“Oh,” I said. Guilt settled in.
“Don’t feel bad. It’s the right choice to go home,” he said.
“Yeah…”
He flipped over on top of me and started tickling me. Laughter burst from me. He kept tickling me until I pleaded for him to stop. It may have been the threat of peeing on the bed that actually did it.
“Let’s soak in that tub,” he said, nodding toward the giant tub that sat within the room. It was probably big enough for four of us.
He leaned forward, placing a gentle, simple kiss on my lips, then hopped off the bed and went to the tub. He turned on the faucet and let it run for a bit before putting the stopper in it. The steam rolled off the top of the water. He reached back toward the wall, where there was a line of small oil bottles. He grabbed one and added a few drops to the water. Banana, jasmine, and something earthy I couldn't name hit my nose. It smelled lovely.
He walked over to me and reached his hand out toward me. I placed my hand in his, and he pulled me to my feet. We stood there, me staring up at him. Our eyes were locked. He slowly reached down, and his lips met mine. They lingered. It was gentle, not demanding, but still passionate.
He pulled back and smiled so big, his dimples popping out. With that smile, I didn’t think I could ever tell him no. His fingers interlocked with mine, and he pulled me to the tub. He helped me step into the tub before stepping in behind me. He sat against the tub and pulled me back against him. We sat there, me in his arms, in silence. Silence never felt awkward around him or like it needed to be filled. I didn’t feel like he wanted to talk just to hear himself, but he also knew when to fill the quiet.
“What are we gonna do when we go back?” I asked. I let my mind wander too far, and the question escaped before I could stop it.
“Well… I’m gonna take Ravik out—”
“I mean, us? You and me?” I asked, clarifying the question.
“What do you want us to do?”
“I don’t know, I guess. I like you… God… I do. More than I’ve ever liked someone, actually, but I need to go home. I need to take care of my family,” I said.
“You don’t need to fix everything, Zay. It’s not your job,” he said.
“Maybe I can’t fix my mom… or my brother, but I won’t leave my sister to suffer,” I said.
“We can take it day by day,” he said.
“What does that really look like? You being a wolf and possibly becoming what exactly?”
“The Novo… but I don’t know if I even want that—”
“Of course, you want that.”
“I did want that… but right now, Zalayuh, I only want you, however that looks,” he said.
His honesty hit me hard in the chest. I wasn’t expecting that. Of course, we admitted we liked each other, and there were feelings there, but… damn.
“You would throw it all away for me?” I finally asked, after a few heartbeats.
“Yeah… It’s okay if you wouldn’t…” he said.
“I mean, I would, but I wouldn’t. Aspen comes first… but I’d put you at second,” I said. As soon as it left my mouth, I wasn’t even sure where that came from.
He put his hand to my chin and lifted it, tipping my head back against his shoulder, making our eyes meet. He brought his lips to mine and kissed me, then he pulled my bottom lip in his mouth, gently sucking on it. He would stop for a second to give it a little nip before sucking on it again. Tingles rushed from my stomach to between my legs. Our tongues started gliding against each other.His other hand found itself gripping my breast, his thumb and forefinger rolling my nipple.
Heat rushed through me. He let go of my chin and let that hand trail down my body and in between my legs. His finger hit the sensitive spot, and my legs fell apart, letting him have more access. I could feel him, thick and hard, pressing against my lower back. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.
“This isn’t bathing,” I finally managed to say.
“It indeed isn’t,” he said, “but what's a man to do when a beautiful woman is against him naked?”
“I’ve never… umm… done it in a tub,” I said.
“Me either… guess it will be a first for both of us,” he said.
