Page 48 of Claiming Her Cougar
“Cowboy?What kind of weird fantasy do you have?”Liam asks with a chuckle.
“Shut up and kiss me,” I demand.No way am I sharing my love of cowboy romances and my current Netflix binge about a Canadian horse ranch and the drama that goes along with it.
I love it when a man listens to me, and the kiss Liam plants on my lips doesn’t disappoint.Why have I been denying myself this for weeks?His lips are firm and mobile against mine, and the strokes his tongue makes against mine remind me of what it felt like to have other parts of him stroking inside me all those months ago.As fun as this is, the sooner we shower, the sooner we can fall into my bed and continue this encounter to a mutually satisfying conclusion.
With reluctance, I pull back from our kiss and grab the washcloth I snagged from the linens shelf and my body wash.I know it’s crazy.I’ll have sex with this man but won’t share my loofah.Loofahs are so personal.I squirt some body wash on the cloth and rub it to get it to lather.
I push on Liam’s shoulder to get him to turn around and run the washcloth along his broad shoulders and down his back.I look at the marvel that is his ass.He may not have been skating for years, but he still has the butt and muscular thighs of a top-tier hockey player.I can’t wait to see him in a suit in person.I got a glimpse when we FaceTimed a few days ago, but I want to appreciate it fully.He must get them tailored so they accommodate his trim waist, apple-shaped ass, and thick thighs.I stop washing at his waist and start on his arms.I run the cloth from his shoulder to his wrist on the right and go to repeat the motion on his left arm.The long, thin scar running down the back of his upper arm stops me.Liam looks over his shoulder and finds me looking at it.
“I forget it’s there.Got it in the accident.Compound fracture.They had to put a titanium plate in to put the bone back together.They told me I was lucky it didn’t affect my shoulder or elbow.”He gives a mirthless laugh.I assume he didn’t consider it lucky.“You can’t hurt it.You can wash it.”
I run the cloth over it and then press my lips to it.I rest my forehead against his shoulder and close my eyes.How bad must the accident have been that it caused that kind of damage?
As if he can read my mind, Liam reassures me.“I’m okay, Mallory.That wasn’t the worst injury.It just left the most dramatic scar.Well, that and the burns.”
“Burns?”I jerk my head from his shoulder and shake my wet hair from my face.
“Just on my leg.All healed.”He turns and extends his left leg.Now that I know where to look, I can see faint scars on his upper calf and lower thigh.“Engine fire.I’m good.Let’s refocus.”
How can he be so nonchalant about what he’s been through?Or feign nonchalance so well?If these injuries weren’t the worst, what else has this poor man been through?A few scars have no effect on my attraction to him, but I can’t help to think about the pain he must have suffered, not only physically but also emotionally from losing the ability to play the sport he loves.I know shifters heal more quickly from injury, but to have these scars despite his shifter constitution, they had to be severe.
He tilts my chin and claims my lips again.This kiss isn’t as hungry, but it does the trick to stop me thinking about anything other than us naked in my shower.
Pulling back this time, he suggests, “How about we each wash ourselves to get the job done efficiently and then spend as much time as we want exploring each other horizontally?”
“Good idea,” I agree.There are over six feet of muscled glory I want to spend hours exploring.And a good nine inches I want to pay special attention to.Wow!
I grab my loofah, squirt some body wash on it, and add a squirt to Liam’s washcloth to refresh it.He washes himself quickly and is generously washing my back for me when I hear a sound from my darkest nightmare.
“Mallory?We came home early for Christmas.Dad’s getting the bags from the car, but I’m going to suggest we go to the tree farm to say hi.I can buy you and your…friend half an hour, maybe an hour to, um, finish up.”
Any sexy thoughts I was entertaining desert me.Turning around and glancing down at Liam’s cock, I see Mom’s appearance had a similar effect on him.
“Hey, Mom,” I croak out.“Welcome home.See you in a bit.”
Liam’s wide eyes meet mine in disbelief.
“Your parents are here?Were you expecting them?”he whisper-shouts.Not that it matters.Mom has superior wolf shifter hearing.We’re not keeping anything from her.
“Of course not!They weren’t supposed to get here until Tuesday.If I knew they were going to be here, you wouldn’t be!”
The flash of hurt that crosses over his face squeezes my heart.Damn.
I reach out and rest my hand on his chest.“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that.It’s just awkward to be in the shower with a man and have your mother knock on the door.”
Nodding, he covers my hand with his and gives a light squeeze.
“Sounds like we have thirty minutes at most to get out of here.Can I use your shampoo, please?”
“Yeah.”I hand him the bottle and hold out my hand for a dollop as he gets his.We switch places so he can rinse the lather from his locks as I shampoo mine.
Since he’s finished first, Liam exits the shower, pressing a soft kiss on my bare shoulder as he passes by and dries off.I rinse my hair and don’t bother with conditioner.I know I’ll regret this decision, just one of many, but I don’t have time for all that.I’ll braid it later, and that will be good enough.
Turning off the water, I open the shower door and step into the towel Liam holds open for me.Wrapping it around me and grabbing another towel for my hair, Liam laughs.
“Someday, I swear we’re going to have uninterrupted time together.In a bed.”
I laugh too.“Hashtag goals.”
