He moved, giving her a gentle tug. “Let me help you.”
She didn't need his help, but she wanted it very much. She let him guide her to her bathroom. In the tight, intimate space, he leaned over to turn on the water and run the shower, then turned back to her.
His gaze locked on hers as he took the hem of her shirt in his hands and peeled the wet material from her chilled skin.
"Relax," he whispered, his warm eyes promising she'd be okay.
She let out a breath, very aware of her nudity and their close quarters. The bathroom wasn't the biggest, and standing chest to chest like this, she could barely exist without touching him. He dropped the wet bundle of cloth into the sink with a plop before unbuttoning her jeans, sliding down the zipper, and tucking his thumbs between her hips and the pants.
His eyes never left hers and she swallowed hard, stunned by the emotions and excitement blazing through her veins. She might be freezing cold outside, but inside she blazed hotter than the surface of the sun. All the erotic moments she'd had getting naked in front of strangers and knowing they couldn't touch her paled in comparison to being here, alone with this man, as he slowly undressed her.
The man she'd been on two dates with was taking off her clothes, stripping her bare as he revealed every inch of her to his gaze. And she was letting him. She never let guys get this close this fast, yet she wanted even more from him.
She shivered, suddenly aware of the intimacy of the moment. She'd never had a man undress her. She liked knowing he was here, taking care of her, giving her orders, making her body react in ways she wasn't used to.
His hands froze in place. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft, his eyes focused on hers as she fought to gain control of her wild emotions.
She nodded, licking her lips as she stared at him.
With a smooth motion, he tugged her pants down her legs, then glanced up at her once more. "Step out of your jeans and panties," he said.
She did so without a second thought, loving the silken tone of his command. The jeans and panties joined her shirt in the sink and she stood before him, naked, bare and cold, but hotter than she ever remembered feeling before.
Steam billowed around them as her chin began to tremble uncontrollably. "Join me," she whispered.
He stopped, staring at her with an intensity that made her heart jump into her throat. "You're soaked and cold too. Join me."
As time stood still with him staring at her, clearly considering her words, Kaitlyn held her breath until he finally nodded, his cheek rippling as he flexed his jaw, no doubt grinding his teeth at this dangerous step.
Kaitlyn watched him peel his shirt away, stunned by his powerful build. His pants followed and she grabbed for the shower door to keep from buckling at the knees, her mouth hanging open, her lips parted, her heart pounding like a bass drum. He was standing naked in front of her and the sight of him nearly made her come undone.
The look on his face, the dangerous hunger in his eyes, the gentle yet harsh edge of his voice, had her questioning everything she thought she knew about men in general.
Her heart jumped into her throat as he stepped into the shower, then tugged her with him. She glanced down at him, stunned and thrilled by his obvious reaction to her and she wanted to touch him. Heck, she wanted to more than touch him.
Would this intimate moment change things between them? Did this indicate actual interest in his part? Or was he just wanting to get in her pants? If he did, he was sure being strange how he went about it. She had a million questions assaulting her brain and she was sure he heard them all.
She hardly noticed the hot water, the steam, the heat of the water. The burning of her cold skin warming up felt like nothing compared to the liquid thrill of his naked proximity. All these thoughts she shouldn’t be having… he was out of her league. He was rich. Older than her. Sure, she liked him, but when she thought logically, she knew there was no future for the billionaire and the stripper.
His hands turned her around and a second later, he was washing her down with her loofa and body wash. When his hands took over, kneading the tension from her muscles, she let out a moan, melting into him.
Her backside grazed the hard length of him and she wanted to rub against him. He felt good, large, thrillingly forbidden.... but this was just a friendly gesture. She knew that. They weren't together, didn't owe one another anything, and hadn't made any promises. She told him she liked him and hoped to see him again, and he'd said the same, but that hardly meant they were involved. And he hadn’t even kissed her. She didn’t know why she was even thinking about doing more than kissing him.
His hands gently turned her once more and she closed her eyes, trusting him as the cloth ran along her shoulders, her collar bone, down her arms, then his hands followed. His magical fingers released the pent-up tension simmering below the surface and she felt like jelly in his arms.
With careful motions, he skimmed past her breasts, not even grazing a nipple, then carefully worked his thumbs across her belly in sweeping motions that did strange things to her insides.
Reaching out, she tentatively touched his shoulder. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed. She felt his hand cup her cheek in a reassuring gesture before gently moving strands of wet hair from her face.
Then she felt his lips touch hers, his hand on the back of her head as her brain shut down. She forgot why this was a bad idea. She forgot why she should have at least waited to kiss him. She forgot that he'd saved her from a bad situation and she knew that was a recipe for disaster when it came to her emotions.
Kaitlyn knew she could save herself, but Carter saving her had a profound effect on her heart, her brain, and her desire. She squeezed her thighs together as if that would sooth the ache within her. It didn't.
The gentle kiss ended and she wished he'd kissed her longer, deeper, that he'd pin her to the wall and relieve the ache building deep in her core.
She tugged at his shoulders, trying to pull him closer and feel more of his skin, needing to feel a lot more of him. His erection pressed against her belly and she moaned, intoxicated with the knowledge that he was as turned on as she was.
His careful treatment of her seemed to melt away and she could feel his fingertips dig into her flesh with a possessive hunger that sparked something deep inside her.