Page 75 of Kidnapped Bride

I peered up at his tired eyes and messy hair and felt my resistance melt.

“Fine,” I whispered, reaching up to trace his jaw. “But only because you kept your promise tonight.”

His grin turned wicked. “That’s my girl.”

He kicked the bathroom door shut behind us, already peeling my shirt up with playful, impatient hands. I lifted my arms, laughing as the fabric caught on my chin for a second before he tossed it aside.

Steam started filling the room the moment he turned the shower on, but it wasn't as steamy as the chemistry between us.

“You’re ridiculous,” I said, shaking my head as he grinned down at me like he’d won some prize. “I was trying to be mad at you five minutes ago.”

“Five minutes ago you were hugging me and I stink,” he shot back, hooking his fingers into the waistband of my sleep shorts and dragging them down my legs. “Now look at you—voluntarily naked with a dangerous man."

I stepped out of the shorts and swatted his chest again, but what I really wanted was for his hands to be on me. “Dangerous? You just promised me a real wedding. You’re practically domesticated now.”

Nikolai barked a laugh and pulled me into the shower with him.

The hot spray hit my back first, making me sigh in relief.

He groaned as the water sluiced over his shoulders, washing away streaks of dried blood in rusty rivulets down his chest. I watched it disappear as my fingers automatically rose to help wipe it away like the bad memory it was.

“Domesticated,” he repeated, sounding amused as he reached for the soap. “Careful, Princess. I still remember how to bite.” He lathered his hands and slid them over my shoulders, hands pressing gently into the tight muscles there. The touch worked out the knots that had kept me tense and bound up for hours now. It felt incredible, and I tilted my head back under the spray, eyes half-closed.

“Mmm. God, that feels so good," I purred, leaning into him.

His hands paused, then continued their slow glide down my arms. “I could think of things that feel better."

I opened my eyes and poked him in the ribs. “What about my needing to rest? Huh? Still want me to follow Dr. Keller's orders?"

He chuckled and leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead, then my temple, then the corner of my mouth. “But relaxation is a good thing, right?” His soapy hands moved to my waist, stroking up and down my sides in long, lazy passes that made my skin tingle. “But you like washing me, admit it.”

I took the soap from him and worked up a lather, then pressed my palms to his chest, spreading the suds over the hard planes of muscle. “Maybe. You’re very… washable.” My fingers traced the ridges of his abs, slow and teasing, enjoying the way his breath hitched just a little. “And you make these cute little sounds when I hit the right spots.”

Nikolai’s eyes darkened, but he kept his grin. “Cute? I’ll show you cute.” He turned me gently so my back was to his front, then soaped his hands again and ran them down my spine, thumbs pressing along either side. When he reached the small of my back he pulled me flush against him, his mouth brushing the shell of my ear. “Keep touching me like that and this shower’s going to need a lot more cold water.”

I laughed softly, leaning back into his chest as his arms circled my waist. “Behave. You promised me sleep after this.”

“I promised a shower first,” he murmured, kissing the wet skin of my shoulder. “And I always keep my promises, remember?”

His hands stayed respectful but affectionate—stroking my hips, my stomach, occasionally brushing the undersides of my breasts in light, teasing passes that made my pulse jump. I returned thefavor, washing his back, his arms, letting my fingertips linger on every scar I found.

“Your body is ridiculous, you know that?” I murmured, pressing my soapy palms flat against the thick muscle of his back. “All these scars… It’s like you were built for war, and right now you feel like pure sin.”

Nikolai let out a low, rough chuckle that vibrated under my hands. He turned slowly in the spray, water sluicing down his chest as he faced me again.

His eyes dragged over my naked body with open hunger, lingering on the way my wet hair clung to my breasts, the droplets racing down my stomach and thighs.

“And you,” he said, voice dropping into that gravelly tone that always made heat pool low in my belly, “look like you were made to ruin a man. Oh, these soft curves…” His large hands settled on my waist, thumbs stroking just beneath my ribs. “These full tits that fit so perfectly in my palms… Every inch of you makes me want to forget how fucking exhausted I am.”

My breath hitched. I bit my lip, trying to keep my voice steady as I slid my soapy hands down his chest, tracing the deep V of his hips. The hard length of his dick brushed against my stomach, already swelling. “You’re exhausted, remember? You said you needed sleep.”

“I did,” he admitted, stepping closer until his dick prodded at my thigh. “But then my wife starts touching me like she wants to worship every scar, and suddenly sleep is the last thing on my mind.”

His hands slid up to cup my breasts, thumbs circling my nipples until they tightened into stiff peaks. I moaned softly, arching into his touch.

“These pretty nipples,” he mumbled, pinching one lightly, “get so hard for me the second I touch them. You know what they do to me? Make me want to suck them until you’re squirming and begging.”

I let out a shaky laugh that turned into a moan when he rolled both nipples between his fingers. “Niko… we’re supposed to be washing…”