Page 22 of The One Bed Rule
Like she’s not close enough.
“Now that’s a beautiful sight.” The words are mostly for myself, but obviously Claire hears.
Her voice is breathy as she turns her head over her shoulder to ask, “What is?”
“My cum dripping from you like this.” I see her smile, her cheek giving her away.
I stand, spin her around, and then fuse my mouth to hers—needing a taste. She kisses me back, looping her arms around my neck. Claire bites my lip and hangs on to me, tighter as each second goes by. My hands roam from her hips to her low back and I pull her into me.
And then we stand there, surrounded by steam. Part of me feels so full and like I’m getting something I’ve needed for a long time. Good sex? Good company? Both? Fuck, who knows. And honestly, at this point, I don’t care to dissect it.
I rub circles on her back and there’s still this pull to her. Like I want to take care of her, even though she’s damn well capable of doing that herself, and would have no problem telling you that. Ikind of like seeing how I can make her break a little, see how far she’ll let me go.
“Now, let’s get you cleaned up,” I say, while guiding her into the stream of water.
My hands reach for the brand new loofah and I put body wash—vanilla and peppermint—on it. The bubbles form fast, the lather like velvet between my fingers.
And just when I think she’s going to tell me she can do it herself, or that I don’t have to do that, she simply gives in, “Whatever you say, Seth.”
Nineteen
Claire
Idon’tknowwhereI am but whatever I’m holding onto is like my own personal heater. Lifting my head up, I see Seth, looking at me, Scream playing in the background.
“You made it about fifteen minutes and slept through the rest of it,” he teases me.
I try to look at the clock to check the time, but there’s nothing. The room is quiet besides the sounds from my laptop—ominous early 2000s music from the soundtrack to be exact.
Like he can read my mind, Seth says, “No power. Generator went off. Jess came up and said someone will come and get it right by the time tonight rolls around. Good thing we charged your laptop, huh?”
Damn. I don’t know what’s more surprising: that I took a nap or I missed someone at the door.
When was the last time I took a nap? Couldn’t tell you. Being manager for one of the biggest celebrities in the world doesn’t lend itself to taking many breaks.
My body sinks into Seth, his arm around me, the smell of vanilla still on our skin. The grin that hits me is almost embarrassing, thinking of us in the shower. Him cleaning me up after practically becoming feral with seeing his release on my skin. And then the flip to taking care of me, even rubbing my shoulders, the knots still present from tumultuous travel days.
How is this man single?
My stomach growls and there’s nothing to muffle the sound. Seth laughs as he offers me a plate. “Jess brought up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches… all from scratch. They make the freaking peanut butter.” He shakes his head while I sit up and take the plate. “You’re lucky I like you enough not to have eaten both of them.”
You’re lucky I like you.
The rush of his words wash over me, like his hands did earlier. My head feels like it floats while my skin touching him grounds me to the moment. And if that wasn’t enough, his hand rests on the top of my thigh and squeezes.
“Yahtzee!” I yell, seeing the five dice match. Threes have been hot this game.
Shaking his head, Seth grabs the dice. “You might win this one.”
We’re downstairs in the lounge, playing games in front of the fire. There are a few candles lit and a battery powered lantern, making it easy enough to see. Seth won the first game we played and I’m about to take the second.
According to Jess, she wants to wait until we’re almost ready for bed to run the generator. The weather hasn’t let up and part of me wishes I had boots and warmer clothes so we could play in the snow. How often could you say you built a snowman before Halloween?
It’s alarming how we’ve slipped into this couple façade. Like, his hand grabbing mine when we walk down the stairs, or the thigh squeezes, or the fucking way his eyes look when they land on me, more green than hazel today.
We sit fireside in matching crewneck sweatshirts, playing games and drinking hot toddies. Jess promised they were her specialty and she isn’t wrong. I’ve had this cocktail before, but there’s something different—I can’t quite place it—and I know I’m right, because she’s been teasing a secret ingredient.
All I know is they’re delicious.
