Page 35 of Free Fall

Reid sighs. He lets me go long enough to grab the shampoo and put some in the palm of his hand. Then, he turns me around and starts to wash my hair. I’m too stunned to say or do anything. His fingers work over my scalp, and I grab the shower walls to steady myself from his thorough work. He slides his hands up my neck and into the back of my hair. My eyelids flutter close. I don’t know how long he does it for, but I’m so caught up in the moment that when he jerks me back around to put me under the water again, I go willingly. He tilts my head back by lifting my chin, then slides his fingers through my hair again as the soap runs over my clothes and to the drain.

“You’ve always been just—” He swallows. “—a classic beauty. Like Julia Roberts or Marilyn Monroe. I don’t know why you do this to yourself. It doesn’t make you fit in, Briar. All it does is make you stand out more.”

My breath hitches in my throat. I’m staring into his green eyes the entire time he talks. There’s so much depth of feeling in his stare right now that I don’t know what to focus on first. There’s sadness there, making me believe he’s thinking about Brady, but there’s a lot more there, too. Concern, and lust maybe? I don’t know how well all those feelings go together, but they’re all there.

He brings me out of the spray and squeezes the water out of my hair. “Do you use conditioner?”

I push his hands away. “I can do it.”

He quirks his brow, but he must believe me because he steps out of the shower. He doesn’t go anywhere. He hops up onto the counter and stares at me through the glass. He’s distorted, so I can’t see his look anymore, only his general shape.

Since I’m already in the shower and soaked, I decide I might as well finish what he started. I pull my leggings and panties off and deposit them at the end of the shower. Then, I peel my shirt over my head before dropping it with the rest of them. I hear a groan even over the shower noise. I look down when I unhook my bra and notice I was wearing a red one, something I’m sure shows up really well even through the glass shower distortion.

So, I was right about the lust I saw in Reid’s eyes.

I pull the strap from my arms and toss it on top of the other soaked clothes at the end of the shower stall before rubbing conditioner through my hair. My legs are next. I shave from ankle to thigh, casually shifting my gaze to Reid every now and then. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me the entire time. I use the Bath & Body Works shower gel I have next, soaping me up good and filling the whole bathroom with the sweet scent before washing everything off. The soap, the conditioner, and what’s left of the shaving cream from my legs. After I squeeze the excess water out of my hair, I shut the shower off and turn toward the door. “I’m ready to come out now,” I say, a little breathless. I feel like we’ve just ran through the best foreplay without touching ever.

I know Reid has a girlfriend, and besides the fact that she’s just a terrible person, they aren’t right for each other either. I’m probably not right for someone like Reid either. Too much history. Too much…I don’t know. Everything.

I grab hold of the shower door and roll it open. I stand there, naked, in front of Reid while his gaze devours me from head to toe. He’s hard. His cock is pressing against his khaki shorts, but I remind myself that guys Reid’s age get hard over everything. I could probably be a middle-aged mother of three standing in front of him and he’d still probably want to bend me over. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s sex. It’s not love. It’s not all those feelings I think I’m missing now more than anything.

I reach for a towel in the open shelving, but Reid beats me to it. He lets it drape open then comes closer. He reaches it out toward me, his hands sliding from my collarbone down. When he hits the swell of my breasts, he hesitates a moment before sliding further, then cupping me through the towel, taking his fill.

My heart stutters, and my knees feel weak.

The top of the towel falls open, revealing the swell of my breasts as he cups me. “I have no fucking willpower,” he growls. “I need a taste.”

He bends his head, his own hands offering my breasts up to him. They feel round and full due to his attention, but when his mouth clamps over my nipple, a surge of pleasure shoots through me. My hands reaches out to steady myself, and I cry out.

“Oh fuck,” his muffled words sound around a mouthful of my breast. He wraps the towel around me and then carries me back to my bedroom. He sets me on the edge of the bed and then climbs over me. My legs automatically open for him. I’m wet and not just from the shower. I want him to touch me. He ravishes my breast while I writhe on the bed. I lift my hips in search of him, of something, and rub against his erection. He groans hard, forcing his hips down to grind against me. “Fucking hell, Briar.”

He throws the towel out of the way, his hands moving up my inner thigh. He touches me the way he did Friday night, his palm resting against my clit before he moves lower, his fingers swirling through my hair until they’re at my entrance. I can barely think. “Oh, God.”

“Mmm,” he murmurs, his lips still worshiping my breast. “You want this?”

“Yes,” I say, nodding.

His finger swirls over me, and I buck into him. He moans in approval. “No lying this time, Briar. Has anyone done this to you?” He slips his finger inside me until I cry out.

Our gazes meet, and my heart catapults against my chest. He moves his finger out and in once, his eyebrow rising, waiting for me to answer. “Yes,” I nod.

He stops, his expression tightening. “Who?”

“Reid, really?” I ask.He wants to talk about this now?All I want him to do is to continue what he’s doing. Not because of the way I feel but because of the wayhe’smaking me feel.

He pumps his finger inside me a couple of times, making me forget what we were even talking about, but then he stops. “Who, Briar?”

“Please don’t stop,” I tell him, moving my hips to force his finger inside me again.

He watches me closely but holds my hips to the bed. The way his eyes bear into mine, I have no choice but to tell him. “Lex,” I say breathlessly, then I move into him again.

His eyes widen, and I know in that instant, I’ve made a terrible mistake. He pulls his finger from me. “Lex touched you like this?” I nod, reaching out for him, but he sits up. “When?”

“After—after Brady. We used to talk, and then it turned into more, but it wasn’t right, so we stopped.”

Reid’s eyes glaze over. His jaw tenses. He runs his hands through his hair. “Motherfucker.”

I sit up while he starts to pace the room. “Don’t get mad.” His head spins, and the look he gives me makes me shrink inside myself. “He—he likes me. He told me on Saturday.”

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