“I never joke, not when it comes to you.” He points behind him. “The bathroom is in there.”

“Wait, damnit. You can’t just let me see something so meaningful and personal, and then not tell me what it means. Why would you do something like this?”

Cain just stares at me as if I’m the one holding all the answers. His boots smack firmly against the hardwood floor when he turns and leaves. This man has thrown yet another curve ball at me, and this one’s hit me smack in the face.

My life was doing so well before I drove into this place. The daunting, unknown life I am being forced to live lies in front of me, and now I stand in the middle of a bedroom that was apparently designed for me, trying to figure out how the hell I’m supposed to manage all of this. Living with him. Being with him all the time.

We’re both hurting. So many things have been left unsaid. So many things need to be said. We’re going to have to sit down and talk all of this out in a reasonable manner, or else these deep wounds are going to fester and bleed us both dry.

I pad on dirty feet across the room and gasp when I arrive at a bathroom like I’ve never seen before.

“My God, Cain. What have you done?”

The same colors as the bedroom adorn this immaculate room. The sunken tub is like a small pool sitting right below a giant window, with a brown tiled walk-in shower off to the left of it. A long, brown vanity with teal countertops and marbled sinks takes up another wall. I’m afraid to touch a thing in here. It’s all so pristine, so unlike Cain and his manly biker dude, bossy, uncontrollable ways.

“Wow. I may skip eating and stay in this tub all night,” I whisper to myself.

I ditch my now-ruined clothing as fast as I can and practically run to the tub, where I stand naked trying to figure out how to turn the thing on. Finally, I see buttons on the floor and push them as I squat on the cold, tiled ledge surrounding the tub. The drain automatically closes and just like that it starts to fill. Reaching for a knob, I adjust the temp and wait while water splashes into it with whisper soft splatters, like the tiny tears now streaming freely down my face.

My tears drip into the water, drowning along with my emotions. I’m feeling bereft, sad, and lonely with no idea whatsoever how I’m going to come up with the right answer to this solution.

Swiping my hand across my eyes, I stand up and dip my big toe into the water. The warmth stings the cut there. I wince and ease myself forward. Pain pushed aside, relaxation sets in. I press the button to turn the water off and lean back onto the soft pillow-like padding at the opposite end, sighing loudly.

My eyes drift closed as I let the water envelop me, submerging myself completely. My hair fans out to the sides as I sink toward the bottom. When my lungs start to burn, I emerge from the depths of the water and scream when I see Cain standing there at the edge of the tub.

Water splashes over the sides as I try and gather my wits. My heart starts pounding and my breathing becomes short.

“What in the hell are you doing in here?” I yell, mortified.

I’m completely naked, lying stretched out in a tub full of clear water. He can see everything. My brain tells my hands to move and cover myself up, but I seem to be immobilized, as does he. Nothing moves on his body except those damn dark eyes of his, the same as when we saw each other earlier today for the first time. His gaze scorches down my naked body, which is on full display. At last, his smoldering, sensual gaze moves up to my eyes.

“Fuck me, I have never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life. You’re both a blessing and a curse, Calla.”

My brain finally catches up with the fact I’m naked in front of Cain for the first time in six years. I sit up in a rush of water and bring my knees to my chest, resting my chin on top of them.

“You... you shouldn’t be in here.”

“You wouldn’t answer me,” he says exasperatedly.

“Well, no shit. My head was underwater. That still doesn’t give you the right to just walk in here.”

“When you don’t answer me when I’m standing right outside of a wide open door, not to mention the fact this is my house... well, then I think I have every fucking right. Don’t you?”

“No, I don’t. You could have just peeked in and seen I was fine and waited. Was this some kind of ploy for you to get me right where you wanted me? Are you so afraid that the minute you turn your back on me I will up and try to leave? Are you going to watch my every move? Or did you have an ulterior motive in suggesting I shower, just so I could strip down naked and you could make damn sure I didn’t go anywhere? So tell me what the hell it is, because this back and forth, hot and cold game you’ve started is really starting to piss me the hell off!”

I glare up at him, not quite able to read his eyes.

What I do know is that the sexual tension between the two of us is so strong, it’s working triple overtime. There’s only one tiny little obstacle in our way... and that would be our past. The fact that I can’t trust him. He broke every bit of it the same day he broke my heart. One of us needs to give in, take charge so we can just fuck and move on.

As if he can read my mind, he stalks right up to the ledge. Again my freaking disloyal eyes travel down. His cock is straining against his jeans. He’s clenching and unclenching his fists, and fuck me, his feet are bare. When I meet his eyes again, they’ve changed. They’re still dark and full of mystery, but they also have a hint of amusement behind them now.

I nearly fly out of the tub when he steps in with his jeans on, his big frame towering over me. He reaches down and yanks me up beneath my arms. My wet body crashes against his. It’s hotter than a bitch frying in hell in here and it is most definitely not coming from the water we are both standing in.

“I’m done playing games. I’m about to fuck that sweet cunt of yours. By God, you can stand here and try to deny it all you want, but baby, you want my cock buried deep inside of you just as bad I want it there. Now shut the fuck up and kiss me.”

A loud moan rises from deep inside of me, escaping without warning. My pussy is doing all of the talking, pressing up against him giving him the answer he wants.

Cain’s hands leave my body to cradle my face, his thumbs skimming down my cheeks and running across my lips. His hands grab me by the ass and lift me, so I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. I moan again when he doesn’t go for my lips first; instead, he hits that spot on my neck. The sensations are too much. My God, his lips feel so good, sucking and assaulting my neck like he’s truly missed me.

“Oh, hell!” I gasp.

My legs squeeze tighter around his waist. Rough friction from his damp jeans abrades me and I grind and writhe like a snake against him.

“Fuck!” he roars.

How he manages to get the two of us lying back down in this water is beyond me, but he does. He’s on top of me with my head resting comfortably on the soft cushion.

I’m in a daze of wanton desire. Cain pushes my legs apart, palms my ass, and lifts the bottom half of my body out of the water. A smile pulls his lips, which has me looking down to see what he is reacting to.

“What?’ I ask breathlessly.

“I fucking knew you would be bare down here. This pink pussy uncovered for me to see. Hold on to something, because I haven’t eaten a goddamned thing all day.”

I bite my bottom lip when his face lowers to my pussy. He doesn’t touch me for the longest time, he just stares at it like it’s his lifeline. A tiny voice inside my head tells me this isn’t the right thing to do, but when his face dips closer and he inhales my scent, those thoughts fly from my mind.

“I’ve waited six fucking years to do this. To have you in my arms. To have this pussy staring me right in the face. Six years, Calla. Don’t you dare ask me to stop. I’m taking what’s mine.”