I'll make Kenzi some grilled cheese, and keep her busy until bed time. I'll check on you in a little while. Okay?"

"I know I say this a hundred times a week, but I don't know what we'd do without you. You're always so good to us. Our other husband." She smiles at the joke and rolls over onto her side to sleep.

We have this joke where Ash and Ember call me their other husband. Usually it's funny.

Sometimes, it’s not.

Tor

Her skin is soft and dewy from the shower, inviting caresses and kisses over every curve, and I can't get enough of her. She sighs and writhes like a sultry snake beneath me, her nails digging into my back as she arches up to press her body against mine. Her lust and love for me equals mine for her, and that has made chemistry explosive between us.

Rolling over onto my back, I pull her on top of me and she's already a step ahead of me, knowing exactly what I want and need. Her body moves tantalizingly slow on top of me, like she's savoring every inch, every breath, every touch. She takes my cock into her with a long, smooth descent, then lifts herself up even slower 'til she reaches my tip before lowering down onto me again, repeating this over and over. There's no rush, no crazy bouncing up and down, no slamming of bodies. Her body dances effortlessly with mine, like we were made to be one since the beginning of time. There's no rush to reach an end because there is no end. Her eyes fall closed, her pouty lips parting with the ecstasy of my body filling hers as she makes love to me like we have forever.