The shower is still going, so I leave my phone on the dresser and head for the bathroom. I’m not wasting this opportunity either.
I strip as fast as I possibly can. When I climb into the steamy glass-walled enclosure, Scarlett smiles.
“And here I thought you’d decided you were going to shower alone.”
“When I could shower with you instead? I might fuck up some things, but I’m not an idiot.”
Her smile could light up the city. “Did you know I’ve never lived with a guy before?”
My head jerks back and spray bounces off my body. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. You’re my first.”
My palms slide against slippery skin as I curve them around her hips. “Your first? I like the sound of that.”
I take her lips in a slow, measured kiss as the hot water beats down on both of us. Even though I’ve been second-guessing every move we’re making, I don’t second-guess this. Scarlett in my arms is the one thing that makes total and complete sense.
God, she’s incredible.
The words that have been on my mind slip out in the steam. “I love you, Scarlett.”
Her entire body stills for a heartbeat. Then another. And another.
Finally, I examine her expression, not sure how she’s reacting. But it’s fucking better than I could have ever imagined.
This time, the smile on her face could illuminate the entire world. “I know you do. Because there’s no way I could feel like this if you didn’t feel it too.”
“I have no damn clue what I did to deserve you, but I promise, we’re going to get through this. Our future is fucking bright, ladybug.” Maybe it’s a promise I shouldn’t be making, but I have to believe it. The more I buy into it, the more likely it is to come true. I just hope she believes it too.
“I know,” she whispers. “Because we’re just getting started. The best is yet to come.”
Her lips skim down my stubbled jaw, and my fingers curve into the slick, firm muscles of her ass.
“I need you. Now,” I tell her, the words sounding more guttural than I expected.
Scarlett lifts a knee and hooks her leg around my hip. “Then you’d better take me, chief.”
This time, I don’t say shit about the nickname. She could call me anything at this point, and I’d still be putty in her hands.
Dragging the fingertips of one hand up her back, I bury them in her mass of wet golden hair, using them to tilt her head sideways and give me better access.
I take the kiss deeper, pouring every ounce of what I feel for her into it, hoping she understands. I love her. It’s one of the few things I know without a doubt right now. I’d bet everything on it. Bet everything on us.
Her hips lift as she seeks friction against my cock. When I push into her, she moans into my mouth, and I nip at her lip.
Scarlett pulls back, her gray eyes shining. “I never knew it could be like this, wanting someone all the time. I thought I was broken. You showed me I’m not. I just needed you.”
I move both hands to the sides of her face and brush the wet strands of hair away until I’m cupping her cheeks.
“You aren’t broken. You never were. You don’t need me, Scarlett. But it’s the greatest privilege of my life to be with you.”
I don’t know if it’s the water dripping down her face, or tears, but her smile wobbles.
“You slay me when you say things like that.”
I lean in to steal another taste of her. “I’m just getting started, ladybug. But don’t worry, I’ve got you. When your knees go weak. When your load is too heavy. When it’s all too much. I’ve got you.”
“Then take me.”
She jerks forward this time, plastering our mouths together, and I readjust my grip to lift her ass. Her other leg wraps around my waist, and I fit her right where we both need it. My cock nudges against her entrance, and inch by inch, I lower her until she’s full of me.
Scarlett’s head drops back as her inner muscles flex and clench.
I spin around and press her against the tile, and slowly, lift her off my cock and then power back inside her. Stroke after stroke, our bodies come together, until I lose track of everything, except how tight her cunt grips me and the feel of her skin sliding against mine.
It’s like coming home.
This is where I belong. In this moment. With this woman.
There’s nothing I won’t do to protect her and what we have.
When I can’t hold back any longer, I roar her name loud enough for all of Manhattan to hear, and her scream echoes as we both explode.
Nine
Scarlett
Almost every time we have sex, I think there’s no way it could possibly get any better. Any hotter. Any more intense. And then Gabriel goes and proves me wrong.
We wrap ourselves in fluffy towels, and I head to the closet to grab my robe. I’m going to have to get one for Gabriel too. Because, seriously, the only thing I want to do right now is lounge in bed and listen to the sound of his heart beat.
I know. I have it bad. But I don’t care.
Maybe I should, given the gravity of the situation outside these four walls, but I’m not willing to sacrifice my happiness in this moment to the anxiety of worrying about what could happen in an hour or a week or a month. I’m going to be present.
With a smile on my face, I head back to the bathroom to replace my towel on the bar. Legend is in front of the mirror, lathering up his neck to shave, and he shoots me a wink.
“I’ll be done in a few.”
“Take your time,” I say with a smile, knotting my robe and checking to see that Roux is still curled up in her dog bed in the corner of my bedroom, taking a nap.
We both freeze when the intercom sounds at the same time as Gabriel’s phone buzzes.
He moves first. “I’ll get it.”
I hold up a palm. “Let me check the intercom. Then we can decide if you need to go out there in a towel and scare someone away.”
His gaze narrows, but he nods. “Deal.”
With goose bumps rising on my lower legs, despite the plush robe, I pad to the back door and press the button.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me. I need to talk to you. I’m freaking out, and I don’t know what to do.” It’s Monroe’s voice, and she sounds like she’s about to lose her shit.
“Come on up, babe.” I press the button to unlock the door. “It’s open.”
“Thank you, Scarlett.”
“Who is it?”
I whip around to find a shaving-creamed Gabriel standing behind me.
“Monroe. Something’s wrong.”
Gabriel’s brow furrows. “You sure you can trust her?”
My head tilts sideways. “Yes. Of course. Why?”
He reaches out to tug me closer by the belt of my robe. “Because I’m not taking any chances with you.”
I press a quick kiss to his lips, dodging the white foam. “It’s fine. I promise.”
He nods but doesn’t return to the bathroom.
“Are you waiting for something?”
He stands his ground, totally buck naked except for a towel. All six-foot-something of him. And he’s all mine.