Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ronan

I didn’t want the night to end. Walking through the park with Emery had been... magical was the only word that came to mind, though I’d never admit that out loud. The way her eyes lit up at each new display, how she sang along with every Christmas song that played, even her terrible attempt at recreating the dance moves—all combined to create this bubble of perfection I wasn’t ready to burst.

Now, standing in the hallway of our shared house, I searched for any excuse to prolong the evening. The thought of retreating to my wing while she went to her guest room felt wrong somehow, like ending a story mid-chapter.

“That was fun.” Emery unbuttoned her jacket and let it slide down her arms. “Though I think my toes are officially ice cubes.”

“You should have said something. We could have left sooner.”

“And miss the grand finale?” She shook her head, then winced as she rolled her shoulders. “Though I wouldn’t say no to a hot bath right about now. These muscles aren’t used to all the present wrapping.”

“You can use my bathroom if you want… since the guest bath only has a shower.”

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing at her lips. “Do you actually take baths or let the tub collect dust?”

“There’s nothing wrong with appreciating a good soak.” I hated admitting to something that Max and Levi would never let me live down if they knew.

“I bet you have one of those fancy bath bomb collections hidden away somewhere.” She stepped closer, her hands sliding up my chest to loop around the back of my neck. “Probably color-coded and arranged by scent.”

I cleared my throat, thinking of the cupboard in my bathroom that held exactly that. “I’ll neither confirm nor deny having such things.”

Her laugh echoed through the hall. “Oh my God, you do! The king of the gift-wrapping industry takes bubble baths with sparkly bath bombs.”

“Would you like to use the tub or not?” I tried to sound stern, but her playful teasing made it impossible to maintain my usual stoic demeanor.

“I’ll stop… at least now I know what to get you for Christmas.” She planned on buying me a gift? I hadn’t even given much thought to Christmas presents, but it seemed I needed to.

I guided her to my wing of the house, watching as she took in the minimalist decor and neutral color palette I’d chosen. The space reflected my preferences for clean lines and understated elegance, a stark contrast to the festive explosion she’d created in our common areas.

“Very you.” She ran her fingers along a sleek console table. The simple gesture made me oddly self-conscious about my design choices, as if she were reading more into them than just furniture placement.

“Is that a compliment or a criticism?” I couldn’t decipher her cryptic tone. Her ability to keep me guessing was both frustrating and intriguing, a combination I was becoming increasingly familiar with where Emery was concerned.

“A compliment. It’s just a style choice.” She paused at a photo of Max, Levi, and me on graduation day. “Look at how young you three look!”

“Hey, don’t call us old,” I said, deliberately misunderstanding.

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

I placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her to the hall and into my room. It was as simple as the living room and kitchenette, with the same neutral tones and clean lines that I liked. But suddenly, I found it was maybe lacking a little color.

I pushed open the door to the bathroom and laughed at her gasp of appreciation. The bathroom was all black marble and glass with gold fixtures. A large freestanding tub sat in front of a wall of windows looking out over the backyard. There was even electronic privacy glass so no one could see in.

“This is incredible.” She went to the tub and ran her hand along its edge. “You could fit three or four people in here!”

The image that conjured made me grab a towel and put it on the warming rack, desperately needing something to do with my hands. “There are bath supplies in that cabinet.” I pointed to a built-in unit between the tub and shower. “Use whatever you’d like.”

She opened the cabinet and let out a delighted laugh. “I knew it! These are organized by color!”

“It’s how they are packaged,” I muttered, but couldn’t help smiling at her enthusiasm as she examined my collection.

“Lavender Dreams, Midnight Jasmine, Stress Relief... Oh, what’s this one? Sleep Tight?” She held up a dark blue sphere. “Mind if I use this one?”

“It’s all yours. It’s my favorite,” I admitted, then immediately wondered why I’d shared that detail. “It helps after long days at work.”

“Which seems to be everyday…” She shut the cabinet.

