Page 140 of On Merit Alone
He eyed me, his gaze traveling over my body dripping in a towel. Something in the way his lids lowered in his appraisal made my mouth pop open, thoughts wholly inappropriate for a team locker room slipping out. Making me hot and causing me to squirm as the need to press my legs together became strong.
His next words, all husky and low, seemed like they held more possibilities than normal as his eyes lingered blatantly on parts of my body that werenotmy face. “Need help with anything?”
I swallowed. Then I raised my shoulder, the motion stiff andrigid. I don’t know what about that was amusing, but I noticed a soft corner of his mouth twitch. “Come here. You’re dripping.”
I squinted at him and that smile broke free. Wicked this time. “Yourhair, Six.”
I rolled my lips into my mouth.Oh yeah.
He was right about the shower loosening me up. So right that as soon as the warm spray hit my coiled muscles, I couldn’t resist stepping fully underneath, even getting my braids wet. Now they were heavy, full of water and needing a good dry before I put on any sort of shirt, otherwise it would be soaked through in minutes.
Ira was already prepared for that, an extra towel waiting on his knee and another stool now sitting in front of him. He patted it, beckoning me and I didn’t hesitate. Sitting down in front of him, I almost sagged with relief as his hands started combing through my hair.
Using his fingers, he took his time pulling all the heavy wet strands to my back. Taking care to massage little circles into my scalp before he grabbed the towel and started wringing my hair dry.
Minutes later, it was probably as good as it was going to get, and again Ira anticipated it. Discarding the soaked towel to the side before working his hands through my braids to comb them all up into a pile on top of my head. He secured it with an extra-large band and I had to wonder where he learned how to do all this.
The thoughts left my mind when the pads of his strong fingers began working into the back of my shoulders. I gasped breathily and groaned as the massage hit home right away. Working my sore muscles free from their tight hold on each other.
“You’re tight, Six,” he said, voice that same gravel as before. It brought a zing of awareness between my legs, the material of the towel suddenly scraping against my nipples as they hardened underneath it.
“My shoulders?” I asked.
His chuckle was dark and sultry and I know for a fact he was thinking the same thing as me. “Among other things, I presume.”
I hummed, deciding to lean into the feeling of his fingers as they dug into my muscles. I swallowed my moans as best as I could when they moved along my back and neck, covering my collarbone sometimes and running up and down my arms too.
It was no use though. Minutes in and I was breathing harder. My nipples felt strained against the towel wrapped around me and it was officially uncomfortable to sit with this amount of heat beginning to pool at my center.
Ira was turning me on. Did he even know it? God what was wrong with me? I was just pissed and now I?—
“You know, if I’m a snuggler, you are too,” he said. “In your own way.”
“Oh?” I asked. Not able to form any actual sentences as Ira’s hand trailed up the back of my neck and squeezed gently again.
“Mhmm,” he said. “You’re touchy. Or at least, you want to be. Whenever I get my hands on you, you melt.”
“Oh,” I said, a little breathier this time. I wasn’t expecting that. Not that and not what touched my neck next.
His lips.
“It makes me wonder how else you’ll melt for me. Where else I can touch you and feel your body become mine,” he murmured into my skin between kisses that weren’t quite such. Just a perusal of his mouth along my body.
“Oh,” I said again.
He laughed. “Do you have any other words to offer, Merit?”
“No.”
“Then nod yes or no for me, sweetheart.”
I nodded, “Okay.”
A shiver racked up my spin as Ira’s lips found the base of my throat at the same time his hands fell to my towel clad hips.
“If I asked you to drop the towel right now, would you?” he asked.
I shook my head. Not ready to bare myself fully for him in his team locker room of all places.
