Chapter 24

Vanilla and wildberry scented bubbles surrounded Eloise. Using her foot, she twisted the hot tap, adding more warm water to her bath, sinking deeper. Two of Alice’s brand of candles flickered on the bathroom vanity, their flames casting shadows across the tiled walls. This was exactly what she needed. Well, not exactly. In a perfect world, Nate would be in this bath with her. His hands would be on her body, his growls and moans filling her ears, making her want more. She snaked a hand down over her breasts, her stomach.

I can’t.

Can I?

Then, imagining Nate was here with her, his eyes sinfully dark, lips all pouty while he told her that she was dessert … Eloise slipped her fingers between her legs. She found her swollen clit and felt a slickness that had nothing to do with the bathwater. Sliding deeper until the bubbles tickled her neck, her ears, she tipped her head back. Normally, she’d take her time, get herself all worked up, her hips rolling like there was someone else involved, but tonight, all she needed was a few presses, her free hand pulling at her hard nipples as little waves formed from the motion of her hips. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, her hair sticking to her neck and chest. But nothing could stop her as she focused on the memory of her legs around Nate’s waist. His hardness teasing, taunting her as he gave her everything she needed. Water sloshed over the side when she came, teeth biting into her lip so she didn’t scream his name. Eloise blinked, her breathing ragged and her heart pounding so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest. When she could think again, she giggled. Her gaze snapped to the door when she heard a knock.

“Tiger?”

Holy crap, she needed to get naked with Nate ASAP.

“I’m back. Just wanted to let you know.”

There was something intoxicating about speaking to Nate when she was naked, wet and slippery, her body still quivering. The thought of telling him what she’d just done sent a bolt of heat sizzling through her body, washing away the bone-deep relaxation that usually followed an orgasm.

“Nate?” Her heart rate sped right back up, and she licked her lips. She could do this. Regardless of what Nate said, time was running out.

The doorknob twitched like he’d touched it but didn’t open. Eloise needed his hands on her.

“Yeah?”

“Do you maybe want to join me?”

He didn’t answer immediately, and some of Eloise’s bravado disappeared, evaporating like the little bubbles popping around her.

Something thunked against the wooden door between them—she suspected it was his head—and Nate groaned loudly. “I don’t think I can see you like that and not lose control.”

Desire and neediness landed heavily between her thighs, and she clenched her hands into fists to stop herself from touching where she wanted him.

“We had a deal. To keep this easy and fun. To go at your pace. But if I come in there and see you the way I’ve been imagining, I won’t be able to take it slow.”

Eloise’s breasts rose and fell with each breath, pushing up through the filmy soap residue left behind from the bubbles. “What if I don’t want slow? What if I’m ready for more?”

She held her breath and the bathroom door opened.

* * *

Sweet merciful Jesus.If this was how Nate died, he had zero complaints. None. Nada.

Bubbles covered most of Eloise’s body, clinging to the swell of her breasts, decorating her neck and arms. Drool pooled in his mouth. The water rippled as she shifted, brushing her hair off her forehead. Her rosy nipples peeked out, and all the blood in his body thrummed to the beat of a snare drum. The other night, out by the fire, he’d purposely not let himself see her full tits knowing they’d be his undoing. His brothers had always teased him about being a boob guy, and they weren’t wrong. There was nothing sexier than a set of lush, full tits.

“Well,” she said, arching an eyebrow at him as she twisted her hair into a messy bun on top of her head. Drops of water ran down her neck, sliding over her chest, exactly where Nate wanted to put his face. He’d meant what he said before. His control was hanging by a thread.

“Well, what?” The amount of effort it took to force those two words out was almost as exhausting as tearing his gaze away from her breasts.

Her cheeks were red, eyes soft. Eloise was a siren, and Nate would never be able to refuse her call. Not now, not ever.

“Are you getting in or not?”

Before Nate could stop his brain from going on a pointless meander down the path of ‘what he should do’, he pulled his jumper and shirt over his head, shoved his pants down to his ankles.

Too many people had seen him naked over the years, and he didn’t just mean all his teammates and trainers. There’d been the women before Cobie and the horde who’d followed her when he’d been trying—and failing—to forget all his failures. But no one had ever looked at him quite like Eloise was right now.

Her eyes tracked over his chest, down past his abs to his already painfully hard cock. It thickened and grew longer under her hungry gaze.

Soon, he told himself. But not now. Not until he was sure. That Eloise was ready to cross this line with him.

“Please, Nate,” Eloise whimpered, her hands disappearing under the bubbles and hell no, that was his job.

He kicked off his pants, barely registering the thump as his phone fell out of his pocket and landed on the floor. Nate had chosen the oversized freestanding tub because he loved relaxing in a bath after a long day. But he could truly appreciate the benefit of his choice as he lowered himself into the warm water opposite Eloise, his legs brushing against hers. Steam swirled through the air, destroying what was left of his ability to think clearly. Or maybe it was the naked woman in front of him, sliding her feet across his thighs and inching closer. Her breasts were exposed now, full, firm and totally fuckable. He added that to the list of things he wanted to do to her. Leave his mark on her chest, brand her as his, even if just for a moment.