I handed her a washcloth, our fingers brushing. “There’s a robe on the hook behind the door. I’ll um...” I gestured vaguely toward the door.

“You don’t have to go. I mean, this is your bathroom. You could join me.” There was a hint of hopefulness in her voice.

The invitation hung in the air between us, loaded with possibility. Taking a bath with someone was next level intimate, and this was uncharted territory for me. I’d never taken a bath or shower with a woman, never getting to that place where I wanted that level of intimacy. It should have scared me that I felt this way so quickly with Emery, but it felt right.

“Okay.” I turned on the faucet, adjusted the temperature of the water until it was perfect before dropping the bath bomb in.

Emery stood beside me, her fingers playing with the hem of her sweater. I turned to face her and leaned in, capturing her lips in a soft kiss. Her hands slid up my chest, pushing my shirt up, and I broke away long enough to let her pull it off. She shed her sweater and stood before me in a simple black bra and jeans.

I reached behind her, unclasping the bra and letting it fall to the floor. Her breath hitched as I ran my fingers up her arms, letting my knuckles brush against the sensitive skin of her breasts.

We finished undressing each other, our movements slow and deliberate. When we were finally bare, I took her hand, helping her into the tub. She sank down with a sigh, the water lapping at her shoulders. I sat across from her, and the heat of the water soothed my muscles.

Emery leaned back and closed her eyes. “This feels amazing.” She shifted, her leg brushing against mine under the water. I felt a jolt of electricity at the contact, my body instantly responding to her touch.

She did it again, her foot sliding up my calf, her toes wiggling against my skin. When her foot moved higher, brushing against my inner thigh, I couldn’t take it anymore. I reached out, grabbing her ankle and pulling her toward me.

She let out a surprised gasp, her eyes flying open as I maneuvered her between my legs, her back to my front. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close, her body fitting perfectly against mine. She leaned her head back on my shoulder.

My hands glided over her skin, tracing the curve of her waist and the swell of her hips. She shivered, her body responding to my touch as my fingers brushed the underside of her breasts. I cupped them, my thumbs circling her nipples until they hardened under my touch.

Emery moaned, arching into my hands, her ass pressing against my growing erection. I groaned, my body aching with need. I slid one hand down over her stomach, my fingers dipping between her legs. She gasped, her hips bucking as I found her clit, circling it with slow, deliberate movements.

She squirmed as my other hand continued to tease her nipples. Her nails dug into my thigh as she ground her pussy against my fingers.

I kissed along her neck, focusing on the sensitive spot beneath her ear that gave her goosebumps. “Was this what you had in mind when you wanted to take a bath?”

“Y-yes... but... oh God, Ronan... much better,” she panted.

I kept the pressure and motion on her clit steady as her hips rocked against me. “Get nice and wet for me,” I whispered in her ear.

“So… wet… need… more.” Her body was tensing, and I pulled my hand away, her whimper of frustration making my cock jump.

She attempted to turn around, but I held her in place, one hand splayed across her stomach, the other cupping her pussy.

“Here’s what’s going to happen… you’re going to get out of the tub and go turn on the shower.” She whimpered again as I stroked a single finger over her clit. “And then you’re going to sit on the bench facing me, your legs spread wide.”

“Oh, God…” Her stomach hollowed and her hand wrapped around my wrist as I circled her clit once. “I can’t…”

“Yes, you can. Then you’ll show me how you want to be fucked using your fingers.” I moved my finger down to her entrance, barely letting the tip circle it. “And only when I think you’re ready to be filled with my cock will I come join you. Do you understand?”

She nodded, attempting to buck her hips against my hand, which I promptly pulled away. I let my arms rest on the sides of the tub, resisting the urge to give her what she wanted.

“You’re a cruel man.” She huffed and turned over to get onto her knees and stood. “Maybe I’ll use the showerhead.”

“Don’t you dare, and no touching your clit.”

