Chapter 6 #3
But I just meet her eyes with a secret look, both of us knowing that that isn’t true.
Her cheeks flush slightly as I move to standing, and I look her over before dragging her toward me. She smiles shyly as I pull her to the edge of the bed, and then I’m hauling her up, chuckling as she laughs.
There are a couple of bathrooms in the house, but Winter and I are lucky because this one is all ours.
I ease open the bedroom door, casually checking that my brothers aren’t down here, and then I carry Winter to the bathroom, holding her closer as we enter the room.
It’s small and rustic, with a warm wood-panelled interior, and I grab the lighter that I keep on the counter, flicking it against the wick of her favorite candle to illuminate the room.
“Caden,” Winter smiles, and I drop her carefully to her feet, tossing the lighter back onto the counter so that I can envelop her waist with my hands.
I nudge the tap with my knee, and smile down at her as the water pours.
I’ve never had the easiest time voicing my thoughts, but when I’m with Winter everything fades away.
It’s effortless.
Peaceful.
And exactly where I want to be.
I pull her closer, holding her in my palms, and I brush my lips over hers in the umber light.
“Would you rather take a shower?” I ask, glancing at the bath and then back to her. Because as much as I want to do this, I’ll understand if she wants some alone-time.
But she looks up at me with her beautiful smile and laughs softly as she shakes her head, making my cheeks warm and my hands flex as I start slowly easing her dress down her body.
I roll the soft fabric down her arms, my chest expanding when it exposes her bra, and then I’m dropping to my knees to help her step out of it, folding it neatly before looking up.
I wrap my palms around the backs of her knees and she pushes my hair back as I get to my feet.
I roam my hand slowly up her back and flick open her bra before letting it fall to the floor, and then I smooth my hands down the sides of her panties, easing them down her legs so that she can step out of them.
Then I wrap my forearms around her waist and kiss her slowly as I gather her closer.
She runs her palms up my heaving chest and I deepen the kiss, grunting quietly, before eventually twisting off the tap, and checking that the water’s the perfect temperature. Then I take Winter’s hand in mine and help her step into the hot pool of water.
She immediately lets out a sigh of relief, leaning back against the siding and closing her eyes.
Hot water droplets trail over my forearms and I swipe my hands on my shirt as I get to my knees.
She’s flushed, and beautiful, and my heart races when we share a smile.
It looks like a little relaxation is exactly what she needed.
“Feel good?” I ask quietly, my voice deep in the quiet room, and then I pour out some of her shower gel as she gets comfortable in the tub.
Her soft pink curls aren’t tied back, and the water is shallow enough that they won’t get drenched, but she takes her hair-clip from the ledge, and I watch in silence as she scoops them back.
The water cascades down her arms, and the candlelight sparkles against her hair – and my cheeks lift up when I see her clip, because it’s shaped like a lucky horse-shoe.
I meet her eyes as she leans back with a grin.
And I smile back at her.
My perfect cowgirl.
“I can wash myself,” she teases softly, eyeing my palms as I lather the soap, but I just smile at her and shake my head, because I’ve been wanting to do this all evening.
“Move forward a little,” I murmur, my gaze trailing down her back, and then I’m placing my palms around her shoulders and massaging the pine-scented soap into her skin.
A small exhale escapes her lips and she sighs softly, totally relaxed.
“You were right,” she says gently. “This was a really good idea.”
I chuckle quietly and kiss her neck, caressing her waist as she luxuriates in the water.
“I’ve been thinking about this for weeks,” I admit, my hands roaming back up her arms.
Because as important as it is for me to focus on hockey and the championship, nothing compares to seizing the moment and taking every opportunity that I can get with Winter.
I rub my thumbs into her lower back, chuckling when she reaches around and playfully bites my bicep, and then I slip my hands over the curves of her hips, massaging her softly as she leans back and sighs.
I pour more shower gel into my hands and work my way down her thighs, until I finally reach her ankle and her eyes flick up to mine.
I search her gaze for a long moment, my breathing steady as I slow my hands.
“Can I?” I ask quietly.
And despite the pink blush that climbs her cheeks, she whispers, “Yes.”
With the softest touch that my palms can manage, I gently lift her foot from the water, resting it against my chest and soaking my shirt.
“Caden,” she laughs softly, biting her lip as I give her a smile.
“It’s nothing,” I murmur quietly, referring to my shirt. “It’ll dry.”
Besides, the water’s warm, and it feels good against my abdomen.
But I turn my attention back to her ankle – the real reason why she’s suddenly shy.
Her gaze bounces between my eyes and the smooth skin of her calf, self-consciousness radiating out of her as she pushes back a loose pink curl, her breathing quickening.
Because there, winding up from her ankle, is the whisper of a moment that she would rather forget – the pink line carved into her skin and swirling around her calf, left from the blade.
“You don’t have to look at it,” she starts, and my heart clenches tight, even as I flick her a look.
A look that says, baby, are you joking? I love everything about you.
Because as much as I wish that it hadn’t happened to her, everything about Winter is beautiful to me.
Maybe it’s a testament to the radiance of her soul, the fact that she can overcome any darkness, even after the most unjust situations.
“My beautiful girl,” I murmur, giving her a smile when I hear her laughter, and she bites back her grin as she meets my eyes, glowing happily in the light of her candle.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I chuckle quietly. “Don’t mention it.”
And then I’m rubbing circles into the curve of her foot, massaging her deeply as she arches her ankle, trusting me with this part of her that she was sensitive about for so long, after it first happened.
She hums happily as I caress her, earning another chuckle as I meet her eyes.
“Early night tonight?” I ask, suddenly wanting to distract her with a little tease. And she sits a little higher, like she can sense it, narrowing her eyes playfully after I kiss her cheek. “Like, you could continue doing your sketches,” I say. “Or we could watch the rest of the movie–”
And then I’m smirking like an idiot as she crushes her perfect lips against mine, so warm and unbelievably soft that I accidentally spill the shower gel onto her thigh.
“Fuck, sorry,” I rumble gruffly, swallowing when she pulls back with the naughtiest smile, and I can barely see straight as I wash the soap off, before getting to my feet so that I can help her out.
She stands up and rests her hands on my shoulders, her little pink curls brushing her cheeks as she smiles down at me.
I wrap a palm around her waist and fumble with her towel as I look her over, smirking up at her when she squeezes my bicep and giving her a playful spank in response.
“Caden!” she whispers, and I fight back my smile as I lift her out of the tub.
“So is that a no to the movie?” I rumble teasingly, and she grins as I envelop her in her towel, prodding playfully at my dimples as I wrap the fabric over her butt.
“Let’s do this all night,” she says back to me, in her soft drawn-out twang.
And I search her eyes for a perfect moment, before returning her smile and murmuring, “Deal.”