Page 29 of Worth the Risk

“Zoey?” I called out.

There was no response. I only hesitated a moment before I stepped inside.

I knew that she wasn’t thrilled with my overprotectiveness, but there was no way in hell that I could just leave without knowing where she was.

Closing the door firmly behind me, I moved to the two doors across from the kitchen. The one closest to the entrance turned out to be a coat closet. The other was the bedroom.

There was a lamp on in here too, but no sign of Zoey. But there was a door on the other side of the room with a light peeking out from beneath it.

I didn’t hesitate this time. I needed to lay eyes on her, and if Zoey was on the other side of that door, I was opening it.

I should’ve realized it was probably a bathroom.

Pushing the door open, I was met with a shriek that made me flinch and drop the cheesecake.

“Ford?” Zoey’s voice was filled with a unique combination of relief and anger. “What the hell are you doing here? Are you trying to scare me to death?”

My own heart was racing as I took in the sight of her sitting up in the bathtub, surrounded by bubbles with her hand clutching her chest. Her bare chest.

The adrenaline rush from being startled shifted into something more heated so quickly that I felt light-headed. Zoey glared at me.

“Damn it, Ford. Is this how you give me space?”

“No, I…” My thoughts drifted to the sliding glass door, and I frowned. “You left your door open while you’re in the bathtub?”

As if my words reminded her that she was naked, she sank lower into the water, until bubbles blocked my view of her full breasts.

“What are you talking about?”

Bending down, I scooped the cheesecake off the floor. The container didn’t pop open, so it should have been fine. “How do you think I got in here? I brought you a dessert since you weren’t at dinner, and your sliding glass door was open.”

She cringed. “Oh. It must not have latched when I came in earlier.”

I set the dessert on the counter and moved closer to the tub. “I don’t like that you’re staying here alone.”

One eyebrow lifted. “And I suppose you’re saying I should let you stay with me?”

“That wasn’t what I was saying, but if you’d be open to it…” I gave her a teasing grin.

“Nice try. That would defeat the purpose of the bungalow.”

I sighed, then took a seat on the edge of the bathtub. I watched her closely to see if she looked uncomfortable with my closeness, but what I saw instead was the way her eyes grew darker as she squirmed beneath the bubbles. Sexual tension radiated from her, and for the first time over a week, I saw a way in, a connection between us that even my stupid actions hadn’t ruined. I reached out and skimmed the surface of the water with the tip of my finger.

“You know, I hoped to have you in my bed every night that we were here,” I said, my voice dropping to a low rumble. “There’s nothing quite like hotel sex. Do you know why?”

She shook her head, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.

“It’s dopamine. The new environment triggers a release in the brain.” I leaned toward her, so that my chest brushed the towering bubbles and my face was only inches from hers. Our breath mingled. “And that dopamine increases excitement. And…” I brought my wet finger to her mouth, pulling her bottom lip free of her teeth. “…anticipation.”

We were so close now, and my body remembered how she tasted, how she felt. My cock throbbed as it pressed against the front of my pants, desire seeping into my very bones.

Yes, this was the thing that had drawn us together from the beginning. Carnal attraction and undeniable hunger.

I allowed my finger to trail down along her jaw and down her neck, a light touch that made her shudder.

“Ford…”

“Shh.” I could see the conflict in her expression. She wanted this, but she wasn’t ready to let me fully back in. “I know, Angel. This isn’t forgiveness. But please, just let me touch you. I’ve missed you so damn much.”