Page 47 of Worth the Try
She laughs softly. “This might be the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
“Well, that’s bullshit,” I retort, making her laugh louder as I pull her to me for one last kiss. “You deserve far better romantic moves than this.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Get in,” I tell her, backing out and shutting the door behind me.
A few minutes later, the water shuts off, and I swear I hear a soft moan.
Fuck.She’s in there, naked, and I’m out here like an absolute idiot. After taking my shoes off and changing into dry clothes, I find the robe I never use and knock on the door.
“Come in,” she calls.
I step into the lavender-scented bathroom and am nearly taken to my knees by the sight before me. Elodie lounges in the tub, covered by the bubbles. Her hair is piled on top of her head, exposing her neck and shoulders, and as she smiles up at me, all I can think is how right it feels to have her here. This whole night has felt like that:right. As though Elodie is what I have been missing. And I don’t know if it’s as easy as all that, because I still have to be so careful, but now? Now, there is a naked woman in my bathtub, and I’m stuck in place, staring at her.
“Hi,” she says softly, a smile playing on her lips.
“Hi.” Any game I thought I might have had—any possible bit of smooth-operator moves in my arsenal—flies totally out of my head. “You’re beautiful,” is all that comes out of my mouth.
She giggles and blushes, her eyes darting away from mine.
I hold the robe up. “I brought you this. I can put your stuff in the dryer, unless that’s weird?”
Another sweet giggle as she meets my gaze. “That’s not weird. But no.”
“No?”
“Get in with me.”
The world stills and my head empties. “Get—get in with you?” I repeat dumbly.
She nods. “I’ll close my eyes.” Then quirks a grin. “Promise.”
I’m about to tell her no, but a smarter part of me whacks the stupid part in the head with a mutteredI swear to God if you don’t get in that tub, you asshole.So I swallow and nod. “Um. Okay.”
A broad smile erupts on her face. “Okay. I’m closing my eyes.”
I step to the other side of the enormous bathroom, more grateful than ever that I bought this house, and lay the robe on the counter. I pull my shirt off and shuck my bottoms, thencatch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I’m hunched over like some kind of bridge-dwelling troll, with a look of utter shock on my face, and I have to laugh at myself.Get it together, Miles. I straighten, take a deep breath, and step out of my underwear. After folding everything and setting it neatly into a pile on the sink, I risk a glance at Elodie. Seriously, how lucky am I?
“Keep those pretty eyes of yours closed,” I admonish as I step in, lowering myself in on the other side from her. The tub is truly enormous, but not so big that our legs don’t touch as I get situated.
She giggles again, pulling her knees above the water and opening her eyes. They roam over me appreciatively, even though all she can see is my upper chest. “Hi,” she says again.
I let out a breath, my gaze locked on the bubbles sliding down her bare knees.
“Warm?”
Burning up.I look at her. “Yes. You?”
She bites her lip, sucking it into her mouth a little and letting it slide out from her teeth. I can’t hold the groan back, and a soft sound of appreciation leaves her. “This is nice,” she says. “But it could be nicer.”
“Oh, yeah?” I sound hoarse. And that internal voice from earlier, the one that slapped the back of my head, is back.You. Are. An. Idiot. Get the fuck over there.
“Mm-hmm,” she says, her gaze searing into mine.
Got it. “I have an idea.”
Her brows rise hopefully. “You do?”
