Page 116 of The Heart of Winter

"Your turn, Winter. Let’s see… those icy landscapes for a change."

Interestingly, Winter didn’t seem even slightly self-conscious about getting undressed. Well, he’d done it before in front of other men, so he’d already broken through that initial awkwardness.

Calmly, he slipped off his jacket, then his shirt, then his undershirt, folding them into a neat pile on his mattress.

I let out a low whistle.

Winter was a lot more built than I expected; broad, sculpted shoulders, a defined chest, and arms that looked like they spent quality time with heavy weights.

"Damn, you must live at the gym."

Next to him, I felt like a scrawny twig. I wasn’t weak, not by any means, my muscles were long and sinewy, but Winter had me beat in sheer mass.

One thing we had in common, though, was that neither of us carried an ounce of fat. His abs were shredded, an impossibly defined eight-pack.

Then, with the same casual ease, he pulled off his pants and boxers.

Just as I’d suspected, his pubes were perfectly white. But there was one noticeable difference between us. I was au naturel, but he had them neatly trimmed, kind of elegant, actually. And his dick…

To my surprise, he was semi-hard too.

I estimated it as being around eight and a half inches, so an inch shorter than mine, but it had the same thickness.

Something else caught my attention.

I’d expected his nipples to be a similar color to his deep pink lips, but they weren’t. They were just slightly darker than the rest of his skin, a pearly, almost-white shade of pink. It fascinated me, and I caught myself staring.

But given how overwhelmed I felt in that moment, I spared him my commentary.

Winter observed my reaction to his body with absolute calm, then he said, "We should use one of the blankets as a towel. After we’re done bathing, I’ll hang it outside to dry. Though with this island humidity, it’ll probably take at least two days."

Then he turned and walked toward the widest part of the stream, where the water formed a small pool.

From behind, he looked just as good as he did from the front, that’s for sure. Toned, muscular ass. A trim waist. Wide, strong shoulders.

My blood pulsed hotter in my veins. The urge to explore those unblemished expanses of his body was growing.

Winter tested the water with his foot.

"It’s pretty hot, but bearable."

Then he came back to me, reaching out his hand to help me stand on my good leg.

As I rose, suddenly we were very close. Both of us completely naked. His hand settled on my lower back, most likely to steady me, but my thoughts were going in a different direction.

I felt his fingers drift up, tracing the ridge of my spine, moving in a soft, teasing way.

Up close, his eyes looked different. Even in the dim light, I could see the details of his irises, like tiny silver ice crystals.

He was looking at my lips.

Our breaths mingled. Our skin touched, warm and tight against each other.

"You’re so… lithe, so sexy," he whispered suddenly, still watching my mouth.

Instead of heading toward the water, I just stood there, staring back at him.

I’d never been this close to his face before. I dropped my gaze, taking in his lips, soft, full, beautifully shaped. That deep, wine-colored pink was hypnotizing. Like ripe grapes, begging to be bitten into.

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