AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There’s movement to our side, Shonda adjusting her angle, but we keep our gazes forward.
“Now, Griffin, cradle Emma’s left breast in your palm.”
Even though I know it’s coming, and I tell my body not to react, the moment Griffin follows her direction I can’t help arching my body into his touch. His hand on me feels so good, I can’t stop the low moan that escapes my lips.
I’m dying. I will not survive this.
“That’s perfect, Emma,” Shonda praises me, and thankfully doesn’t draw attention to the fact I just moaned loudly. “Now, Griffin, tease her a little. Whatever feels natural. Your hand on her leg, kiss her neck.”
Griffin doesn’t hesitate. He moves to draw my right leg up, bending it at the knee until it emerges from the water. His hand splays over the inside of my thigh, his fingertips teasing just beneath the water. It feels just like the night we practiced touching and kissing in the kitchen after the Premier Real Estate party.
“That’s beautiful. Griffin, very natural. Emma, soften your mouth.”
The shoot continues like that, Shonda directing us, which makes it feel less awkward about touching Griffin because when she tells me to grip his neck I can point to Shonda and sayshe told me to!Plus, this falls under the category of touching each other for public appearances. I never thought we’d need to apply it to a bubble bath photoshoot, but here we are.
I’m also aware of Kandi sitting next to the monitor, her dark-rimmed glasses pinched between her fingers as she assesses what she sees on the screen.
The steady click of Shonda’s camera pauses and I turn my head to see Kandi murmuring to Shonda.
Shonda nods. “We’re going to take a short break.”
“Should we get out?” I ask. I don’t really want to get out but I’m not sure what we should be doing.
“Please wait in the tub so we can continue the session shortly.” Kandi says.
I nod. There’s nothing to do but wait. I shift my body forward, so I’m no longer leaning on Griffin.
Behind me Griffin moves, extending his bent legs on either side of me.
“I have to stretch; my legs are cramping.”
“That’s okay.” I bend my knees and hug them to my chest to allow more space for him. “Do you think we’re taking a break because the photos aren’t turning out well? Do you think Kandi is upset? I knew this was going to be a disaster.”
Griffin doesn’t answer any of my questions, but instead reaches for the fresh bar of soap perched on the soap dish.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“When I was little, before Sophie was born, my mom would cover my entire back with soap, then she’d draw pictures or write words and I’d guess what she was drawing.” I can hear his hands lathering the soap between them. “I thought we could try it while we wait.”
“Oh.”
“It’s very relaxing.”
“Is that your way of telling me I need to relax?”
“It couldn’t hurt.”
A second later, Griffin’s hands sweep across the top of my back. They move over me, the tips of his fingers tickling my ribs as they curve around my side. I try to ignore my anxiety about the photoshoot and focus on what Griffin just told me.
“That’s a nice memory of your mom.” I whisper, aware that Kandi and Shonda are not far away.
“It’s something simple. Me in the bathtub playing with a plastic boat while she wrote in soap on my back. It’s one of the few times I felt taken care of. That she was the adult and I could just be the kid. I think I was four.”
I can’t see his face, but I can hear the hint of nostalgia in his voice.
“I’m sorry.” I want to turn around and give him a big hug. Make him feel taken care of like he didn’t in his childhood, but Griffin’s finger starts moving against my back.
“Thank you,” he whispers, and a puff of air hits my wet back, causing a shiver to slip down my spine.
