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Looking away quickly, I notice how she sinks back down, the flash of mortification in her features catching my attention.
"I almost flashed you, I'm so sorry."
"I didn't see anything," I say.
She grabs the edge of the tub to steady herself, her cheeks flushed as she speaks. "If we’re going to be friends and co-workers, we can’t do this."
"This?" I ask as she glances around, clearly looking for an escape.
"Nothing," she says, shaking her head. "You should go so I can get dressed."
I put my hand on hers. "I'm not going to judge you for anything that happens here. I'm also not going to pressure you into anything. You're safe here, your job is safe, and I have zero intention of asking you to do anything inappropriate." I mean every word, but I feel her tense up anyway.
"I'm not sure that bathing with you in the room is appropriate. But I asked you to stay and I'm sorry. I don't want to pressure you, either." Her soft voice fills with worry.
"You said we're friends. I think this fits into the space of friendship. You're in a new place, nervous, and feel out of your comfort zone. You asked me to stay for comfort. There's nothing inappropriate about that." I pat her hand, then pull myself to my feet. "But I'll go if you'd like." I want to do this right, because I do like her. I'm not sure what that means yet, but I don't want to screw anything up before I have a chance to figure it out.
Chapter Four
Stacia
I don’t want him to go. I want him to stay. Heck, I want him to do more than stay. I want him in every possible way. The more we talk, the more I like the man he is under that chilly, reserved façade.
“Please stay,” I whisper and he hesitates before sinking down beside me once more.
And the fact that I’m in his bathtub, comfortable, naked, and with him right here is huge. I know he can’t see anything, of course, but he’s only the second man to be around me while I’ve been naked in my whole adult life.
I want more from him, but now, after being to his insane ‘cabin’ I’m more aware than ever that there’s no way this man would look at me twice in a romantic sense. No way. He’s so far out of my league we might as well be on different planets.
I don’t want him to go. I want him to stay. Heck, I want him to do more than stay. I want him in every possible way. The more we talk, the more I like the man he is under that chilly, reserved façade.
And the fact that I’m in his bathtub, comfortable, naked, and with him right here is huge. I know he can’t see anything, of course, but he’s only the second man to be around me while I’ve been naked in my whole adult life.
I want more from him, but now, after being to his insane ‘cabin’ I’m more aware than ever that there’s no way this man would look at me twice in a romantic sense. No way. He’s so far out of my league we might as well be on different planets.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, breaking the silence.
There's no reason to lie to him and I told him I wouldn't. “You.” He seems surprised by my answer as his eyebrows lift and his beautiful eyes meet mine. His glance has my whole body on edge and some part of me wants to stand up in front of him, just to feel his eyes on every part of me. And this time, I wouldn't be nearly flashing him on accident.
“Me? Why?”
I lift both shoulders as the bubbles tickle up my skin. “Because I’ve never met anyone as stubborn or as hard to figure out as you.”
He lets out a low chuckle. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing? And what did I do that's so stubborn and hard to figure out?”
“It’s both. And you give me pieces of information, but never the whole story. You seem dedicated to revealing nothing under the guise of revealing more than you wish.” I watch his reaction to my words, but he seems open and interested in what I have to say - a far cry from my ex who used to take everything personally.
"I'm not a sharing individual. The few things I've told you are things I haven't told anyone else.” His words ring true and I nod.
“I’m not saying any of that is a bad thing. I'm happy to listen, though I'm curious why you're sharing.” I mean every word.
“I'm not sure why, other than that you're easy to talk to. Why isn't it a bad thing?” The curiosity in his voice is reflected in his eyes as he studies my face.
“Because I feel like we’re connecting. In ways I’ve never connected with anyone before.” People don't generally trust me with secrets they've never told anyone else. Maybe I'm being taken for a fool, but something tells me he isn't jerking me around. And I like being trusted with his deepest, darkest secrets. "And now we're here." I gesture at myself and the tub.
Hos brows draw together. “You mean sexually?”
I grin. “No, silly. I mean emotionally.” Though I can see why he was confused; my gesture could have been taken that way. "I mean I'm trusting you in ways I don't trust other people and you're trusting me. It's nice."
