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“Fine,” I grumbled, already knowing that I would be there. As much as Carmen got under my skin, she was still my sister. And I loved her.
“Good,” she said, a hint of relief in her voice. “I’ll see you then.” And with that, the line went dead.
When Carmen’s call ended, I glanced at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see it was nearly eight in the evening. I had spent the entire day immersed in financial documents and my head throbbed with the effort.
Rising from my makeshift office on the coffee table, I moved to the kitchen. As I filled a glass with water, my mind kept circling back to the spreadsheet of numbers. The reality of the betrayal within our family hit me like a punch to the gut. It didn’t matter if it was Carmen or someone else; the damage was already done.
Tristan was right to be suspicious, but I didn’t want to believe that someone in my family could do this.
Setting my glass down, I decided to head upstairs for a shower, hoping it would help clear my head.
Walking into the master bedroom felt like stepping into another world. Tristan’s clothes were neatly folded on one side of the mahogany dressing table, his watch sitting alongside them.
I paused in front of the full-length mirror that hung on the wall and stared at my reflection critically. Dark circles had formed underneath my eyes - a stark testament to my stress and exhaustion. My short hair was in disarray and I was still wearing the same clothes from this morning.
With a sigh, I stripped off my clothes, left them in a heap on the floor, and stepped into the bathroom. Turning the shower knobs, I felt a sense of relief wash over me as the hot water cascaded down my tired body.
I leaned against the cool tiles and closed my eyes, allowing the warmth to soothe my weary muscles and frazzled mind. I let the water run over my body, washing away the dirt of doubt, fear, and uncertainty that clung to me.
I didn’t know how long I had been in there. All I knew was that I heard someone approach me, and I immediately went to turn off the water. But, in a second, Tristan was next to me.
“Don’t,” his throaty command stopped me mid-reach, and I opened my eyes to find him standing outside the glass partition. His gaze was dark and intense, his blue eyes smoldering as they roamed over me. A heat I hadn’t felt in the shower blossomed in my chest, spreading outward until it engulfed my entire being.
“I thought you were busy with meetings,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady and my gaze from wandering down his bare torso. He was already half undressed, his shirt discarded somewhere out of sight.
“I was. And now I’m not.” His voice was low and husky, a subtle hint of his Irish accent making my heart flutter. He moved closer to the glass partition, his fingers trailing over the surface as his gaze remained fixed on mine. “You want company?”
“Yes, but I’m so tired.”
He smiled. “Don’t worry, Ade. I’m not going to make you work.”
And then he was in the shower with me.
Chapter Five: Tristan
Ilet the water wash over me as I stepped into the shower. She leaned back against the tiled wall, watching me with those mesmerizing hazel eyes. Her short, dark hair was plastered to her skull, droplets of water cascading down her face and onto her bare shoulders. God, she was beautiful.
“Come here,” I urged her, my voice barely above a whisper. She hesitated only for a moment before crossing the small space between us. Our bodies met under the hot spray, and I felt her tremble against me.
I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer, our soaking bodies slipping against one another. “Tell me,” I began, brushing a wet strand of hair from her face, “what’s going on in that brilliant mind of yours.”
She bit her lip and looked at me with those expressive eyes that were so damn easy to drown in. “Just...trying to make sense of everything,” she admitted. Her gaze dropped to the wet tiles below us, and there was a vulnerability in her posture that made me want to protect her from all the world’s evils.
“Well,” I said, lifting her chin with my finger so she was looking at me again. “Maybe we can try to make sense of it together. Or maybe you don’t need to make sense of anything right now.”
Her eyes searched mine for a long moment before she finally nodded, leaning into my touch. “Okay,” she whispered. Her agreement was soft, quiet, but to me it rang as loud as a church bell, echoing through the steam-filled air around us.
Our lips met then, a mingling of warmth and want that never failed to set my pulse racing. Her hands clung to me, fingers digging into the muscles of my back while I held her close, the taste of her a searing brand on my tongue.
I pulled away from her and kissed down her neck, down her collarbone, down to her chest. She let out a soft moan, her hands tightening in my hair as she arched against me. I kissed and nipped at her sensitive skin, the taste of her intoxicating and exhilarating all at once.
Her body responded in kind, a flurry of movements as her fingers explored the planes and contours of my back, tracing patterns that sent shivers down my spine. The world fell away, reduced to nothing more than the sound of water hitting tiles, our labored breaths, and the intoxicating sound of Adriana’s soft gasps and sighs.
Every inch of her was searing hot under my lips, my hands. I savored each quiver and gasp she made, capturing them with fervor and need that was both raw and primal.
My hands roamed her body, memorizing the feel of her skin against mine. Her slight tremors encouraged me as I lingered on her sensitive spots, taking satisfaction in the way she gasped and moaned at my touch. She tensed as my hand slipped further down, and I felt her grip tighten on my shoulders.
I rested my hands on her hips, pulling her closer as my lips made a trail lower down her body. Her grip on me tightened, anticipating what was to come.
