Page 130 of Shelter
“I’ve never been happier than I am right now,” I vowed.
I watched her bite her bottom lip, catching a smile before it could spread. She shook her head. “Me either.” She blinked once. Twice.
I searched her face. “You okay, baby?”
Silently, she nodded. But then her arms, which were resting along my shoulders, drew in, and for the second time in one night, I watched Elise cross them over her chest.
Disappointment hit me, and I hoped it didn’t show in my face. If earning her trust took years, I’d be patient.
“What can I do,” I asked gently, “to make you feel better?”
She briskly rubbed her hands over her upper arms. “Take me inside,” she said, her chin trembling. “I’m freezing.”
Shit.
“Oh, God, I’m sorry.” I was an idiot. She wasn’t trying to hide from me. She was cold. Elise was always cold. Naked, wet, and lying still after lovemaking, even I felt the chill.
I reached for the edge of the towel only to find it trapped under my legs. I lifted myself off Elise to free it, but as soon as I did, she gasped.
“F-fuck!” she cursed, her teeth clicking together as she shivered. “You were the one th-thing keeping m-me warm.”
I quickly wrapped the towel around her and helped her to her feet, fighting my grin.
“D-don’t laugh,” she warned.
Of course, I laughed then, but I did it tucking her against me. “C’mon. I’ll warm you up.”
The shower took only a second to heat, but by then, Elise was covered in gooseflesh, her lips, normally a luscious pink, now colorless and trembling.
“Get in.” I helped her over the side of the tub and into the hot stream. Her shoulders, which had drawn up under her ears, instantly drooped.
Wearing a grateful look, she breathed out a long exhale. Then she tilted her chin to the left. “You coming too?”
“In just a sec,” I said, and then I drew the curtain closed.
“Mmm… this feels amazing.”
I heard her moan as I walked away. The sound nearly had me turning back to climb in with her, but I wanted to make sure she had towels and clothes ready when she stepped out.
In my closet, I found her a pair of drawstring shorts and one of my Green Wave sweatshirts. I rubbed the fabric inside each between my thumb and forefinger. They were soft enough to go against her bare skin. If I had my way, she’d wear nothing so I could touch her for the rest of the night. For the rest of our lives, if I were telling the truth. But I wanted Elise to be warm and comfortable.
I brought the clothes back to the bathroom and set them on the vanity. When I pulled back the shower curtain to join her, I discovered Elise listing against the long wall, eyes closed. The stream pounded against her back, which was now turning pink under the spray. She looked exhausted.
Biting down on a smile, I joined her.
“Mmm… I’ll move in a minute,” she murmured without bothering to open her eyes.
I approached, lifted both of her arms, and set them on my shoulders, taking her delicious weight against me.
She immediately snuggled in, resting her forehead on my chest, and I chuckled at the sight of her. The feel of her.
God in heaven, thank you for this.
I angled the spray lower on her back and reached for the shampoo. When I squirted a shot of it into my palm and started working it through her hair, Elise raised her head and stared up at me, drowsy-eyed.
“You washing my hair?”
I nodded, grinning, and kissed her forehead. I gently scrubbed the shampoo into a lather, massaging her scalp. A throaty, faintly erotic moan left her. I could have taken her again, there in the shower. Elise seemed to keep me in a state of near-constant arousal. But I’d taken enough for one night. What I really wanted to do now was give. Give her warmth. Comfort. Love.
