Page 79 of Fierce Pursuit

I reached for it, but he held it just out of my grasp.

“No.” His sharp gaze was unwavering. “You’ve already proven you can’t be trusted with anything.” His smirk deepened. “I think I’ll do this part myself.”

I pressed my shoulders back, lifting my chin. I wasn’t going to fight him, but I wasn’t going to make this easy, either.

His eyes flicked over my body, dark and considering. Then, slowly, he closed the space between us.

The first touch of the cloth against my skin sent an unexpected shiver through me.

I thought he’d be rough. Quick. That this was about getting me clean, nothing more.

His touch was gentle. Too gentle.

It wasn’t just a scrubbing, it was an exploration.

He started with my hands, fingers tracing my knuckles before sliding up to my wrists, then my elbows, then my shoulders. The soft cloth dragged over my skin, but I could feel him beneath it. His grip firm, fingers pressing just enough to leave me hyper-aware of every shift in his touch.

I stared at the water swirling down the drain, dark with dirt, trying to focus on anything but the way my body reacted.

Then, his hands moved across my collarbone. Down my chest.

He took his time, too much time, paying special attention to my breasts.

I tried not to react. Tried to pretend my traitorous nipples weren’t hardening beneath his touch, aching for something more.

“You don’t have to fight me.” His voice was pure temptation, smooth as whiskey, dark as sin. “This would be so much easier if you let yourself have what you clearly want.”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.

My knees felt weak. My stomach clenched, warmth pooling low.

He laughed. The sound soft. Amused. Infuriating. “Liar.”

Then his hands were everywhere. He gripped my shoulder, turning me effortlessly, pressing me against the still-chilled tile while he dragged the cloth down my back.

I bit my lip as he worked the tension from my shoulders, his fingers pressing deep, massaging out every knot as if he owned my body.

Lower.

Still lower.

I knew where this was going, but I couldn’t stop the small, involuntary moan that escaped when his fingers dug into my lower back, right at the base of my spine.

He heard it.

I knew he heard it.

Because his touch slowed and became more deliberate.

I squeezed my eyes shut as his hands slipped lower to my ass. “I’m not having sex with you again.” The defiant words lost their sting when they barely came out as a whisper.

CHAPTER 21

MARINA

He exhaled slowly, the sound dragging over my skin like silk. “Are you sure about that?”

His voice was so dangerously soft, it gave me another full-body shiver.

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