“Sounds good.”
Before I could hop down from the counter and leave the bathroom, Gideon removed his shirt and tossed it to the floor near the door. He unbuttoned his slacks but hesitated. He took off his socks. His Adam’s apple bobbed, but he dropped his pants to the floor without faltering this time. With a tiny peek over his shoulder, he blushed.
Wait a sec—
His boxers fell to the floor, and I nearly bit through my bottom lip. My God, Gideon was naked. He was a sight to behold as he walked to my shower and turned it on. He didn’t turn around or look at me. The tips of his ears were red. But he was still naked.
Thick hairs covered his thighs, and there was a thin layer of finer, but no less curly, hairs across his muscled buttcheeks. His back was strong, shoulders broad. Even his feet were sexy, toes long and a little hairy.
Terrified of ruining this beautiful moment, I remained silent and feasted my eyes on his bare flesh. That was, until he turned.
Manners dictated I not look. At least, not right away. Any polite guy would wait, maybe ask permission or be sneaky about a peek. But I wasn’t known for my ability to play it cool. So my eyes dropped to his crotch instantly.
Then a strangled noise clawed at my throat because oh my God! I had seen very few naked men during my lifetime, and I’d never been interested in penises until the appendages were attached to three specific angels whom I loved. So it wasn’t exactly my fault that I’d assumed all penises were like mine—small and tucked close to my body when I wasn’t aroused; growing in length and girth when I was.
Apparently, this was not the case because Gideon was big, even though he wasn’t aroused. His uncut penis hung soft but long against his thigh. If he was turned on, he wouldn’t need to lengthen; he’d simply harden. And maybe it was a good thing he didn’t want to have sex with me because I didn’t think it would physically be possible for him to fit inside me without injuring me.
Regardless, I totally kept my cool. I did not stare with my mouth hanging half-open. I did not imagine how badly I’d choke if I ever tried to go down on him. I definitely did not say, “Holy crap, that’s huge!” And after not saying that, I definitely did not clap a hand over my mouth and giggle like a teenage girl.
Gideon blushed redder than I’d ever seen him, and his laugh was uncomfortable. “I feel there’s no response I could give that wouldn’t sound arrogant.”
Hiding my broiling face in my hands, I snickered. “Sorry. My mouth isn’t always connected to my brain.”
“Well, you showed me yours, so…” He drifted off, and I burst into manic laughter.
Feeling all kinds of awkward, I jumped down and closed the distance between us. The moment before I hugged him, he stiffened. Maybe he thought I was going to touch him or come on to him somehow. But when I merely wrapped my arms around his torso and buried my embarrassed chuckles in his sternum, he relaxed.
We hugged, Gideon naked, me in nothing but a towel. And it was so good. There was so much skin and warmth. It could have been sexual because I was hopelessly attracted to him. But it wasn’t. It was just… good.
“I love you,” I said as I rubbed my nose through his chest hair.
“You are the most precious thing I have,” he said. “And I… I love you too.”
My eyes burned, but I refused to cry. I didn’t want to ruin one of the best moments of my entire existence with tears.
“Could we make out later?” I asked as I pulled away and sniffled. “After your shower, once we’re—when we have clothes on. Maybe we could—”
“Probably,” he said, and I simpered.
“Okay. Cool.”
Before I left the bathroom, I watched him step into the shower and said, “Just so you know, you’re really hot.” His brows rose, and I blushed furiously. “Not to objectify you or anything. I just—I mean, like all of that”—I gestured to his body, mostly covered by the shower door—“really works for me.”
“Thank you,” he said, humor lacing his tone.
“You’re welcome,” I squeaked.
“And Riley?” he called out.
I hovered on the threshold, hooking my head around the door to meet his green gaze. “Yeah?”
“All of you”—he copied my stupid hand wave as my heart swelled to bursting in my chest—“works for me too.”
I didn’t think it was possible to be this happy without exploding from the sheer magnitude of it. “Cool.”
While Gideon showered, I got myself under control and dressed in boxer-briefs and one of Noel’s T-shirts. I considered jerking off before Gideon returned, if only to ease my poor hormones, but I didn’t want to get caught. He never spent long in the shower, and we’d both be embarrassed if he walked in on me.
Plus, masturbating didn’t hold a huge appeal. I much preferred sharing orgasms with my Committeds.
For some reason, nerves fluttered in my stomach as the shower turned off and Gideon moved inside the bathroom. My anxiety was silly. We’d made out several times and slept in the same bed more nights than I could count. Yet the air felt pregnant with expectation.
The bathroom door opened, and I caught my breath as my golden angel appeared, wearing nothing but cotton trunks stretched over his powerful thighs. Was he trying to break my brain? He was unfairly attractive.
His cheeks were flushed from the heat of his shower, and he didn’t meet my gaze as he shuffled to the bed. He’d brought pajamas with him from his room, but I didn’t see them now. And as he drew back the covers and sat down on the bed, I realized he wasn’t planning on putting them on.
He really was trying to kill me, wasn’t he?
It wasn’t like I couldn’t control myself, but he was not helping my self-control. Just because we didn’t have sex didn’t mean he was clueless about how he affected me. If it was anyone but Gideon, I might have thought he was being cruel, but he would never use my attraction for him against me. Which meant there was a reason he’d forgone his pajamas.
My stomach flip-flopped as he made himself comfortable, tucking his legs under the blankets. The lamplight played along his round pecs and the ridges of his abdomen. His damp hair looked almost brown, the ends still wet, swelling with the last droplets of water from his shower. He smelled clean and fresh, like peppermint and sunshine and damp earth.
“Gideon—”
He cut off my weak whisper with a kiss, his mouth claiming and a little rough. He’d never kissed me like this before, and he hardly ever initiated. Sure, he’d peck my lips in greeting or farewell, but he never instigated kissing.
But this was kissing. He was insistent and unyielding, his hands framing my face and holding me captive. I responded enthusiastically—how could I not? His stubble scraped my chin, and I moaned into his mouth as his tongue teased the seam of my lips.
He’d brushed his teeth. I could taste the toothpaste on his tongue, and I shuddered. But when his hands dropped to my waist, lifting my shirt, my thoughts ground to a halt. It went against everything I secretly wanted, but I grabbed his wrists and stopped him.
Breathing each other’s air, we stared at each other with wide eyes. His eyes were bright and wary. His fingers trembled.
“What are you doing?” I asked, and he blinked at me. His mouth moved, but he didn’t speak. “What are you doing, Gideon?”