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“You’re welcome.” He smiled at her. She never ceased to surprise him. He hadn’t expected her gratitude. “My point is—”
“I get your point. Helen overrode me, and I can override her wishes if I think it’s for the best. I’m going to talk to her first, though. I owe her that. Tomorrow morning I’ll do it.”
“Wise of you.” He stood, pulling Sophie up with him. “It’ll be dark in the woods soon. We should head back.” He couldn’t resist kissing her, though, as the sky faded to a deep blue.
They made it back to the cabin after taking their time on the trail. He opened the door and did a check of the small interior as he did every time they returned. “I need to do a security sweep of the retreat. Call if you need me. I’ll have my phone in my hand.” He didn’t like leaving her, but he had to make sure the retreat was safe for the night. “I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”
“And what are you expecting to have happen then?” She looped her arms around his neck and cocked her head to the side, making it even harder to go back out the door.
“Whatever you want.” He had ideas, but he was more than fine with following her lead. He’d managed to help chase away her worry about the story, but that didn’t mean he was expecting anything.
She gave him an arch smile. “I think there are some board games in the closet or maybe a jigsaw puzzle.”
“Works for me.” His hands were on her waist.
“Or we could binge-stream a show.”
“Anything you’d like.” Snuggling up with her to watch television didn’t seem like a bad way to spend the evening.
She shook her head at him and pretended to pout. “Stop being agreeable and tell me what you want.”
“Surprise me.” He reluctantly stepped away from her. “Ten minutes.” He went back into the night and began a circuit of the retreat. He’d taken some version of this loop three or four times a day. So far, he had no reason to believe that anyone knew where Sophie was hiding. He hoped to keep it that way. For now, all was quiet. The other couples seemed to be in their cabins.
When he approached theirs, he could see that she’d pulled the curtains shut. There was light inside, though. He knocked softly and entered. Candles burned in various places around the cabin and jazz played from a Bluetooth speaker. Romantic. He could get on board with that.
“Sophie?” he asked.
“I’m in the bathroom,” she called, and he heard the sound of water turning off. “Come here.” Not knowing what to expect, he pushed open the door. She was sunk in bubbles up to her neck in the oversized tub and her hair was piled on top of her head. “I decided this was a great way to relax.”
“Lots of people think so, but you’ve never struck me as the bubble bath type,” he said. It seemed too lazy and indulgent for someone who was more the charge ahead type.
“I’m not usually. But you see, I have this fantasy.” She turned toward him, resting her arms on the edge of the tub, her shoulders glistening. “We never finished the session last night about sexual intimacy.”
“I think we figured things out on our own pretty well.” If their night together was any indication, they were compatible in that way. More than compatible. They brought out the best in each other.
“It’s important to follow the steps, so I checked the book. Step three was to talk about a sexual fantasy. Step four was to enact it.” She was smiling at him, the same smile he’d seen last evening.
“Too bad there aren’t any buildings with elevators around here.” Her description of that fantasy was burned into his memory. He’d never be able to ride with her in an elevator without thinking of it.
“Shame about that,” she said. “I had to dig deep and come up with an alternative. Get undressed.”
“Am I joining you in there?” He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.
“You are. Jeans. Off.”
The bossy tone in her voice made him grin. He kicked off his shoes and socks and removed his jeans and boxers as she watched. The scenario alone would make him hard, but the way her eyes tracked him, hungry with desire, was driving him wild. “Now what? Do you want me to flex and show off my muscles?”
“I want you to wash my back.” She scooted forward in the tub, making room for him behind her. “Clean me up.”
“And then?” he asked when he’d settled into the tub. His lips went to her neck, skimming across the damp surface of her skin.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Then, I want you to get dirty with me.”
TWENTY
Five minutes ahead of their usual morning check-in, Sophie texted Helen and Julia to request a video chat. What she had to ask Helen was better done in some version of face-to-face versus over text messages. She quickly checked her email while she waited to start the chat. Nothing of interest in there, nothing to distract her from the nerves she felt about putting Helen on the spot. She’d asked before and been refused. This time she couldn’t take no for an answer.
“You’ve got this,” Owen said, putting his hand on the back of her chair and leaning in for a kiss. He’d been out for a run already, which meant he’d made sure no bad guys were invading the retreat and she was safe.
