Page 21 of Now and Then

My little spitfire. Is this her way of saying she’s ready to blur the line between us like I am?

“I’d say the view is better from over here,” I say.

I’m positive she’ll retreat to the safety of the bathroom now. But she surprises me and takes two steps in my direction. My heart nearly leaps out of my chest. I turn to face her, locking my hands in fists at my side. She makes it one more step and stops, looks directly in my eyes, and gives me a shy grin. She backs into the en suite and closes the door.

“Someday, you won’t walk away,” I whisper, pulling back the covers and laying down. I click off the ambient lighting, and the room plunges into darkness. The bathroom door is so quiet that I barely hear when Sutton cracks it open. A pillar of light spills across our bed. Turning on my side to face the door, I see her bent over the sink splashing water over her face.

“Today was really fun,” she says. “We should do this kind of stuff more often.”

“I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, Sut. You know this.”

She stands upright and peeks out the small opening. She’s fresh-faced, hair refusing to be confined in a headband, with a smile that’s only meant for me. “I know you would.”

She turns her focus back to the mirror, gently scrubbing at her cheeks. I prop my head in my hand, content to watch as she combs out her hair and pulls it into a topknot. This is my favorite version of Sutton, the Sutton that isn’t perfectly put together, the side of her she hardly shows anyone.

When she steps away from the counter, I think for sure she’ll close the bathroom door to change, but when she reaches for the hem of her shirt and pulls it over her head, my brain short-circuits. When she unbuttons her shorts and pushes them over her hips, my heart stops beating. She’s wearing a matching white lace set that contrasts her summer-kissed skin.

I scoot to the edge of the bed, my eyes drinking in every dip and curve of her slim body. I’ve seen her in a bikini a million times, but seeing her like this makes the years of wanting her flare to life.

“You just going to lie there and watch?” The soft sound of her voice startles me.

My eyes snap to hers. “Yes.”

I sit up on the edge of the bed, clasping my hands between my knees. I’m not sure what the hell is going on, but I sure as shit won’t be stopping it. Clearly, she’s ready to test the strength of that line.

Sutton reaches behind her back, her emerald eyes never leaving mine, and unsnaps her bra. The straps slide down her arms, catching on her elbows, as her hands hold the cups to her breasts. I swallow a lump in my throat.

“Keep going,” I encourage her.

I know the wheels in her brain are turning, trying to find some reason to stop this, but for once I want her to just be.

“Hunter,” she sighs. I can see the gooseflesh covering her body from here. “We probably shouldn’t.”

“Do you want this?”

She nods, her lower lip slipping between her teeth.

“Good, I’ve been dreaming about this moment forever. Now please, let me see you.”

She slips her elbow through one strap, still holding the cups tightly against her body. Her eyes are focused on some spot in the carpet, but I’ll damned if she isn’t focused on me—on us—right now.

“Eyes on me, Sutton.”

There’s no delay as her eyes lock with mine.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I say.

She preens under my intense gaze.

“Let me see you,” I tell her again, my gaze moving slowly over her, memorizing every detail.

She tilts her head in a nod. Is this what Sutton needs, someone else to take control?

One cup slips and then the other as she lets her bra fall to the floor, revealing her breasts. They’re full and heavy, nipples already pebbled with need. My mouth waters just looking at them.

“Fuck,” I groan, running both my hands through my hair and down my neck.

Sutton’s eyes traverse my body and zero in on where my briefs are doing nothing to hide my body’s reaction to her.