She raised a brow. “That’s the first thing you want to do? Take a shower?”
“You say that as though I’ll be by myself.”
“In that case...” She pivoted on one stiletto, then climbed the wide hardwood planked staircase at a brisk trot.
He raced after her, effortlessly taking the stairs two at a time, laughing as she ducked into a room and then popped back out as if to make sure he was following her. As if he’d be foolish enough to lose her.
“You’re not getting away that easily,” he promised as he entered what was clearly her bedroom. He made short work of whirling her into his arms so he could strip her slowly for a much-needed round two.
When her gaze met his, it was full of promise and his breath hitched in his chest as he drew off her suit one luscious piece at a time. Never one to hold back, she got him out of his clothes lickety-split and when they were both bared to each other, he picked her up and carried her into the en suite bathroom he’d spied earlier.
She flung her arms around his neck, her own breath coming faster as she nuzzled his ear. Heat swept across his skin. Would he ever get tired of her? Usually he was done by now. Once, maybe twice, was generally enough with one woman.
Not this one. She kept drawing him back and he kept not resisting.
Gently, he set down the armful of long-legged blonde on the black granite vanity so he could turn on the water in the shower. Six showerheads spurted to life and he let them run in the cavernous enclosure that had the perfect seat for what he had in mind.
Cass perched on the counter, blinking at him dreamily, and it was so sexy, he crossed back to her while the water heated. He wanted to touch her.
Stepping between her legs, he gathered her against him, flesh to flesh. She clung to him, wrapping her limbs around his waist. Her hair was still down, golden and curly against her back, tempting. So he indulged himself in what had become one of his favorite sights—her hair wound up in his fist.
A six-foot-long mirror spread out behind the vanity and Gage had a front row seat for viewing the gorgeous woman reflected there. Sensation engulfed him, sending a blast of blood to his groin so fast, it left him lightheaded. He groaned and his eyelids drifted shut. No bueno. There was no way in hell he was missing a minute of this.
Prying his eyes open, he gorged himself on the sight of the lovely naked woman in the mirror, and the man who was poised provocatively between her legs. And that’s when he realized this was the first time he’d seen Cass fully unclothed. They’d made love in a couple of inventive spots that had been, oh, so very hot, but it hadn’t given them the time to undress.
This was a first. And he planned to enjoy every second of it.
Reverently, he soaked her in. Then he was kissing her, delving into the moment with every fiber of his being. She made him ache, down deep inside where it couldn’t be salved. Except by her.
They undulated together, physically and in their reflection. Steam from the shower gave the picture of the two of them a dreamlike quality, and it was the most erotic scene imaginable.
When they’d both shuddered to an intense, unbelievable release, he gathered her in his arms and took her to the shower, where he ministered to her like a slave doting on his mistress. It was as much an act of making love as what had happened on the vanity, though the thorough washing could never be remotely construed as sex. Didn’t matter. Here in the shower as he rubbed soap over her skin and slicked shampoo through her hair, he wanted to make her feel as good as she made him feel, to connect on a higher level. Maybe somehow, he could open her up enough to know the ice was gone for good.
He couldn’t stand it if things went back to being frozen between them.
Because he liked this Cass. More than he should. Far more than he had in college. This time was totally different, but he couldn’t put his finger on what caused it to be that way. When he was inside her, his heart beat so fast, he thought it might burst from his chest, and when he wasn’t with her, he thought about her. And not just about the physical stuff, though that was never far from his mind. No, he thought about how she’d come into her own as a woman. As a CEO. She’d grown far beyond his decade-old counsel.
The water grew cool and he shut it off, drying her tenderly. When he swiped the last of the water away, she grazed his cheek with her hand and lifted his lips to hers for the least suggestive kiss of his life. There was nothing sensual about it, just her laying her lips on his, and he couldn’t have ended it to save his life.
Finally, she pulled back with a smile.