Finished with my body, I went deeper until the water was up to my ribcage. I lifted my arms to start on my hair, when a voice spoke in my ear.
“No.”
I jumped and started to turn around, but strong hands gripped my hips from behind. My entire body shivered at his touch and he squeezed tighter in response.
“I want to wash your hair,” Liam murmured before pressing his lips below my ear. “May I?”
“Yes,” I rasped, handing him the soap.
He released my hips and I quivered, waiting for him to touch me again, the anticipation almost unbearable. I heard him lather the soap in his hands and then his fingers dug into my hair, causing a moan to escape my lips.
I closed my eyes and let myself bask in the intimacy of this moment. He was gentle, reverent, working the soap generously through every lock and paying special attention to my scalp, giving me a massage as he went. Every muscle in my body went lax, all the remaining tension gone.
“Time to rinse,” he said.
I leaned back, dipping my head in the water as Liam combed his fingers through my hair, ensuring all the soap was gone. I straightened and Liam moved closer behind me. His hands moved to my shoulders, thumbs pressing in and working out the kinks in my neck in small circles.
“Mmm…” I melted at his touch.
“Your hair is beautiful. Why do you always keep it pulled back?” he asked, his breath tickling my ear.
“It’s hot in the jungle.”
“Not just here. I saw you at a conference once. It was back in a bun. In fact, every picture of you has it styled that way too.”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “I’ve just always wornit that way.”
He moved my hair to the side. His lips pressed against my neck. “You should wear it down more,” he murmured into my skin.
“Okay,” I whispered.
He trailed hot kisses down the side of my throat and I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against his shoulder. One of his hands clutched my hip as the other traced down my chest, his fingers circling my breasts with a light touch.
Every press of his lips and brush of his fingers set my skin on fire. A shudder rippled through me when he brushed the underside of my breast, then trailed down my stomach, beneath the water.
I moaned loud, anticipating his next move, willing him to touch me where I was throbbing between my legs. But he continued his teasing, tracing my inner thighs but avoiding where I wanted him most.
A sob of frustration burst from my lips and he chuckled against my shoulder, then ran his tongue all the way up the side of my neck, ending with a kiss to my jaw.
“Oh my gods…” I breathed.
“Is this okay?” he asked, nipping at my throat.
“Yes. Gods, yes.” My voice came out in a whimper.
He straightened and spun me around, reached down to grasp my thighs, and lifted me to straddle him. My hands clutched his neck as he kissed me hard, releasing a throaty groan into my mouth. Our tongues tangled, his mouth insistent upon mine.
Kissing him was a revelation. It made me forget every worry, every thought in my head telling me I couldn’t go after what I truly wanted. It made my walls crumble and my hesitation disappear.
The world faded away and there was just this. Just us. Nothing else existed in our pocket of the rainforest.
His hand skimmed along my curves, digging into my hair and tilting my head back. Heat rushed beneath my skin as his tongue went deeper into my mouth, insistent, controlling, dominant. Iwhimpered, moving my hips against his hard length, desperate for friction. I needed him inside me. Needed him to touch me everywhere.
“Please,” I whimpered against his lips.
Liam began walking us to a mossy ledge. “What do you want, beautiful? Tell me.”
“I want…please…touch me.”
