I hold her to me, needing this just as much as I think she does.
The loss of Valentine’s affection was slowly killing me inside. I’d only had it for a short time, but its withdrawal was filling me with emptiness. A wife-sized hole inside my chest I didn’t know was there before her.
And now that I have her back, now that I have her clinging to me, I don’t want her to close up again.
I know nothing has really changed. I still haven’t earned her complete trust back. But I will.
Val’s face is pressed into the crook of my neck, her heavy breaths warming my skin.
“Hold me tight,” I tell her.
She does. And she stays exactly how she is, arms and legs wrapped around me as I slide us off the side of the bed.
My cock is still buried inside her as I walk us into the bathroom.
The steps jostle our positions, and I slip free from her body right as I step into the shower.
Valentine squirms in my arms.
“Let it out, Angel.” I flex my arms around her, and her body relaxes.
I’m tempted to walk us back over to the sinks so I can stand in front of the mirrors and watch our combined release drip from her puffy slit. But not now.
Another time.
I use my foot to kick the towel-stuffed toaster out of the shower, then pull the door shut.
Angling our bodies so the water hits my back first, I turn the handle, knowing just where to turn it for the perfect amount of heat.
When it’s just right, I turn us around so the water is on Valentine’s back. Then I turn another knob, and a sprayer on the other end of the shower comes to life.
The shower stall is long enough that the streams don’t touch but close enough that a swirl of steam instantly surrounds us.
I pat her bare ass. “Lower your legs for me.”
Val listens, letting her legs slide down my hips until they’re hanging straight down.
I bend my knees until I feel her feet touch the floor, then her arms slip from around my neck.
Without meeting my eyes, Val turns to face the far showerhead and steps under it, soaking her hair.
My fingers itch to help her. To wash her.
It’s an intimacy I’ve never experienced before, but I’m not sure Val is ready for that. And I can wait.
We move through the motions to the sound of falling water.
I finish before she does, but I leave my side running—to keep the steam thick—while I step out of the stall to fetch us towels.
I’ve dried off and pulled on a pair of workout pants and a T-shirt when Val turns the water off.
I’m waiting for her, towel spread in my arms, when she pushes the glass door open.
She narrows her eyes on the towel but still steps toward me, and I wrap the thick cotton around her.
Valentine silently wraps it around herself, and I hand her a second towel for her hair.
“Miranda is one of my many cousins,” I tell her.
She slides her eyes up to meet mine. “Miranda?”
I nod. “I told her if she came over and made us a pan of her lasagna, I’d pay off her student loans.”
“The woman downstairs is your cousin.” She sounds like she’s repeating it to herself.
“Yep.” My eyes search hers.
“You asked your cousin to come over, dressed like that, to make us dinner, to… what? Make me jealous?”
My shoulders lift. “Basically. Though I didn’t give her any direction on what to wear. She just always dresses like she’s allergic to clothes.”
“Dominic.” She says my name the same way my mom does before scolding me for something.
I grip the top of the towel wrapped around her, my fingers sliding into her cleavage, and pull her closer. “That was payback for calling Rob hot.” She scoffs, but I shake my head. “Turns out I’m a jealous bastard.”
“You’re an idiot.”
I grin. “A little of that, too. But nonetheless, save your compliments for me.”
Valentine does that thing where she lowers her chin, then looks up at me like she’s stuck halfway through an eye roll. “You know you’re hotter.”
Warmth blooms inside me. “You should probably remind me more often.”
Because she’s here—and because I can—I pull her even closer and press my lips to hers.
I don’t push for more. Just a kiss.
A simple kiss. One that only lasts for a second. But one that makes my heart thud a little harder behind my ribs.
Pulling back, I let her go. “Put something comfortable on. We’ll watch a movie while we eat.”
