“Ah, hell,” he breathed, taut with anticipation.
“I love how you look,” she told him while sliding those soapy hands over his shoulders.
“I’m more than a body,” he said in a ridiculously offended tone that made her laugh.
“You definitely are.” She slipped behind him—and now it was her soapy breasts he felt on his back. Reaching around him to wash his abs, she whispered, “You are the whole, awesome, sexy, smart, funny, endearing package.”
“Endearing?” He wanted to snort, but then she wrapped a hand around his pipe and he might have gasped instead.
“Very endearing.” Her lips nibbled on his shoulder. “I love how you feel.”
Love.
“And I love how you taste.” She licked a sizzling path from the side of his neck to his ear.
“Shit.” Strung out, breathing hard, he turned suddenly and pinned her to the wall. “You like teasing now?”
“I love teasing you.”
Jesus, if she didn’t stop using that word, he’d lose it. All but heaving, he worked his jaw. “I can tease, too.”
“Oh, believe me, I know.” She touched her fingertips to his lips. “I love how you—”
Armie took her mouth, licking his tongue in, exploring her mouth, and at the same time cupping a hand between her legs, his fingers already searching.
She made a sound and went on tiptoe in surprise, but he didn’t let up. So many threats against her. The danger kept getting closer. And bolder.
Someone had approached her right outside her work. Someone had followed her.
Because of him.
He’d brought this to her and now he didn’t know how to keep her safe.
When she freed her mouth he kissed her neck, drawing her skin in against his teeth and deliberately marking her. He kept two fingers pressed high in her and started a slow path down her body.
“I wanted to please you,” she protested, one hand already locked in his hair.
“Please me by opening your legs.”
“Armie...”
He didn’t wait for her to do as he asked. He put small, biting kisses on her ribs, her stomach, a hipbone, down—until he parted her lips, licked over her, then gently sucked her clitoris into his mouth.
Crying out, Rissy braced her free hand on the shower wall and parted her legs.
The water hit against his back, making his skin tingle. While he ate at her, he played with her ass. God, he loved her ass. And he kept his fingers in her, working her until she locked her legs and began to tremble.
His cock swelled. But it wouldn’t be right to take her, not when he knew what he had planned for the morning.
“Armie,” she whispered, high and thin. “Armie...” Her hips lifted, she pressed against his mouth and he stayed with her, rasping with his rough tongue until the climax peaked and then oh-so-gradually began to fade. Finally she eased, sated and, going by her smile, happy.
He hurt, but he deserved to hurt so what did it matter? Being sure to support her as he stood, Armie shut off the shower and pushed back the curtain. He snagged a towel and, loving her more than he’d thought possible, carefully dried her off.
CHAPTER TWENTY
ARMIE RESTED ON his back, arms folded behind his head, his expression distant and unreadable. Merissa didn’t know what to make of it.
She ran the wide-tooth comb through her hair one last time and put it on the nightstand.
After that incredible encounter in the shower last night, she’d been all set to continue in bed, but Armie had put her off. He’d pulled one of his shirts over her head, insisted she eat a little soup, insisted she needed to dry her hair, and lastly, he’d insisted that they needed some sleep.
She’d tried a few moves, but he hadn’t taken the bait. Thinking he might need some time, she’d let it go.
This morning, she’d opened her eyes to find him already awake and disturbingly distant. It was early still, but she wasn’t sure how to proceed.
He had the day off.
She had the day off.
But he hadn’t invited her to spend it with him.
So much had happened last night. Armie liked to pamper her while pretending to be immune to it all, but he was as human as anyone and had his breaking point. Inadvertently, through no fault of her own, she’d added to his concerns and she hated that.
Trying not to sound too sympathetic—something she knew Armie would rebel against—she asked, “Are you worried about Bray?”
“The foster family cares for him.”
Last night, in the dark, quiet room, he’d told her about the foster family’s plans to adopt. “So right now he’s in good hands. But long term?” she pressed.
“Long term, he knows his mom doesn’t care enough and it hurts him, regardless of who else cares.”
Given his own mother, Armie would understand that better than most. Merissa hated this distance between them. She wanted to help him feel better. She wanted to be supportive and caring—but an invisible wall surrounded him.
How could she possibly tell him she might be pregnant when he was like this? “That reporter at the bank—”
“Wasn’t a reporter,” he said. His dark gaze held her in place. “You know that.”
“Right, I just... I didn’t... You know who I mean.”
“What about her?”
Merissa crawled back into the bed and got close to him. He didn’t move, so she sat yoga style beside him and opened a palm over his delicious abs. His skin was warm to the touch, dusted with hair, and she badly wanted to pull off the shirt and let her own skin meld with his.
Armie usually enjoyed morning sex. But now, sex seemed to be the furthest thing from his mind.
“I think that woman and whoever hired her wanted to embarrass me.” Merissa watched for his reaction. “But I don’t care about any of that.”
“I care,” he told her firmly.
Of course he did. “I know, and I’m sorry because I don’t think that’ll be the only time someone tries to bring up the old rumors. Someone is setting you up.” She wanted him to fight back.
And she wanted him to want her by his side.
“Not news.” His expression hardened. “But someone used you to do it.”
Now, safe with Armie, Merissa could dismiss her involvement. “I don’t think I was ever in danger. I mean, I was on a street. There were other people around. It just threw me.” And I’m pregnant and my emotions seem to be on a roller-coaster ride. “I overreacted.”
He said nothing to that, but the silence felt condemning.
“It won’t be easy for you,” she acknowledged. “I know that. But you’re strong, and you’re not alone. You have my brother and Simon and the SBC—”
Armie laughed. “Is this your pep talk?”
His mood was starting to irk her. Pressing on, she added, “And you have me.”
His eyes closed and his mouth firmed.
A terrible foreboding made her stomach churn. “Armie?”
“All of this is because of me.” Again, that dark gaze pinned her. “It’s either my dad hustling for an easy buck, or Lea’s dad coming after me again just as he said he would. Or hell, it could be legit, could be nothing more than a few nosy-ass reporters hoping for a juicy story.”