Page 73 of The Firebrand
“As good as new.” His sparkling blue eyes fixed on the swell of her breasts as he took another swipe at the moisture on the glass.
She resumed sliding the zipper down, drawing out the tantalizing moment, fascinated by Rein’s raw, hungry power.
“Stop.” His chest expanded with a slow, deep breath. “What are you doing?”
“What does it seem like I’m doing? Sometimes you’re not as smart as you look.” With the zipper down, the bustier fell open to expose her breasts. She straightened her back, pushing them forward for Rein’s admiration.
And admire he did. His throat bobbed as he wiped more steam from the shower door. “Where do you see this going, Brae?”
“Oh, I’m thinking marriage, kids down the road, a new job for you, a house with a yard, a big suburban van, and a white picket fence. Do you want a big wedding? Lots of kids or just a few?”
Rein knitted his brows.
When his jaw popped open, Braelyn chuckled. “Oh, lose the shock. Where the hell do you think I see this going? You’re a … a … vampire super soldier hunk and I’m a human. Well, almost human. 99.9 percent. I live on Earth, and you live on Scath. You’re … well … gorgeous and I’m me. You’re almost immortal and I’m … let’s say I’m a limited edition who has a lengthy battle ahead. I’m going home tomorrow, Rein. Before I do, I want whatever is happening between us to happen.” She paused. “And then, Richard, we’ll always have Paris. We didn’t have, we, we lost it.”
“What?” Rein’s forehead crinkled in confusion.
“Casablanca? Rick? Ilsa? Don’t you watch old movies? Never mind. I want to be your one-night stand.”
Rein fixed her with an appraising stare. “Babe, I don’t do one-night stands. Too much of a commitment. The closest I came was the other day with you, and that was a mistake.”
“A mistake?” Lids dropping, she stared at the floor. Offended, she could stop. Or she could let his words roll over her like the tendrils of hot steam floating in the bathroom.Go for it.“You can join me or not. Say the word.”
When he continued to stare, wide-eyed with his lips parted, Braelyn slipped the bustier straps off her arms. She twirled the garment around before dropping it on the floor. “You don’t mind if I toss it there, do you? I know you like things neat.” She arched her brows, her mouth pouty.
A speechless Rein shook his head.
“Okay, then. We’ll just let it stay on the tile.” She bent her right knee to flip off a red four-inch heel. She removed the other. With her thumbs hooked in the band of the leggings, Braelyn shimmied them down. Leaning on the counter, she stepped out of the pants while daring Rein to look away. Taunting him, she grinned. When they fell to the floor, she said, “I am such a slob.”
Only Rein’s eyes moved. They slid from her breasts to her waist and on to her hips. When his gaze locked between her legs, he exhaled a slow, steady breath.
Braelyn took a graceful step forward. With a fluid motion, she reached for the door, letting steam curl around her, a moist, warm hug.
“If you come in here, Brae, I won’t stop.”
Water droplets fell from his black hair onto his wide shoulders. They rolled down his solid, taut pecs. Braelyn ogled his ridged abs and the dusting of dark fuzz that trailed in a thin line toward an impressive, throbbing erection. He was thick. He was long. And he was aroused.
“I don’t want you to stop. And I don’t mind being your first all-nighter.” Her tongue swept across her upper lip. “If that’s too much of a commitment, we can do it in the shower or on the floor.” Braelyn opened the door wider, joining him.
“Just so you understand, this is a simple, uncomplicated fuck.” Rein’s breath caught as he tracked her slow, languid movements.
“That’s all I want from you. One. Simple. Uncomplicated. Fuck.”
He grinned. “Then start, Brae. The show’s all yours.”
When she stepped toward him, she raised an index finger, pushing against his chest, moving him backward. She snatched the bar of soap from his grasp. “Here. Let me do that.”
His skin was a map of scars that continued to heal as she watched. Some were still angry red lines. Some were feint echoes of wounds. She wanted to lick every one.
“Turn around,” she rasped, her voice throaty.
When he obeyed, she lathered his back, beginning at his mountainous shoulders. She applied the soap in a lazy circular motion, enjoying the play of his muscles as they bunched beneath her fingertips.
He flinched when she touched the wing of his Phoenix brand, her soapy hands sliding down his arms, a feathery caress.
Pausing, Braelyn rested her cheek against the dense muscle of his back, inhaling a musky, pine forest scent. With a sigh, she lathered her palms again, gliding them along his rock-hard buttocks, drawing the edge of her hand between his firm cheeks.
“Damn.” Rein slammed both fists onto the walls to brace himself. “Fuck, Brae. Fuck.”
