Page 95 of The Fiancée Farce
Teddy was onto something. It wasn’t so much about getting back at Tucker, but more about the fact that once upon a time, he’d made Tansy feel helpless, humiliated, small. Feelings he still triggered within her to this day.
What Tansy needed was to take back control. To prove to herself once and for all that Tucker held no power over her. Not if she didn’t let him.
Gemma could help give that back to her. Control.
“You’re exactly right, sweetheart. Tucker does thrive on attention. So, I say, let’s give it to him.” She tucked a sopping strand of hair behind Tansy’s ear. Justice could wait. “First, I think we need to get cleaned up.”
Chapter Sixteen
Gemma’s fingers lingered on the back of Tansy’s hand as she passed her a fluffy white towel from the small linen closet inside her en suite. “Here’s a fresh towel.” She smirked softly. “I’m guessing we aren’t quite at the point in our relationship of sharing a loofah, so there’s a washcloth on top of the towel.”
“Thanks. I’ll be out in a jiffy,” she promised. It had been drilled into her head from a young age to be considerate of her water usage, always, butespeciallywhen staying at a friend’s house.
“Take your time.” Gemma swept away a strand of hair plastered to the side of Tansy’s face and leaned in, pressing another one of those too-gentle kisses to Tansy’s mouth. Gentle, like she was afraid that at any given moment, Tansy might break.
Gemma had been hovering since the moment Tansy had shown up at her apartment, soaking wet and panicking that Tucker was about to ruin everything.
Sweetlyhovering, granted, but it was unnecessary. Tansy was fine. Rattled, sure, but fine. She couldn’t know what was going through Gemma’s head, but she wasn’t in danger of falling apart. She was stronger than that. She had to be, considering everything she’d been through.
Gemma drew back, smiling when Tansy fell forward, chasing her lips. “Soap and shampoo are both on the ledge. Feel free to use any products you want. There’s a rain shower feature, if you like that sort of thing, and there’s also an extendable showerhead.” She threw a wink over her shoulder. “Take your time.”
With that, Gemma closed the door, leaving Tansy to freshen up in peace.
Tansy huffed softly. With the way Gemma was acting like she was afraid to touch her, Tansy was sorely tempted to take her up on that showerhead.
Stripping out of her clothes—wiggling her damp jeans down her thighs was a real pain in the butt—Tansy reached around the glass door to get the water running. Rather than leave her clothes in a pile, she folded them neatly and set them atop the counter before testing the water and stepping inside.
Oh, that was nice. Tension she hadn’t realized she was carrying in her neck and along the backs of her shoulders seemed to magically seep away beneath the perfect water pressure. It could be all too easy to lose track of time in here, but she’d rather get back to Gemma than dawdle.
Gemma had her own little mini Bath & Body Works lined along the inset ledge. Or, whatever the wealthy person’s equivalent of Bath & Body Works was. She spotted a few bottles of L’Occitane and Necessaire, pretty much the only two brands she recognized, everything else tiny and written in French and so expensive-looking she was terrified to touch it for fear of accidentally drizzling several hundred dollars down the drain.
Choosing randomly, she plucked what looked like the most standard bodywash off the shelf and soaped up, senses immediately assaulted by that delicious smell that clung to Gemma’sskin.Vetiver.The steam carried it up into the air and it was almost Pavlovian, the way her mouth watered and the space beneath her belly button tightened with desire.
Rather than give in to the temptation of sliding her hand between her thighs and relieving the ache there, the only ache left in her body, Tansy grabbed what looked like an unassuming bottle of shampoo and quickly washed her hair, following with a matching conditioner, leaving it on for a second longer.
As much as she was tempted to linger, she shut the water off and patted herself dry, squeezed her hair out in the sink, and wrapped the towel around her body. With a quick glance in the foggy mirror to make sure all her important bits were covered, Tansy reached for the doorknob and—
Foggy mirror.
With her finger, she drew a heart in the steam, careful to keep her touch light so the lines wouldn’t drip. She stepped back and surveyed her work.
It wasn’t a kiss print, but it would do, a secret message to be received the next time Gemma showered.
Mission accomplished, Tansy threw open the door.
And promptly bumped into Gemma. “Oof.”
Gemma laughed and steadied her with the hand she’d had poised, ready to knock on the door. “Sorry. I was just about to pass these to you.” She lifted the neatly folded pile of clothes resting in her hand. “I think they should fit. I know I’m taller and you’re—”
“A few sizes bigger?” It was just a fact, one she had no qualms stating.
“Sure, but I was going to say bustier.” Gemma’s lids lowered, dipping to where Tansy’s towel strained against her chest, cleavage spilling over. Her eyes lingered before dragging a slow path back up to Tansy’s face, her gaze heated. “You’re beautiful.”
The worst part about wearing a towel was that Tansy could watch in real time as her flush crept down her neck, the top of her chest splotching pink. “Thanks.”
Gemma frowned. “Sometimes I get the feeling you don’t believe me.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but something made her pause, some tiny voice in the back of her head reminding her that she and Gemma had promised to be honest with each other.