“Why aren’t you touching me?” Eloise’s whisper pulled Nate from his thoughts.

“I just wanted a minute to look at you. To remember this.”

He didn’t verbalise the rest of his thoughts. To savour her. To catalogue every movement, every sound she made so he’d always have this memory because too soon Eloise would go off and find someone who could give her everything she wanted.

And he wouldn’t stand in her way.

“What do you think?”

“I think you’re perfect.” He pulled Eloise closer. Water slopped over the side of the bath, but Nate didn’t care. He didn’t care about anyone or anything other than the beautiful woman in his arms right where he’d always imagined she should be. He was lost in the feel of her under his fingertips, drinking in the sight of her perfect body in the soft candlelight, her surprised little oof that quickly transformed into a moan.

Nate nudged her face with his nose, waiting until she tipped her head up towards his, their eyes meeting. Eloise didn’t hesitate, scooting forward until their bodies were pressed together, thighs touching, her warm heat teasing where he was hard. Nate’s fingers pressed into her ass and for a fleeting second, he worried he might bruise her until Eloise tangled her hands in his hair and pulled.

He stilled. Goddamn, she’s perfect.

“Too much?” she asked quietly.

Fuck, no. Nate shook his head. He liked it when she was a bit rough.

“No more thinking,” she moaned against his mouth. “Just go with it.”

So much for him helping her figure out what she liked. Here she was teaching him, like always.

The air around them sizzled, and Nate lifted her higher, ignoring the ache in his balls when he positioned her carefully. Their first time together wasn’t going to be in a bathtub. Eloise deserved so much more, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have a lot of fun first. He was deciding what he wanted to do first when she released his mouth and scooted higher, her breasts right in his face.

How was a guy supposed to resist that?

Nate’s hand settled between her shoulder blades, and he held her in place. Eloise’s nipples were puckered, two perfect rosebuds begging for his attention. He leant forward and blew against her nipples, appreciating the way she shuddered in response.

He abandoned his plan to start slowly, ease her into it, taking one perfect bud into his mouth and sucking until she gasped. Nate released her nipple with a pop, immediately fastening his lips around the other one, dragging his teeth over the pointed tip ever so gently.

“Oh my God.”

That was more like it. He took his time switching between the two, his hands coasting over her slippery skin, the long strands of hair that had escaped her bun. Eloise squirmed and arched on his lap, her centre sliding over his cock. Taking his cues from her mewling noises, Nate shifted his hand lower, found her clit. She was so wet it made his head spin.

“Is this all for me?” he asked.

“Kind of.”

Nate paused and dragged his gaze to her face. Eloise’s eyes were hooded.

“Kind of?”

She shifted slightly, her tits swaying against his face.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the night by the fire.”

That made two of them.

“And then you kissed the hell out of me in the pantry and …”

Nate raised his eyebrows. “And?”

Eloise rolled her bottom lip between her teeth and brushed Nate’s damp hair away from his forehead. “I made myself come already.”

“In my bathtub? Just now?”

She nodded sheepishly, the most adorable expression on her face.

“Holy shit. That’s so hot. Wrap your legs around me when I stand, okay?”

“What? Why?”

“Because I want to taste your cum right now.”

* * *

The soft,fluffy towel Nate draped around Eloise did a terrible job of drying her body, but she didn’t seem to care as he lowered her onto his bed. Every part of his body was screaming at him to take her now. Make her his.

But this wasn’t just about him, was it? Nate’s hands coasted along her thighs, and he heard her sharp inhale. Their eyes met and he pushed her legs apart.

He tracked the movement of her tongue when she licked her lips, the muscles of her legs tensing under his touch. Her stomach hollowed out as she breathed in and out rapidly.

“No one’s ever gone down on me before,” she whispered.

“If you don’t like it, we stop, okay? You’re the boss.”

Eloise nodded, her eyes darkening further as Nate leant forward to steal a kiss before sinking to his knees.

“Wait,” she cried, and Nate paused. He was beginning to realise that he would actually wait for her forever. No matter how this ended, he was never going to be over her.

“Do you like it? Doing this to women, I mean. Not me specifically.”

His eyebrows raised. “Are you fucking kidding me? Thank God you’re so wet you can’t tell how much I’ve been drooling over you already.” He dropped his head to the juncture of her thighs, the scent of her arousal making him shiver. “I already love it. I would happily spend the whole night right here. That’s kind of my plan, actually.”

“Really?” The desire in her voice pushed his hand forward, a finger grazing against her clit.

“Oh my God,” Eloise cried and that was it. He had to move.

“You’re so tight,” he said, working his finger in and out.

