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I giggled and playfully rolled my eyes before gently tugging his arm. “Get in here.”
Lee stood and stepped over the edge to join me in the bathtub. Before he lowered, I put a hand up. “Stop.”
Staring, with his hips in front of me, I spotted a tattoo on his upper thigh I had never noticed before.
I pointed. “What is that?”
Standing in front of me with his thick dick at eye level, he stroked down his abs, along his cock, and brushed his fingertips across the faded ink. “It’s my favorite tattoo.”
“A flower?” I studied the intricate line work of the tattoo. It wasn’t masculine and dark like most of his other tattoos. Instead, it was dainty and feminine. Since it rode high on his upper thigh, it was no wonder I’d never seen it, but in that there was a sense of wonder. I loved that after all these years, there was still so much to learn about my best friend.
“Not just any flower. It’s a flower called dianthus ‘Annette.’” I blinked as his hand covered the frilly flower design. “It keeps me grounded.”
Reaching up, I gently slid his hand away to look at it again. The delicate lines were a faded slate gray and not the harsh black of a fresh tattoo. My heart lodged in my throat. “This tattoo ... it isn’t new.” Realization flooded through me.
Lee sank into the tub, leveling his eyes with mine. His fingertips brushed down my cheekbones. “Nope.”
“But, Lee...” My eyes ping-ponged between his.
I watched the muscles in his neck work as he swallowed. “I’ve had this a long time, Annette.” Despite the earth-tilting news he’d just delivered, Lee smiled and turned my body so he could nestle in behind me.
He rested his head on my shoulder, pulling me in close. “Hey,” he whispered.
I only hummed, my mind spiraling in a thousand new directions.
“This is the best day of my life.”
I pinched my eyes closed, completely lost as to how I could possibly express the jumble of emotions I was feeling. Only one thing I knew for certain. I was going to tell Lee about the letters, and it was going to change everything.
* * *
After soakingin the tub until we were pruny, Lee surprised me again when we walked back to his living room. Instead of his typically neat and tidy space, Lee had transformed it into a pillow-and-blanket-fort oasis. Chairs had been pushed together, the couch had disappeared under a bedsheet, and throw pillows peeked out from beneath the covering.
“What is this?”
Lee walked to the entrance and held open the fabric. “Your castle, my lady.”
Dressed in only Lee’s oversize T-shirt, I sank to my knees and crawled through the pillow-fort opening.
On all fours, I shot him a look and tugged at the hemline that barely covered my ass. “No peeking.”
“Ha. Not a chance.”
With a squeal I scurried inside the cozy fort as he playfully pinched my butt. Blankets and pillows covered the entire area, while the television was queued up to a movie.
“You were busy,” I teased.
“You were asleep,” he shot back playfully.
A hard lump settled into my throat. Lee was thoughtful, kind, and sexy as hell. Everything I had never allowed myself to dream of was right in front of me, and I was about to ruin it all.
But I had to. I owed him that much.
As I settled into my plush surroundings, I gathered the shreds of my courage.
Lee nestled beside me, fluffing the pillows behind his back and wiggling until he was comfortable. His muscular arm stretched across the back of the sofa, and he gestured for me to cuddle up to him.
I obliged and sank into the cozy setup. Lee smirked at me and pulled me closer. He popped a kiss on my cheek. “I love your curls. They’re as wild as you are.” He pinched one between his fingers and let it spring upward.
