Page 12 of No Take Backs

“No.” He laughs, the sound a mix of molten pleasure and coarse whiskey. “Trust me, I wouldn’t throw a match just for that. I’d rather see you naked than almost anything at this point.”

“I’ve got the keys to the pool,” I blurt. “Even though it’s closed. Do you want to go skinny-dipping?”

“Skinny-dipping?” His eyebrow cocks. “Won’t we be seen?”

“No.” I shake my head with a mischievous smile at the shocked expression on his face. “I’m not crazy, you know. Just a little wild.” I lie through my teeth, but I can’t help it. This is the most wild I’ve ever been in my entire life. “The pool’s closed, and since it’s an indoor heated pool, we won’t be seen. Charlie doesn’t have cameras in the pool room.”

Understanding takes over the confusion, and I watch as he re-buttons his pants while I stifle a groan at what is being covered up.

I really should have just kept my mouth shut.

But he makes me nervous.

It is an unfortunate habit, but I always talk when I get nervous, and being around him, even with the amount that we’ve shared, is no different.

“Let’s go.” I hold out a hand, not sure if I expect him to take it or not.

After all, he is a cop.

Skinny-dipping can’t really be something they are allowed to do.

The pause between us is so tense, so full of indecision, that I’m sure he’ll turn me down. When he scoops up his shirt from the end of the bed where it’s been since he removed it after our first match, something in my gut clenches.

I must have done a really bad job of hiding the disappointment from my face because one minute he’s across the room getting dressed, and the next he is pressed up against my body with his forehead pressed down to mine.

“If I had my way, we wouldn’t be leaving the room right now.” His low timbre sends a shiver down my spine. “We’d be getting naked and trying our damndest to break the bed. But if you want to go swimming, we can do that first. Then we can break the bed. There are plenty of hours left tonight to do both.”

Everything inside me clenches at his words, and all the nerves that have built up over the last few hours vanish.

All I have to do is tilt my head back an inch, and our lips touch for the first time. Soft and intruding, his surprise is evident in the way he holds himself back, just for a second.

Once his surprise at me taking the first step fades, Josh takes control in a way I crave. The space between our bodies vanishes as he cups my face with one hand. He wraps the other around my waist and adds just enough pressure to make me moan. My mouth opens slightly with the sound, and he sweeps his tongue inside, taking every inch I offer.

But I can’t let him have all the fun.

Rather than leave my hands hanging down by my sides, I lift them up, sliding my left hand under his shirt, finally getting to touch the skin I’ve been staring at all night. Then when I feel his body adjust to my careful perusal and curiosity, I pop the button on his jeans, smiling into the kiss when he goes completely still at the intrusion.

“Wha—” he starts to ask, but stops when I slide my hand into his pants completely. “Not fair.” He groans, steps closer still, and then his hands are everywhere while he kisses me into oblivion. Almost. I slip my hand farther down, reaching for the hard length that I can feel pressing against me.

With a growl, he bites my lip and lifts my shirt before tearing it off my body completely. For one brief moment, we stare at each other without saying a word.

I feel the heat in my cheeks, the desire for him slamming through my veins like I’m high on him. He moves before I can, and suddenly I’m in the air, scrambling to wrap my legs around his body to keep from falling.

Our bodies meet in a clash of clothes and hands, impatience and insistence on both of us being in control. Josh turns us and then drops me onto the bed, which ends with my back on the bed but my legs still wrapped around his waist as he pulls his shirt off.

“Gotta let go of my waist so I can take your pants off.”

I don’t move.

I’m too busy admiring the way every single muscle in his arms and chest flex while he stares at me. Like he’s on pins and needles just waiting for me to react. When he reaches behind his back, I feel his hand on my ankle, then he pries my feet loose until I drop them to the bed.

Unable to let him have complete control, I shimmy out of my pants before he can and then unsnap my front-clasping bra, dropping it to the ground.

The light in the hotel room isn’t the best, but there is still plenty of it so that I can lean back on the pillows and watch as he strips down completely.

“I like this,” I tell him when he steps out of his jeans.

Josh smiles and then drops his underwear too. “Getting naked really is the best way to get to know someone.”

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