The ache that burned in Nate’s balls spread throughout the rest of his body when he pulled his finger out and sucked it into his mouth, his eyes fluttering closed. “Oh, fuck,” he whispered. “Remember to tell me if you don’t like it.” And then he licked her. Once, twice before burying his face in Eloise’s most private place. He moved faster, tongue swirling around her clit, lapping at her arousal.

Eloise moaned, long and loud, and it was the best thing—the best thing—Nate had ever heard in his life.

Nate pushed in two fingers, pumping faster and faster, imagining it was his cock driving into her. Earning all those gasps and soft sighs, tracking how she responded when he crooked his fingers, sucked on her clit. When her thighs began to shake, he knew she was close.

He pulled away long enough to growl, “Come all over my face, Tiger.”

And like a good girl, she did.

* * *

Pride wasn’ta foreign emotion for Nate, but he’d never been as content as he was right now. Eloise was naked and sprawled across his bed, her dark hair a messy, tangled contradiction to his light grey sheets. Her chest still heaved as she recovered from the orgasm he’d just given her. Christ, he’d almost come just from listening to her, the way her body had moved as she chased her own pleasure.

“That was … wow.” Eloise’s breathing was still ragged. “I think I’ve forgotten how to speak.”

He should get up and light a fire, but that’d involve letting Eloise go, and he couldn’t do that right now. Tilting his face downwards, Nate pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. Small red marks from his beard decorated her chest. The sheet and covers were pooled around her waist, but the thought of them on her legs, her pussy made his dick protest even more. A groan fell from his lips.

How was he ever going to let her go?

He’d underestimated how quickly his feelings for her would deepen, careening towards love and all the things he couldn’t allow himself to have.

Eloise twisted in his arms, her tits pushing up towards him as she stretched her back, a warm hand landing low on his belly before slipping beneath the covers, her nails scratching his skin in the most delicious way. It was like finding a spot of warm sunshine on a winter’s day. Her palm wrapped around him, and Eloise’s eyes grew wide.

“So thick and long,” she said.

“That’s what every guy wants to hear,” Nate joked, needing to lighten the moment and hating himself for trying to drag everything they’d just shared back to the place where they were just friends having fun.

He sucked in a breath when Eloise’s hand started sliding along his length, her grasp tightening at the top. Nate closed his eyes.

“Tell me if I’m doing this wrong,” Eloise whispered before taking him in her mouth.

Truly, he meant to tell her that it was pretty much impossible to stuff up a blow job, but when her tongue swirled across his tip, one hand gripping the base of his cock while the other cupped his balls, the connection between his brain and mouth disappeared. Poof. Gone.

“Like this?” she murmured, and Nate used every ounce of strength left in his body to nod. She took her time, working him deeper and deeper until he felt the back of her throat, heard her muffled moan. Her hard nipples brushed against his legs, and Nate couldn’t help himself.

“So good,” he groaned.

“You like it?”

He couldn’t keep still, his hips rocking up to meet her, hands tangling in her hair. “If you keep doing what you’re doing …” He couldn’t finish the sentence, his brain short-circuiting when she sucked him deep again, one hand playing with his balls.

“I’m going to …” Pressure was building inside him, a fire licking up the length of his spine, warning alarms sounding that this was all going to end too quickly.

Would she swallow? He didn’t care if she didn’t. He just didn’t want her to be uncomfortable. Nate’s gaze ping-ponged around his bedroom. Where were his tissues? “Eloise, Tiger, I’m close,” he whispered.

“I want you to come on my boobs.”

It was a miracle he didn’t explode right then and there, especially when she dragged her teeth along the underside of his cock.

“Oh, sweet Jesus,” Nate groaned, unable to stop the truth from tumbling out of his mouth. “I’m not ready for this to be over.”

“We have plenty of time.” The echo of what he’d said to her earlier made his hips twitch. With a wicked smile, Eloise wrapped her lips around the tip of his dick and started jacking him off with her hands.

He pulled away when his spine tingled, his release imminent.

Eloise released his cock, her lips all puffy, cheeks red. “I want to see you come, Nate. Feel you.”

That was it. He wrenched away from Eloise’s face, his orgasm landing on her tits, sliding down the valley between her perfect breasts. It was the hottest fucking thing he’d ever seen.

Once his pulse had stopped trying to outrun the speed of light, Nate sat up and dragged a hand through his hair.

“Was that ‘wow’?” Eloise asked, her eyes alight with mischief and joy and everything he wanted to see in them every day for the rest of his life.

“So much wow.” His breathing was still short, choppy.

Eloise’s eyes fluttered closed and she yawned, stretching her arms above her head.

“Come on.” Nate helped Eloise to her feet, dropping his head so he could kiss her, suck on those amazing blow-job lips for a minute before he said, “Let’s get you all cleaned up, and then we can go to sleep.”

“But what about …” Her hand drifted towards the rumpled bed.

“I just want to take care of you right now and maybe you could…” Nate paused, his throat working overtime as he tried to say the words that had always been so hard. “Maybe you could take care of me too. We’re not in a rush.”