heart pound. She pushed off the wall and moved toward him. Half leaning over the tub, she grabbed his face and held his cheeks tightly. She peppered them with kisses. “Thank you, thank you,” she whispered, letting their mouths touch.
It was a gentle kiss. Just the faintest pressure, but it felt good.
“I’ll come back to you,” he murmured.
“I believe you.”
He sighed, then stilled. Pressing his forehead to hers, he asked, “What do you write?”
She tensed, pulled away. “What do you mean?”
“You said when you get stuck and you’re writing, you think of something I’d say.” He studied her, brow cocked. “What do you write?”
“Nothing.”
He frowned. “It doesn’t sound like nothing.”
She peered at the door. “It’s not a big deal.”
“That means it is.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Luke glared at her. “Bullshit. What are you hiding?”
His sudden anger scorched her, and she ducked her head to watch her fingers tangling and untangling underneath the water. “You can’t tell Josh,” she whispered.
“Why can’t I?”
“Because he might make me stop.”
“If it makes you happy, he’d never make you stop.”
She nibbled her lip and bit down hard in irritation. How the hell had this slipped out when she’d been keeping it a secret for half a goddamn decade? “I-I, it was…” She looked at the doorway, back to Lucas, and then down to her fingers again. “You know when I first moved in here?”
“Of course I do. They were some of the best months of my life.”
She smiled at his earnestness. They had been damned good. She’d never had such fun. Now they had fun of a different nature, but all those years ago, they’d been learning about one another and their friendships had been developing.
“Well, sometimes, if…if you were loud, I could hear you through the vents.”
He frowned, then blinked. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. I didn’t want to say anything, because A , it would have embarrassed the hell out of me. And B , it helped me. When I was with you, I had so much fun, but it was kind of torture too. It was damned hard not touching you, not leaning in to kiss you when I wanted. I-I, well, I used to touch myself when I heard you. It used to get me off quicker. I felt like a goddamn pervert, but I thought I’d go crazy. Sometimes, I thought I’d explode from horniness.”
At her admission, he didn’t chuckle or tease, but he shook his head. “Irony is, Josh and I used to fuck the hell out of each other because of something you’d done or worn that particular day. I remember,” he reminisced. “You had this white top you wore a lot, and you didn’t know it, but we could see right through it and your bra when we were in the car. I don’t know why, but every time, we could see straight through. Soon as we got home, Josh and I had to come up here and work the need out of our systems. On top of that, you used to do the cutest stuff, and it made us goddamn hard. The way you eat ice cream,” he remarked with a groan. “It still makes my cock pound, but then? It took a hell of a lot of focus not to come just watching you. And with a snow cone?” He shuddered.
“I’m glad you two were suffering as badly as I was.”
“You’re a bloodthirsty minx,” he teased, making her chuckle.
As her laughter died, she mused, “Sometimes I used to imagine what you were doing when I heard those sounds. I did some research online, and the images were strong in my head. I used to write things down. One day, I figured if I put together all the bits and pieces I’d written, I’d have a decent story. I sent it to a publisher, and they bought it.”
“Do you mean to tell me you’re a published writer and you didn’t tell us?”
She licked her lips. “I-I was afraid you wouldn’t approve. Or, worse, it might put you in a delicate situation with your jobs. I know how tough it was back when we first met. I didn’t want to make it worse.”
Luke shook his head. “You still
It was a gentle kiss. Just the faintest pressure, but it felt good.
“I’ll come back to you,” he murmured.
“I believe you.”
He sighed, then stilled. Pressing his forehead to hers, he asked, “What do you write?”
She tensed, pulled away. “What do you mean?”
“You said when you get stuck and you’re writing, you think of something I’d say.” He studied her, brow cocked. “What do you write?”
“Nothing.”
He frowned. “It doesn’t sound like nothing.”
She peered at the door. “It’s not a big deal.”
“That means it is.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Luke glared at her. “Bullshit. What are you hiding?”
His sudden anger scorched her, and she ducked her head to watch her fingers tangling and untangling underneath the water. “You can’t tell Josh,” she whispered.
“Why can’t I?”
“Because he might make me stop.”
“If it makes you happy, he’d never make you stop.”
She nibbled her lip and bit down hard in irritation. How the hell had this slipped out when she’d been keeping it a secret for half a goddamn decade? “I-I, it was…” She looked at the doorway, back to Lucas, and then down to her fingers again. “You know when I first moved in here?”
“Of course I do. They were some of the best months of my life.”
She smiled at his earnestness. They had been damned good. She’d never had such fun. Now they had fun of a different nature, but all those years ago, they’d been learning about one another and their friendships had been developing.
“Well, sometimes, if…if you were loud, I could hear you through the vents.”
He frowned, then blinked. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. I didn’t want to say anything, because A , it would have embarrassed the hell out of me. And B , it helped me. When I was with you, I had so much fun, but it was kind of torture too. It was damned hard not touching you, not leaning in to kiss you when I wanted. I-I, well, I used to touch myself when I heard you. It used to get me off quicker. I felt like a goddamn pervert, but I thought I’d go crazy. Sometimes, I thought I’d explode from horniness.”
At her admission, he didn’t chuckle or tease, but he shook his head. “Irony is, Josh and I used to fuck the hell out of each other because of something you’d done or worn that particular day. I remember,” he reminisced. “You had this white top you wore a lot, and you didn’t know it, but we could see right through it and your bra when we were in the car. I don’t know why, but every time, we could see straight through. Soon as we got home, Josh and I had to come up here and work the need out of our systems. On top of that, you used to do the cutest stuff, and it made us goddamn hard. The way you eat ice cream,” he remarked with a groan. “It still makes my cock pound, but then? It took a hell of a lot of focus not to come just watching you. And with a snow cone?” He shuddered.
“I’m glad you two were suffering as badly as I was.”
“You’re a bloodthirsty minx,” he teased, making her chuckle.
As her laughter died, she mused, “Sometimes I used to imagine what you were doing when I heard those sounds. I did some research online, and the images were strong in my head. I used to write things down. One day, I figured if I put together all the bits and pieces I’d written, I’d have a decent story. I sent it to a publisher, and they bought it.”
“Do you mean to tell me you’re a published writer and you didn’t tell us?”
She licked her lips. “I-I was afraid you wouldn’t approve. Or, worse, it might put you in a delicate situation with your jobs. I know how tough it was back when we first met. I didn’t want to make it worse.”
Luke shook his head. “You still
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