Page 115 of It's About Time
“Yes, and also…”
“Sex?” I clarify as she nods. “Yeah, well, we’ve been doing a lot of things together we never thought we would.”
She rolls her eyes. “You know, with any other man, I don’t feel this out of sorts, okay? I’m normally very confident sexually, especially when I know the relationship is transactional. You should know that.”
I lift my brows. “Is that so?”
“Yes. But for some reason, being naked withyouis making me feel…” Her eyes dart to the side. “I don’t know…”
I tip her chin back so she’s facing me again. “You have nothing to feel insecure about, and this sure as fuck isn’t transactional.” My thumb brushes her jaw. “We’re two consenting adults, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then don’t overthink this. Just enjoy it.” My lips cover hers, swallowing her moan that makes my cock twitch.
“Okay,” she breathes out when we part.
“Good. Now come on, before the water gets cold.” I lead her over to the bathtub and help her step inside first before following her. The water is so hot that I’m wondering if she sourced her water from the core of the earth. “Jesus Christ, woman. Did you get this water from a volcano?”
“Baths are supposed to be hot, Elliot,” she says, motioning for me to sit down first. It takes me several minutes to acclimate to the water, but once I do, Dilynne rests between my legs, her back against my chest. Despite the heat of the water and the initial shock to my system, my dick is still rock-hard between us.
“I’ve gotta say, I don’t think I’ve ever shared a bath with a man before. Baths are usually my sacred alone time, my one guilty pleasure.”
“I remember you telling me that, so just know that I’m honored to be your first.” She huffs out a laugh, but something resonates with me. “So, you never shared a bath before? Not even with Vinnie?” The mention of his name makes her shoulders tense.
“No.” Her reply is short and simple, as expected. But tonight, I want more from her.
I wait a few minutes before I ask, “Why do you think your relationship didn’t work?”
She glances back at me with a pinch in her brow. “Where is this coming from?”
“I’m just trying to understand you better, Dilynne.”
“Why?”
“Because I think part of our issue over the years is that we haven’t even tried tounderstand each other. So, I want to change that.”
She sighs. “Trust me, there’s more to it than that.”
“Care to elaborate then?” I run my hands down her arms, loving how silky her skin feels under the water. I’m in one of the most intimate positions with her right now, and even though my cock is hard as a rock and ready to please her, I think back to Rhonan’s advice. Baby steps.
Her silence makes me nervous, though, like maybe I’m pushing her too hard. But finally, she speaks. “It took me a while to realize that my relationship didn’t work because Vinnie was threatened by me.”
I huff out a laugh. “I could have told you that.”
“Yeah, well, when you’re blinded by love, it’s difficult to see what’s been in front of you all along, wouldn’t you agree?” she says with an arch of her brow in my direction.
“Touché,” I grate out.
“Once some of the anger subsided, I had to work really hard to learn that Vinnie’s actions had much more to do with his own insecurities than they had to do with me. Therapy is worth every penny, in case you haven’t figured that out.”
“Yes, it is. But beating up a car helps too,” I say as I run my hands along her thighs now.
She chuckles and lays her head back against my shoulder, her body starting to relax more, and fuck—holding her like this, being in this moment with her is making me want this with her even more.
Dilynne Clark might just be the woman I’ve been looking for, and it’s taken a failed wedding, one year of her annoying me, and this entire arrangement for me to admit that.
“The junkyard and I became good friends after Vinnie and I split. But after a while, I realized that I just want a man who can accept me for the strong woman that I am, but still lets me lean into my feminine side, you know?”
