Page 46 of Hard Knock Hero

“I’m going to shower,” I said.

Aiden lifted one of those thick eyebrows, but he didn’t invite himself to join me. Of course he didn’t. He was being good. And I wasn’t quite ready to make that move myself.

Yet as I closed the door and stripped off my clothes, I stared at the broken lock. Nerves had me on edge, but having Aiden right outside that door both made me feel safe and so eager that my heart was skipping beats. I was too restless to spend long under the hot water. And I didn’t want to take it all. I figured Aiden would take a shower next.

And there went my heart again. Even under the warm spray of the water, goosebumps pebbled all over my skin.

I dried off and ran my fingers through my hair to break up the tangles. I didn’t usually wear much makeup, and now my face was scrubbed clean. Still pink from the cold air and the harsh, dry wind on the mountain.

I wrapped the towel around my body and gathered up my discarded clothes. When I opened the door and stepped into the room, Aiden was by the window, the rifle propped near his feet. He’d been watching the street through the gaps in the blinds. But then his head turned, and he looked at me, his eyes flashing with heat when he saw that I was just in a towel.

“Still quiet out there,” he said. “I think we’re good. Until daylight, at least. If they were going to do something rash, they would’ve done it already. Either they don’t know we were involved, like you thought, or they’re waiting for us to make a move.”

“Are we going to make a move?” A drop of water slid from my hair down my shoulder. His gaze followed it.

“Remains to be seen.”

“Okay,” I said, lungs tight. “Your turn for the shower.”

Aiden nodded once. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He grabbed a folded piece of clothing from his duffel. He headed for the bathroom, and I said, “There’s no lock on that door, by the way.”

He paused. Turned his head slightly, not facing me. “I noticed. I don’t mind.” His voice had dropped a whole octave from the last time he had said anything.

Then he went into the bathroom and closed the door, but not all the way. He let it touch the frame without the latch catching.

Oh… Boy.

My pulse was going crazy now. I stood in the middle of my apartment, still in nothing but the towel. And Aiden was probably getting undressed at this very moment.

The water turned on.

Without letting myself think, I went to the door and knocked. “It’s me.” I closed my eyes. Of course it was me. Who else?

I heard amusement in Aiden’s voice when he responded. “I know it’s you. And you know the door’s open.”

My hand was poised on the door, hesitating. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door wider.

Water pattered against the tile. Aiden hadn’t stepped into the shower yet. He was wrapping a towel around his waist, his large hands tucking it into place. It hung low enough on his hips to make very clear that he was naked underneath. He lifted his head and looked at me.

I held my towel closed at my chest and took another step toward him. The warm water in the shower was fogging up the mirrors. The humid air prickled my skin.

“Need something?” he asked with an almost-smile.

Fire spread across my abdomen. A flush that I’d never experienced before. Maybe this was impulsive. But Iwanted. And after our conversation by the cabin, he knew it. He knew I needed to go slow.

“Turn around?”

I could tell he had questions, but he didn’t ask them. He rotated slowly until he was facing away from me. His back muscles were broad and sculpted. Carved beneath his skin. His ocean wave tattoo moved over them, cascading over his shoulder and down half of his upper back. His spine was a deep furrow down the center, ending in the swell of his glutes just beneath the towel.

“Can I touch you?” I asked on a sigh.

“Please.” He sounded just as short of breath as I had.

I started at his neck. Brushing my fingers over the short hairs there. His skin was golden and warm. Cords of muscle lay beneath. My fingertips trailed along one shoulder. Over the curves and divots. Then down the furrow where the knobs of his spine lay, to his lower back, which was beading with sweat from the humid air.

My eyes were eating him up. Every freckle and mole and small scar. “I like touching you.”

He made a low, needy sound that made me shiver. “That’s really nice. But I thought you wanted me to touchyou.”

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