Page 114 of Better Hate than Never

“It’s always up,” I tell her, pouring water down her hair to rinse it again. “It felt like, when it came down, if I had the privilege of being the one to do it, it would be... intimate.”

A charmed smile warms her face. “So youdoread those historical romances Jules foists on all of us.”

“I might have read a few,” I admit, holding her eyes, begging my body to stay put together as she leans close and scrapes her fingers through my hair, then presses a gentle kiss to my temple, my cheek.

“Kiss me, Kate.”

She smiles against my cheek. “I am.”

“On my mouth,” I say roughly as she kisses my nose, my jaw, coming closer and closer.

“Kiss me,” I beg.

She does, her sweet mouth finding mine, soft sips and bites that make me chase her for more, that make her smile against my lips as I growl in frustration.

“You like when I tease you,” she whispers.

I nod, my hands drifting down her hair and her back. “Almost as much as I like when you give me what I want.”

She laughs. “And what do you want?”

More, I almost say. More than fleeting touch and taste, because mere fragments and edges of her body can’t sustain me anymore. Iwant to see her, all of her, spread out on my bed, bathed in firelight as I learn every corner of her. But I don’t want her to feel pressured. I want her to feel safe. I want to show her I can wait.

“Maybe I should tell you what I want first?” she says softly.

I nod.

Her eyes hold mine. Her hands settle on my shoulders. A soft smile lifts her mouth. “I want you to take me to your bed.”

Oh God. My body’s taut as a string, one touch away from snapping. “You’re sure?”

She nods quickly, a blush creeping up her cheeks. “I’m sure. I’m ready.”

I reach for an oversized towel as I stand and hold it up, averting my gaze.

She steps out of the tub and raises her arms as she leans into the towel’s edge. Then, on a laugh, she spins, rolling herself up in it like a burrito.

Kate stands in front of me, water beading her freckled skin, her hair wet and long, draping down her waist. I watch her do this sensible task, reach for a new towel, wrap it around her hair, and wring it dry as she smiles up at me.

I love you, I think, watching her.I want this every day for the rest of my life.

Kate breaks me from my trance, setting a hand on my chest, guiding me out of the bathroom, until the backs of my knees connect with my bed and I drop to the mattress.

Standing in the bracket of my legs, bathed in firelight, she reaches for the towel’s tucked-in edge and undoes it, letting it flutter to the ground.

My heart stops. Thank God, for only just a moment, before I’m revived, my heart beating like new, harder, urgent, as I stare at her. Glowing skin dusted with constellations of freckles on her shoulders and arms, her knees and calves. Soft, slight breasts with theirrosy tips, the slight taper of her waist, the flare of her hips, the long stretch of her legs, wiggling at the knees.

“Say something,” she whispers.

I shake my head, setting my hands on her hips, drawing her close. I press a kiss to her heart and set my head there. “No words do your loveliness justice.”

Her hand settles in my hair, stroking gently. “That’s a sweet thing to say.”

“It’s atruething to say,” I tell her.

“Do you think... you could be naked, too?” she asks a little unsteadily.

I pull away and stare up at her. “Now?”

---