“The water’s getting a little cold,” I whispered, blaming my shiver on the temperature instead of the desire burning through my veins as the washcloth moved up my calf.
My need turned into an inferno when his fingers drifted above my knee and he suggested, “Maybe there’s something I can do to help you stay warm.”
My legs parted a little, giving him more room as his hand continued up my thigh. “How would you do that?”
“It depends on what you want.” The washcloth continued up my thigh, almost to the crease near my core.
My legs parted slightly more, and I breathed, “I’m not sure what I want.”
“I bet an orgasm would make you feel better,” he suggested as he dropped the washcloth into the water. “Tell me yes, and I’ll give you one.”
Even with all the fated mate stuff—or maybe because of it—I probably should have thought twice before I answered, but I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Thank fuck,” he growled, his green eyes riveted on my face as his fingers slid up to my pussy.
My gaze dropped to watch his hand move between my legs, my breath catching in my throat as his finger brushed against my clit before dipping down to slide through my wetness. “Oh, wow.”
“Feel good?” he rasped.
“Uh-huh,” I breathed, moving my knees as far apart as I could get them in the tub.
He increased the pressure of his touch and asked, “How about this?”
“Even better,” I gasped as he inched one of his fingers inside me. Then he twisted his wrist to circle my clit with his thumb, and my orgasm came out of nowhere, crashing over my body as I gripped his arm to keep his hand in place. He kept stroking me through it and pressed a kiss to my forehead when my shudders finally subsided.
When he lifted me out of the tub and covered me with a fluffy white towel, the sensual fog he’d wrapped me in lifted, and my senses returned. “Oh, my gosh! My friends!”
“What about them?” he asked as he carried me into the bedroom and set me on the bed.
“They’re probably scared out of their minds. It’s been a couple of hours since they left the diner. I definitely should’ve been back way before now,” I explained, my gaze searching the room for any sign of my purse but not finding it. “Have you seen my bag? It was with me in the car.”
“I’ll run down and check the truck.” He padded across the room to grab the T-shirt from the bathroom and came back to give it to me. When he left to look for my purse, I finished drying off with the towel and slipped the shirt on. Then I went into the bathroom to grab my panties.
I had just gotten them in place when he came back with my purse. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” I dug inside for my cell phone and cringed when I saw that I had three missed calls and about a dozen text messages from Larissa and Calliope. There wasn’t anything from my mom yet, so I hoped I was in time to stop them from letting her know they didn’t know where I was.
I figured it was best to try Larissa first, and she answered before the first ring was done. “Where are you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” My mind blanked for a moment. It wasn’t as though I could tell them what had happened, not without making sure that was okay since Zeke had said the existence of shifters was kept a secret from most people. I didn’t know if it was okay to share with my friends or family, and I couldn’t ask since Larissa would be able to hear me. “There was a little issue with the rideshare.”
She didn’t sound any less worried as she asked, “What kind of issue? Did it break down? Are there no more cars out tonight because of the snow? You should’ve been able to get another one by now.”
“Ah, no.” I widened my eyes at Zeke and grimaced. He stroked his hand down my back. “The roads were icy, and the car slid through an intersection and crashed into a traffic light. But I wasn’t really injured, just some bruises from the seat belt.”
“Where are you? At the hospital?” I heard the murmur of Calliope’s voice in the background. I was doing a crap job of coming up with a story that would make them less worried about me.
Staring up into Zeke’s face, I was struck by inspiration. I couldn’t tell them I’d met a guy who turned into a wolf, but Zeke’s job was sure to make them feel better about me not being back yet. “I’m not at the hospital. Like I said, I only have some bruises. The sheriff from a couple of towns over was nearby when it happened and stopped to help.”