“So, you broke into my apartment?” I gasped. “Do you have some kind of aversion to picking up a phone?”
Without a response, he reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the shower with him. My t-shirt quickly became soaked under the stream of water, along with the rest of me, but I didn’t mind. Being close to him set my entire body on fire with need. His eyes were filled with desire. “What can I say? I needed to see you.”
Damn. I loved that look in his eyes—like he’d never get enough of me. Zander’s hands slipped around my waist as he leaned towards me and pressed his lips firmly against mine. The kiss was hungry and full of want as he pulled me closer. I wound my arms around his neck while his calloused fingertips roamed down the small of my back. When he touched me, it was just him and me, making me forget about everything else—the doubts, the chaos, and guilt faded into nothing. A soft whimper escaped my lips as he lifted my wet t-shirt over my head, tossing it to the shower floor.
Water cascaded down our bodies as his hand trailed down to my thighs, easing my panties down to my ankles. Once they were gone, he lifted me up, and in a blink, my back was pressed against the cold, wet tile. Seeking more, I tilted my head back, letting the water flow down my breasts. He trailed kisses along the curve of my neck to my collarbone, and ever so slowly, he moved one of his hands up and down my slick side. His fingers brushed against my breasts and then down to my hips, and I groaned with pleasure as his hand found its way between my legs. His fingers slipped inside me, moving ever so gently as he said, “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
“Zander.”
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
“Tell me.” I gasped as he moved faster inside me.
“I haven’t been able to get you out of my head. I can’t stop thinking about all the things I’m going to do to you ... all the different ways I’m going to make you come.” He lowered his mouth to my neck, and as he trailed kisses down my shoulder, he whispered, “You’re mine, Delilah … every fucking inch of you.”
Hearing him claim me in such a primal way sent me over the edge. My hips jolted forward as my body clenched firmly around his fingers. I was floating on the high of my release, relishing the moment of ecstasy, when he lowered himself down to his knees. His mouth came closer, and with one flick of his tongue, my entire body was consumed with desire. My hands dove into Zander’s hair as I shamelessly pulled him closer. I’d never been so turned on, and he had just gotten started. What began in the shower moved into the bedroom, where he spent the entire night exploring every inch of my body.
By the time he was done, we were both exhausted and wondrously sated and collapsed on the bed. He rested his head on the pillow as I curled into his side, my head in the crook of his arm. We lay there motionless for several minutes, trying to catch our breath. I’m not sure what spurred the thought, maybe it was feeling the connection between us growing stronger, or maybe I just needed him to know how I felt. Either way, I looked up at him. “Can I tell you something?”
“Um-hmm.”
I propped up on my elbow, so I could look at him as I said, “I don’t know what this thing is that’s happening between us, and to be honest, I’m not sure I want to know ... but I like it. I’m really happy when I’m with you.”
His voice was soft and low as he whispered, “Delilah.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I’m not asking for some kind of declaration or anything. I just wanted you to know how I felt.”
He didn’t respond. I didn’t expect him to. I closed my eyes as I listened to the relaxing rhythm of his heartbeat, and even though I tried to fight it, I drifted off to sleep. I woke up the next morning in an empty bed with a note from Zander on my pillow, letting me know he’d gone to back to the clubhouse. I was disappointed but not surprised, as I crawled out of bed and headed to the shower. By the time I was out and dressed, it was almost noon. I didn’t have to go into work, so I made myself busy by cleaning up my apartment and doing laundry. Once I was done, I crawled up on the sofa and turned on the TV. A smile spread across my face when I saw that a rerun of Animal Kingdom was on. It made me think back to the night I’d invited Zander up to my apartment. At the time, I hadn’t realized that our dinner together would be the start of something more—maybe that was what I’d hoped for all along.