“You are so beautiful,” he tells me quietly, and then kisses my forehead.
I smile and reach my finger up to trace his lips. “So are you.”
He kisses my cheek and then pushes himself up and gets out of bed. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
He makes omelets and coffee for us while I sit at the island and watch, and we enjoy it all out on the balcony sitting in the warm late-morning sun.
“This is the best morning of my whole year.” I tell him gratefully. “Thank you.”
Blair grins at me, but there’s a knowing sadness there behind it.
I give him a shy smile back and ask him where I can bathe. I still carry with me the grime of yesterday, only some of it physical. He points me in the direction of the master bathroom, promising me I’ll find a tub in there big enough to scuba dive in.
“Thanks!” I beam at him. I take our dishes in and clean them since he cooked, before I head to the master bathroom. I take my time, letting myself marvel at the place in a way that I couldn’t last night. Now that I know I’m here, really here, it’s all that much more amazing.
I can’t imagine the kind of people who lead this life, not knowing how privileged they really are.
He’s right about the tub. It’s giant. I run it full with hot water and fill it to overflowing with bubbles, and then I open the windows beside it that look out over the tops of the city. No one could probably see me, but I feel like I’m taking a bath in the clouds because I’m so far up.
I slip into the water and I feel all the stress and anxiety in me drift away. It’s the best bath I’ve ever had. I let myself forget everything else for a minute. It’s become my pattern this—forgetting and remembering in spurts of gut-wrenching emotion.
For now, I revel in the forgetting.
My eyes are closed and I’m humming a tune when I hear the door of the bathroom creak open. I sit up quickly, my body sinking below the top of the bubbles. My eyes go wide when I see Blair walk in wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He has a bottle of champagne in one hand and two glasses in the other.
“What … what are you doing in here?” I ask breathlessly.
That dimple in his cheek deepens and his green eyes dance. “I thought I’d see if you want some company.” His real question hangs in the air between us, not needing to actually be asked.
It takes me a minute, and I stare at him without answering, but he takes it in stride and gives me that flirty smile of his as he sits down on the side of the tub and pours a glass of champagne for both of us.
“Happy birthday, Bunny,” he toasts me. I’m so nervous. I tip the glass back and drain it, and he refills it. I’ve never even seen a boy naked, let alone been in close company to one.
My body betrays me, yearning to be closer to Blair in a way that doesn’t guarantee I’ll leave this tub in the same … state … as I am now if I let him in.
Just knowing that makes my body ache and my cheeks blush.
He leans down and kisses my mouth so softly and slowly, my inhibitions melt away. “Can I come in with you?” He asks this time, just above a whisper.
It’s probably never going to be better than this, I reason with myself, and besides … I have to admit it. I can’t ignore that ache inside me any longer. I want him. I nod and slide back a bit, keeping my shoulders carefully covered while I give him space to climb in beside me.
I just nod, unable to say a cohesive thing. He smiles and stands up, dropping his towel to the floor. I look away quickly, blushing hard this time as the image of his nude body lingers in my mind’s eye. He laughs a little and gets into the tub, coming right to me.
My hand shakes as I go to down the whole other glass of champagne, but Blair reaches out a gentle hand to stop me. His hand rests on mine, steadying it for a moment, before he carefully takes the glass from me to set it on the side of the tub.
“Steady now,” he says, his voice low and sincere. “I’m not going to take advantage of you while you’re drunk.” It’s sexier than if he was actually trying to be sexy.
He sets his own glass to the side and cups my face in his hand before leaning in for a slow, careful kiss. His lips barely brush mine as his hand moves from my face to rest on my shoulder, his thumb running across the shape of my collar bone.
A moan escapes my lips as he draws back, his gaze dropping to my body as he clears the bubbles away to take in the sight of me. I let myself do the same—my shy glance growing sharper as I look over the shape of his body without making myself look away this time.
He can’t keep his hands off of me. When he closes the gap between us, his lips find me with a new urgency. His fingers trail down my back, across the tops of my thighs, teasing at the sides of my breasts. He holds back until I reach for him too, my own hands exploring his body with a need of their own.
Heat ignites between us and it isn’t long before he pulls me onto his lap, and we cling tightly to each other as I let go of being a girl, and find myself becoming a woman.
Chapter 3
When we finally emerge from the tub, Blair can’t seem to let me go. He wants more of me, and I have to admit that I want more of him, too. We don’t even make it out of the master bedroom before he and I are tangled in the sheets, learning each other’s bodies.