Barely finding the energy to grin, I eased out of her and stood up straight.
She turned into me, bringing her arms up between us to cuddle against my front, edging me out of the stream of hot water altogether.
“Is it going to set you ablaze again if I ask for the loofa?”
“Possibly. Though my cock is going to need an ICU bed if we try that again.”
She smiled and a tidal wave of pure sated happiness hit my chest.
It was something so simple for most people. But in my world, smiles were not a given any more than waking up next to the same woman I’d fallen asleep beside. And when it had come to Sally, convincing her that life was worth waking up for in general had been a constant struggle.
Eventually, I’d annoy Remi. She’d annoy me. We’d bicker and argue. Hell, we might not even talk for a few days while emotions calmed. We were human. Bad days were a given.
But not having to spend the bad days in a state of paralyzed terror, unsure if the good ones existed anymore, was a dream I never knew I could have again.
Yet there I stood with Remi’s blue eyes locked with mine. Her hair wet and her lips swollen. A smile that could ease even the most tormented soul aimed up at me. With that, the bad days didn’t just seem bearable. I was fucking eager for the innate monotony of something so blissfully normal.
She was happy, serenely so.
And I was falling in love with the possibility that my current reality was far better than the haunting and hypothetical what-could-have-beens of the past.
Lowering my head, I sealed my mouth over hers in a languid kiss.
“Mmm,” she hummed. Looping her arms around my neck, she leaned away, her life-altering smile never fading. “You should know that I spent way too much time in the hospital to go back. So, if you put the moves on me again, I will be waiting until your cock gets out of the ICU before paying it another visit.”
I released her instantly. “Whoa. No need to talk crazy. Let me get some soap and hot water and I’ll get out to make breakfast.”
She squeezed a dollop of bodywash into my hand. “Oh, please. With that last little stunt of yours, we’re too late for breakfast even by my standards.”
“Your confidence in me is insulting.” I did the world’s fastest lather-and-rinse routine and then slapped her on the ass—not hard enough to leave a mark, but definitely enough to cause my cock to stir back to life.
Fuck. I could not get enough of the woman.
While she finished up in the bathroom, I let the dogs out of the guest room. I didn’t think they were as fond of having her over as I was, but with a little time, I had no doubt she’d come around to loving them. I gave it a few weeks before she would be cuddling with Sugar on the couch, maybe a month for Clyde.
I was still getting dressed when I heard the shower turn off. It was safer for both of us if I tied my tie and fastened my cuff links in the kitchen and not in a room with a bed where I ran the risk of her dropping her towel.
By the time she finally emerged from my room, she was wearing a sophisticated little black dress that clung to her every curve and a pair of red sky-high heels. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, the curls still slightly damp, and her makeup was minimal but no less drop-dead sexy.
I let out a low whistle. “Jesus, woman. You look incredible. Please tell me your closing this morning is with two ogres and a blind man.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Do I sense a hint of jealousy?”
I prowled toward her, sliding my palms up her sides, not stopping as my thumbs brushed the curve of her breasts. “I’m jealous of anyone who gets to spend the morning with you. Ogre or not.”
She grabbed both of my wrists and forced my arms back to my sides. “Oh, no. You are not starting that again, Mister Suave. No touching. Some people actually have to get to work.” She sniffed the air. “Speaking of, what happened to breakfast?”
Reluctantly, though necessary, I dragged two bowls toward us on the bar. “No time to cook, but I made travel mugs of coffee and”—I turned, grabbing the box from the cabinet and then placing it on the counter in front of her—“homemade, from scratch, breakfast of successful and productive adults everywhere.”
She drew in a sharp breath, her mouth stretching into a bright white smile that I swear warmed the entire room.
Fuck me, the woman was going to be the end of me and I was an all-too-willing victim.