She put her hands on her hips, water dripping from her body. “ And maybe I’ll be screaming the showerhead’s name instead of yours.”

I laughed, because how could I not? She was perfectly defiant.

As she got out of the tub, her round ass tempted me to join her in the shower right then and there, but I wanted to see her touch herself first.

I struggled to maintain my composure as she turned on the shower and stepped inside. She sat on the bench opposite me, one foot propped up, giving me an unobstructed view of her glistening pussy.

She started slowly, teasing herself with a single finger. A groan rumbled in my chest when she moved her hand up her body, bringing her finger to her mouth. I imagined kissing her, the taste of her pussy on her lips.

My restraint faltered when her hand moved back between her legs, and she began to finger herself. She bit her lip, her eyes meeting mine through the glass wall of the shower that was slowly fogging up.

“Please,” she mouthed, sliding a second finger in. “Fuck me.”

I couldn’t hold back any longer and stood, giving my cock a few hard pumps that had her making a strangled noise loud enough to hear through the glass and over the sound of the water.

As quickly as humanly possible without slipping, I got into the shower, kneeling in front of the bench.

“Ronan,” she gasped, but her protest turned into a moan as I leaned in and sucked her clit into my mouth.

She tasted even better than she had the last time. I licked and sucked at her, alternating between thrusting my tongue into her and flicking her clit. She bucked against my face, her hands fisting in my hair as she ground herself against my mouth.

But as much as I loved the taste of her, I needed to be inside her just as much. I pushed myself up and pulled her to her feet, turning her around and bending her over so her hands were on the bench. I lifted her leg until her foot rested on it, making her perfectly open to me. “You look absolutely fucking perfect like this.”

“Please,” she begged, trying to press back against me.

“Not yet.” I ran my hands over the globes of her ass before bringing a firm hand down on one.

She yelped, and the sound made my cock ache. “Ronan!”

“That’s for being sassy.” I smoothed my hand over the slight pink tinge on her skin.

“I’ll have to be sassy more often.” She wiggled her ass at me, and I smacked her other cheek. “Yes, please!”

“Someone likes a little pain, doesn’t she?” I leaned down and kissed the small of her back.

“Fuck me before…”

Her words died on her lips as I gripped her hips, pulling her back slightly so I could line myself up with her entrance. I’d never wanted something so badly and the anticipation nearly had me coming right then.

The head of my cock pressed forward. When the tip barely entered her, we both groaned at the sensation. I thrust into her, burying myself deep in one fluid motion.

She was impossibly tight, gripping me like a vise. I set a deep, intense rhythm, pulling out until just the tip remained before slamming back in.

The slap of flesh echoed through the shower as I fucked her. She pushed her hips back against me, silently begging for more. I gave it to her, pulling out and thrusting back in harder and faster.

“Yes, yes, oh God, Ronan!” She braced one hand on the wall in front of her, using the leverage to hold herself in place.

I drove into her repeatedly. The view of her ass bouncing against my hips and my cock sliding in and out of her was the best thing I’d ever seen.

She was so close, teetering on the edge. I reached back and grabbed the detachable showerhead, bringing it around to her clit.

“I’m going to come, Ronan!” she cried out. “Fuck... fuck... I’m coming!”

Her pussy clenched around me as her orgasm rocked through her. I wasn’t going to last much longer.

I let myself go, fucking her with a ruthlessness that surprised even me. Her cunt was still fluttering around me, both her hands now on the wall in front of us.

“Emery,” I groaned, my orgasm hitting me hard as my cock swelled and I spilled inside her. “Fuck.”

My hips continued to piston against her as I emptied myself inside her, prolonging our pleasure for as long as I could.

Finally, I slowed, dropping the showerhead and banding my arms around her as she trembled like she might collapse. I pulled her back against me, kissing her neck and shoulder.

She turned her head, and I caught her lips with mine in a languid kiss that communicated everything I couldn’t put into words; my need for her, my growing feelings, the way she made me want to be better. There was only Emery, only this.