Chapter 15 #3
While she works the conditioner in, I reach for the body wash. I pour a stream of the gel onto her bath poof, the bright pink sponge puffing up under the weight of it.
Avery turns back to face me as I start at her shoulders, the poof gliding over her skin. Her eyes are heavy-lidded, her lips parted, her breath coming in little gasps every time the sponge drags over a sensitive spot. The dip of her collarbone, the soft underside of her arm.
Her breath hitches and her ribs lift under my hand, a small, involuntary reaction that tells me she's feeling it.
I keep my hands steady on her, staying where I started, focused on her breathing, the way she leans into me, the way she needs something solid.
I drop to one knee in front of her. Her breath stutters as I lift one of her feet, resting it on the edge of the tub so I can run the poof over her calf, her knee, the soft skin behind her thigh.
She sways slightly, her fingers finding my shoulder to steady herself, her nails digging in just enough to let me know she's feeling every touch, every drag of the sponge over her skin.
I switch to the other leg, my free hand gripping her hip to keep her balanced.
"Callum," she breathes, my name a plea and a warning all at once.
I look up at her, water dripping from my lashes, my hair plastered to my forehead. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips swollen from where she's been biting them. The conditioner is still in her hair, dripping down her temples, her neck. She's never looked more like something I would fight to keep.
"Let me take care of you." I stand slowly, my body sliding against hers, my hips brushing her stomach.
Her hands come up to my chest, her palms flat against my skin, her fingers spreading.
The poof slips from my fingers, forgotten, as I cup her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing over her cheekbones.
She doesn't answer with words. Instead, her hands slide down my chest, her fingers working at the button of my pants.
The sound of the zipper coming undone is loud in the steam-filled bathroom, as the rasp of metal teeth part.
I step out of my pants and close the space between us.
She moves first, her hand finding me, her breath catching as she pulls me closer.
A groan rumbles in my chest, my hips jerking forward into her touch.
"Tell me what you need," I say, my forehead resting against hers, my voice low and controlled. "If this isn't it, tell me."
The water beats down on us, hot and relentless as my hands find her hips, my fingers holding onto the soft flesh.
She presses her forehead harder against mine and lets out a shaky breath. "If you stop now," she whispers, voice rough, "I might actually lose my mind."
I don't hesitate. I grab the hem of my shirt and she helps me strip it off, the fabric dropping in a wet heap onto the shower floor.
Water streams down her body, over the dark curls between her legs, the pink flush of her lips. My hand finds her and she answers with a gasp.
I touch her and she answers immediately, her breath breaking as she pulls me closer like she needs me there.
She whimpers, her head tipping back, her body tightening around my fingers as her hips move against me without thinking. Her breath breaks into short pulls, eyes squeezed shut before she opens them again and finds me, pulling me in for another kiss that I meet without hesitation.
"Hold on," I murmur, pulling my hands back.
She exhales as I lift her, her legs wrapping around my waist, her back finding the cool tile while I brace her there with both hands under her thighs.
The conditioner is still in her hair, water carrying it down her back, the heat building between us as she holds on.
I lift her higher and she shifts with me, our bodies finding the fit without either of us thinking about it. Her breath catches and her hands tighten on my shoulders.
"Tell me if you need me to stop," I say, my voice low.
"Stay with me," she whispers, her hands gripping my shoulders, her nails biting into my skin. "Please—"
I move into her and the moment lands hard, her breath breaking as she pulls me closer. It hits both of us at once, she pulls me closer and I hold her there, the impact rolling through us as we both groan, the sound raw and animalistic, swallowed by the rush of the water.
"There you are," I murmur against her neck when her body finally loosens around me. "That's better." My mouth brushes her skin.
Her heels press in and pull me closer.
I answer her, matching her pace, keeping it with her as the water runs over us and the room fills with heat and sound. Her hands squeeze me closer, her breath breaking into uneven pulls as she holds on. I keep my focus on her face, at the way she looks at me.
"Right here?" I ask.
"Yes," she says, and it unravels me.
We move together, the rhythm building because she draws it out of me, and she meets me there.
She says my name. Softer, then not. And I press my forehead to hers, keeping her with me as the moment crests through both of us.
She breaks first, a sharp inhale that turns into a held breath as she clings to me, and I hold her through it, keeping her close, feeling her ride it out against me.
I follow a beat later, it hits and pulls me under, my grip tightening, my breath rough against her skin while I stay with her, not letting go until it eases out of both of us.
We stay like that for a long moment, her breath still uneven against my mouth, her hands slow to loosen on my shoulders as she stays close, our breaths ragged, our bodies pressed together, the water still streaming over us.
Slowly, I pull back, Avery's legs unwrap from my waist and her feet find the tile again. But she doesn't let go of me. Her hands stay on my shoulders, her forehead resting against mine, her breath warm against my lips.
I think about the rooftop, the decision we made there with our eyes open, and I think about this. The same choice is landing differently now because everything between us has shifted, and neither of us is performing anything anymore.
"I love you," I say. I hold her gaze when I say it, choosing the words. "I love you, Avery."
She goes still for a breath and smiles, slow and soft, her eyes shining.
And then she kisses me, her lips warm and sure against mine, her tongue sliding into my mouth like she's claiming me all over again.
I draw in a breath and it comes easy and steady, without the usual pressure sitting behind it, and I take another without thinking about it.
Afterward, she falls asleep with her hair not completely dry, her back against my ribs and my arm draped across her like it belongs there. Her breathing evens out, slow and steady, and I follow it for a while before I stop counting and just listen.
My phone lights up in the quiet, the screen cutting through the dark.
I reach for it carefully, without shifting, and read the alert preview in the dark. When I see what it says I ease my arm out from under her, get my feet on the floor and step into the hallway, pulling the door most of the way closed behind me.
Pancake lifts her head from the living room floor. I hold up one hand and she sets it back down.
9:51 PM After-hours entry. User: Shane Booker. Access point: rear door.
Shane is in custody. Which means someone just used his code.
I know every member of Pham's team who has authorization for that building. None of them would come in under Shane Booker.
I call Pham in the hallway.
She picks up right away. "I see it."
"Tell me your people didn't just walk into that building using Shane Booker's code."
"No," she says. "We're pulling the feed now." She pauses. "The arrest warrant for Stein goes out in six minutes. Somebody knew we'd be coming."
I look at Avery's closed bedroom door in the dark hallway and know that if I leave, I risk her waking up alone after everything that happened tonight. If I stay, whoever just went into her bookstore walks free.