Page 73 of Enchanted

Now that he’d mentioned it, I noticed it was a touch chilly. Didn’t bother me, but Ethan was human. “Shall we get warmed up?”

“Good idea.” He gave me another shy smile. “I’m down to keep messing around, but I’m kinda worried my balls might drop off if we stay in here any longer.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” I said solemnly. “I’ve barely introduced myself to them and I believe we’re going to become great friends.”

I didn’t need the hot tub to warm me, not when I had Ethan’s laughter.

“We best get out fast, lest we ruin such a promising friendship.”

Ethan shivered again and went to pull out of my arms. Instead of letting him, I tightened my grip. “Trust me?”

“Given I’m in the middle of the wilderness with you and no one knows where I am…I think you know the answer to that.”

I reached down to pick him up by the backs of his knees. “Then hold on, Eth.”

He shook his head good-naturedly but did as I said. “You can’t seriously think you can carry me—oh fuck.”

I smirked as I lifted him clean out of the hot tub and carried him into the cottage. “What were you saying?”

Ethan laughed, squeezing my biceps playfully. “Only that I guess these aren’t just for show.”

They weren’t. My strength didn’t come from my muscles alone, but from my powers. A pang hit my chest. I hated that I was hiding such a big part of myself from Ethan.

You have to. It’s not safe.

Fucking Gloria.

My mate was shivering in my arms. I held him closer, trying to lend him my body heat. “Your bathroom or mine?”

His tongue flicked over his bottom lip. “Depends.”

“On what?”

“On which one you’re going to be in.”

The blush on his cheeks was at odds with his bold words. He was so fucking adorable. I could eat him.

Actually, that wasn’t a bad idea…

“I’ll be in whichever one you’re in. I told you, Ethan, I have a bet to win. I’m not done with you yet.”

His shy grin had my heart galloping at a pace that couldn’t be healthy. For a human, that was. As an angel, I was well-equipped to handle all sorts of situations. Including carrying my blushing fated mate, who didn’t know who I was to him, into a shower.

And making him come so hard he forgot any other man existed.

A few minutes later, we were both under the hot spray of my shower. It was roomier than Ethan’s and, more importantly, closer. We’d parted only long enough to shuck our soaked underwear. I almost swallowed my tongue at the sight of Ethan naked. It wasn’t like the thin cotton had left much to the imagination, but seeing the reality still left me speechless.

I didn’t hesitate to take his lips with mine again, winding my arms around him. I kissed him until he was gasping my name into my mouth. Until his nails were scratching at my back again and his cock was throbbing against my leg. Only then did I pull away. I didn’t go far, just to the shelf to grab some of the shower gel the estate provided. “May I?”

Some of the heat in Ethan’s eyes turned soft. “Sure.”

I took my time washing him, using it as an excuse to learn his body. The fine dusting of hair on his narrow chest. The sharp lines of his collarbones. The long, lean, muscles of his legs. His slightly crooked knees. The faint dimples standing sentinel on either side of the base of his spine. The rise of his peachy rear, the perfect handful for me.

“I don’t remember the last time someone washed me,” he murmured as I continued my exploration. “It’s nice.”

“I’ll have to make a habit of it.”

“Is that what friends with benefits do?”