early-morning meeting. He had not been able to get a direct flight back and the two layovers had been interminable. He could probably use a shower.
He stopped short when he hit the light in the master bath. The long marble vanity with its double sink was normally empty except for his toothbrush, toothpaste, and a small bowl where he tossed his spare change and keys. The key bowl was now lost in a confusion of bottles, jars, tubes, and brushes. A magnifying mirror vied for space with a blow drier and flat iron. The sash of something midnight blue and silky trailed over a half-open drawer and onto the floor.
Morgan felt a little lightheaded as tension he hadn’t realized existed flowed out of his body. Jessica was definitely home.
He had forgotten the astonishing array of paraphernalia she added to the bathroom. A picture of Kinsey blowing an exaggerated kiss was taped onto the mirror above one sink. Next to it was a bright pink Post-It with WWJCD scrawled across it. What was that about? Yet more bottles and jars in all shapes and sizes surrounded the sunken tub.
He stripped out of his clothes and headed into the shower. Standing in the hot jets of water from multiple heads, he searched among the bottles crowded onto the built-in shelf for his shampoo. There were over a dozen designer bottles crammed together. Morgan scanned the labels — shampoos for hydrating, extra body or deep cleaning, conditioners for volume or shine, sea salt exfoliant, organic herbal cleansing gel. He finally found his bottle of supermarket brand shampoo/conditioner behind something labeled crème douche vitalité.
Curious, he opened the bottle and sniffed at the contents. A musky scent rose up on the steam around him causing his body to clench in reaction. It smelled like Jessica, or part of Jessica. Her actual scent was more complex, something heady and exotic that drove him nuts every time she was close. Hastily he re-screwed the cap and dropped the bottle back onto the shelf. He couldn’t contain his memories as easily, though. They twined around him while the spray pounded onto his body.
Jessica, here in the shower, sliding down him like a warm tropical rain, her mouth engulfing him with its own moist heat. Jessica bent over his arm, bottles scattering around them as she braced herself against the wall and he slid into her. Jessica, limp and sated, her long hair trailing a river of water as he carried her back into the bedroom … .
He sucked in a breath and dialed the water temperature all the way to the right. The shock of the cold water on his skin made him gasp, but it allowed him to relegate the searing memories back to the past. When he was sure he had himself under control, he shut off the taps and reached for a towel.
Was he crazy to bring her back here? He wanted her, had never stopped wanting her. She was the one who had been willing to wander out of their marriage as casually as she had wandered into it. She had actually acted offended when confronted with the evidence of her own duplicity. Like he was the one who had done something wrong.
The smart thing would have been to let her go. But after seeing her again, he had known he had to make one last effort. Now he wondered if he had made a mistake. Just the scent of her soap made him crazy. How was he going to keep her from ruling the relationship when she was actually in his bed?
• • •
Kinsey was chattering happily as she and Jessica carted their purchases into the house. Jessica kept a smile fixed on her face, but her heart was racing at double-time. Morgan’s sedan was in the garage. It looked oppressively conservative and somber next to her sleek little sports car. She had the depressing feeling that the conservative exterior hid an engine powerful enough to leave her frivolous little coupe in the dust. Not that Morgan was likely to engage in anything as reckless as a street race.
Trying to envision Morgan gunning his engine and peeling out down a deserted strip
He stopped short when he hit the light in the master bath. The long marble vanity with its double sink was normally empty except for his toothbrush, toothpaste, and a small bowl where he tossed his spare change and keys. The key bowl was now lost in a confusion of bottles, jars, tubes, and brushes. A magnifying mirror vied for space with a blow drier and flat iron. The sash of something midnight blue and silky trailed over a half-open drawer and onto the floor.
Morgan felt a little lightheaded as tension he hadn’t realized existed flowed out of his body. Jessica was definitely home.
He had forgotten the astonishing array of paraphernalia she added to the bathroom. A picture of Kinsey blowing an exaggerated kiss was taped onto the mirror above one sink. Next to it was a bright pink Post-It with WWJCD scrawled across it. What was that about? Yet more bottles and jars in all shapes and sizes surrounded the sunken tub.
He stripped out of his clothes and headed into the shower. Standing in the hot jets of water from multiple heads, he searched among the bottles crowded onto the built-in shelf for his shampoo. There were over a dozen designer bottles crammed together. Morgan scanned the labels — shampoos for hydrating, extra body or deep cleaning, conditioners for volume or shine, sea salt exfoliant, organic herbal cleansing gel. He finally found his bottle of supermarket brand shampoo/conditioner behind something labeled crème douche vitalité.
Curious, he opened the bottle and sniffed at the contents. A musky scent rose up on the steam around him causing his body to clench in reaction. It smelled like Jessica, or part of Jessica. Her actual scent was more complex, something heady and exotic that drove him nuts every time she was close. Hastily he re-screwed the cap and dropped the bottle back onto the shelf. He couldn’t contain his memories as easily, though. They twined around him while the spray pounded onto his body.
Jessica, here in the shower, sliding down him like a warm tropical rain, her mouth engulfing him with its own moist heat. Jessica bent over his arm, bottles scattering around them as she braced herself against the wall and he slid into her. Jessica, limp and sated, her long hair trailing a river of water as he carried her back into the bedroom … .
He sucked in a breath and dialed the water temperature all the way to the right. The shock of the cold water on his skin made him gasp, but it allowed him to relegate the searing memories back to the past. When he was sure he had himself under control, he shut off the taps and reached for a towel.
Was he crazy to bring her back here? He wanted her, had never stopped wanting her. She was the one who had been willing to wander out of their marriage as casually as she had wandered into it. She had actually acted offended when confronted with the evidence of her own duplicity. Like he was the one who had done something wrong.
The smart thing would have been to let her go. But after seeing her again, he had known he had to make one last effort. Now he wondered if he had made a mistake. Just the scent of her soap made him crazy. How was he going to keep her from ruling the relationship when she was actually in his bed?
• • •
Kinsey was chattering happily as she and Jessica carted their purchases into the house. Jessica kept a smile fixed on her face, but her heart was racing at double-time. Morgan’s sedan was in the garage. It looked oppressively conservative and somber next to her sleek little sports car. She had the depressing feeling that the conservative exterior hid an engine powerful enough to leave her frivolous little coupe in the dust. Not that Morgan was likely to engage in anything as reckless as a street race.
Trying to envision Morgan gunning his engine and peeling out down a deserted strip
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