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His gaze locked onto hers, his usual swagger gone, replaced with earnestness. “Apology accepted this time. Do you accept my apology for all of it too—the beer cans in your locker, and the hashtag, and the time we had the TA steal your math final so you had to retake it?”
“That was you?” She blew out a breath. “Mr. Wiggins acted like I’d absconded with the thing, so I could sell his test questions to the highest bidder.”
“We’re apologizing to each other,” Carson reminded her.
Right. They were. “Okay. All of that is in the past. Apology accepted.”
“Good. We’re friends now, agreed?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Agreed.”
Their eyes were still locked. She didn’t know what to say next. The room was steamy, making the shower seem even more confined. It was just the two of them, close together, in the mist.
He picked up her washcloth and checked himself for remaining paint. He rubbed at a stubborn spot on his jeans, then looked over his shoulder. Unsatisfied, he turned his back toward her. “Is all the paint off?”
“There’s a spot underneath your rear end.”
“Where?” He swiped at his jeans, too high, missing the spot.
“Lower. To the left…No, too far left…Now you’re too high.”
He handed her the washcloth. “Just get it off.”
“Me?”
“We’re friends now, remember?” He grinned at her over his shoulder. “Hey, there are women who would pay to touch my butt. I’m giving you the friend discount. You should feel special.”
Well, okay then. She could do this. She wiped the washcloth across his jeans. “Is this what special feels like? I always thought it would be more exciting. Maybe a few chills.”
He laughed, deep and rich. The sound filled the shower. The paint was ground into his jeans and slow to come off. She might have told him the jeans were a lost cause, but it wouldn’t hurt to try a little longer to get the stain out. Touching him wasn’t such a bad thing. She got most of the stain out.
“Any chills yet?” he asked.
“I’ll let you know.” She noticed some paint splatters on his back, places where the paint had dried before he’d gotten into the shower. She rubbed the washcloth along his skin to remove it and watched the water pouring across his skin. He had such a nice back. Tall and toned with broad shoulders. There were definitely women who would pay to do this.
Carson cast her a glance over his shoulder. “You’re thorough.”
“It’s one of my better qualities.” What was coming over her? She was losing her mind. Now that she’d realized that Carson wasn’t the jerk she’d assumed in high school, she was having flashbacks to watching him in PE sophomore year. He always moved so fluidly, muscle and grace, and she’d wished he would notice her. But he never did.
And now they were in a shower together, and his voice had gone low. He was watching her questioningly. She ought to return the washcloth. But one more trip across his back wouldn’t hurt. She was being thorough, after all.
She finally stepped back. She needed to do something to force sanity to return. “The paint is gone.”
He turned and took the washcloth from her. “Still no chills?”
“Maybe a few,” she said.
He stepped closer, his eyes on hers. “Want some more?”
Did he mean what she thought he meant? He couldn’t, could he? He was only teasing her. “If you turn the cold water on me right now, I will kill you.”
He flashed a smile. “No cold water, then. I don’t feel like dying.”
“What do you feel like doing?” Sanity had clearly not returned yet. Could she be more obvious?
“This.” He put his hands on her shoulders, bent his head down, and pressed his lips to hers. A kiss. This was happening. Standing in the water spray and steam, Carson Clark was kissing her. And she was responding without even thinking about whether it was a good idea or not. It probably wasn’t. And yet her mouth was moving against his, and her hands had found their way to his chest. She’d meant to put them on his shoulders but they had ideas of their own.
One of his hands moved down her back, pulling her closer. The other tangled into her wet hair. This was so impulsive. Crazy. Glorious, but still crazy. He was probably the sort of guy who was used to going full speed ahead after he kissed a girl. She was going to have to put a stop to all of this in a minute.
