Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
NICK
T he front door slammed shut behind us as we trudged into the mudroom, leaving footprints in our wake. Every step felt like dragging dead weight. My body ached from the hours of hauling sandbags and fighting against the storm. Cold sweat mingled with the rain that had soaked through my clothes, and I was pretty sure I smelled worse than a wet dog at this point.
Christ, I needed a shower.
Cerys peeled her soaked jacket off, her hair plastered to her forehead in damp tendrils. She was just as covered in grime as me. If I hadn’t taken that rookie fall at the end, she might have won that competition. Not that a bit of dirt did anything to dim her appeal. Even scowling, the woman took my breath away.
“Ugh, I’m going to smell like a sheep dipped in cow shit if I don’t get out of these clothes.”
A glint of determination flashed in her eyes as she tossed the jacket onto the floor with a wet splat. The same look she’d gotten on her face before she’d called time on the torture session. Before she’d forced herself to her feet and removed her delectable body from mine.
The way she fit against me, her warmth seeping into my skin, would forever be burned into my brain. I’d been so caught up in the heat of her touch that I could have happily stayed there, lying in the mud, if it meant she wouldn’t let go.
I glanced down at my mud-covered jeans. “I’m right there with you. I don’t think I’ve ever been this dirty.”
Cerys snorted, wiping a streak of mud off her cheek with the back of her hand. “Well, that’s what happens when you play farmer for a couple of hours, rock star.”
I rolled my eyes, kicking off my boots. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”
“Not a chance.” She shot me a sideways glance, her lips quirking up in a half-smile. “Besides, you’re the one who said you wanted to help.”
“The way I remember it, you didn’t give me a choice.”
Cerys paused, her hands stilling on the hem of her shirt. She looked at me, her eyes flashing with a mix of amusement and defiance. “Oh, please. You were driving me mad with all that pacing. I figured I might as well put your anxious energy to good use. Consider it life experience.”
“Yeah, well, life experience doesn’t usually leave me smelling like I’ve been rolling around in a barn.”
Cerys shrugged, already unbuttoning her flannel shirt. “Welcome to my world.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the exhaustion or the fact that we were both filthy, but it felt like the tension between us had simmered down — at least for the moment. Which was good, considering I didn’t have the energy to go for round three with her right then. All I wanted was a shower.
Cerys glanced towards the hallway. “There’s only enough hot water for one shower,” she said matter-of-factly. “And since I’m not about to sit around freezing while you take your sweet time, we’ll just share.”
I blinked, sure I’d misheard her. “What?”
“You heard me, rock star.” She turned her back to me as she struggled to yank off her muddy jeans. “We share, or I go first, and you get what’s left — if anything.”
I watched transfixed as she revealed more skin, my breath hitching uncontrollably.
“You’re serious?” My brain scrambled to keep up, every logical thought drowned out by the image of her naked under the spray, soap gliding over her skin. I swallowed hard. “You’re not just messing with me?”
“Not everything’s a joke.” Her lips curled, a ghost of amusement flickering across her face as she finally managed to get one leg free. “Unless you’re scared?”
Finally free of her jeans, she levelled a no-nonsense stare at me. It didn’t seem to occur to her that she stood in front of me wearing nothing but a thin strap top and lacy underwear. Forget keeping the beat in front of eighty-thousand people, not ogling her was harder.
What were we talking about?
Right, the shower.
I let out a nervous laugh, dragging a hand through my hair. “Scared of a little water? Please.”
“Okay then, shall we?” She gestured to the empty hallway.
I didn’t move. Wasn’t sure I could.
Cerys raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching into a smirk. “Don’t overthink it, rock star. It’s just a shower.”
Just a shower. Right.
Totally normal. Two old friends — well, sort of friends — sharing a shower because the world outside was literally flooding and we both smelled like shit. Nothing weird about that at all.
“Right,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Just a shower.”
Her smirk widened, and she tossed her jeans into the growing pile of muddy clothes. “Let’s get this over with, then.”
She brushed past me, heading down the hallway towards the main bathroom. I couldn’t do more than watch her for a second, my heart pounding, heat prickling at the back of my neck as I tried to wrap my head around what the fuck just happened.
She’d spent the better part of the day glaring daggers at me and made it abundantly clear that she could barely stand to be in the same room as me. And now, she was agreeing to share a shower?
What the hell was happening?
She was off-limits, no matter how much I wanted her — then and now. Yet desire still unfurled inside of me, a pull so strong it made my hands shake.
This is a bad idea. A terrible idea.
But as I watched her disappear into the bathroom, I knew I wasn’t strong enough to walk away this time. I followed her, my mind racing as I tried to figure out how to play this without making it weird. Not that it wasn’t already weird. But still. There was a way to handle this, right? Like two normal, mature adults who had absolutely no unresolved sexual tension between them.
Except we did.
And it was thick enough to choke on.
Cerys pushed open the bathroom door and flicked on the light, revealing the small, tiled space. The shower head hung over an old clawfoot bathtub, a curtain pulled back to reveal the porcelain. It wasn’t huge, but it was big enough for two people — if those two people didn’t mind standing very, very close together.
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the knot of anticipation tightening in my gut.
“Well?” she said, glancing at me in the mirror. “You gonna stand there all day, or are we doing this?”
I shook myself out of my daze and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. The click of the latch sounded louder than it should have, and I tried not to think about how small the space had suddenly become.
“Right,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “Let’s, uh... let’s get this over with.”
Cerys snorted and reached for the hem of her strap top, whisking it over her head in one smooth motion. My gaze immediately dropped to the curve of her back, mesmerised by the play of muscles as she sent the shirt flying into the hamper. Then she turned the shower on, leaning over the bath while she fiddled with the temperature. Her lace clad ass swayed in front of me, and I didn’t have a hope in hell of tearing my gaze away.
“You’re such a tease,” I muttered, turning away and silently scolding myself for being an idiot.
This wasn’t supposed to be a big thing. Just a shower, two people cleaning up after a long day of working in the mud. No big deal.
But my brain didn’t get the memo. All I could think about was the fact I was about to get into a very tight space with a very naked Cerys.
“Grow up, prude.”
I turned back, words of denial clamouring to the tip of my tongue.
Big mistake.
She straightened, satisfied with the water temperature. A light, teasing laugh escaped her lips, sending a flip through my stomach. With a smirk, she let her underwear fall to the floor, then unclasped her bra. She tossed it my way before stepping into the shower.
“What the...?”
I stared at the lacy fabric dangling from my fingers, my mind blank. It was still warm, clinging to the memory of her body. I couldn’t help but run my finger over the intricate pattern, imagining the softness of her skin beneath, the way her nipples might harden at the touch of my tongue through the thin, almost non-existent material.
“You planning on fondling my bra all day?”
“I’m not,” I said, my gravelly voice giving me away.
I dropped the bra into the hamper and quickly unbuttoned my own shirt, shrugging it off and tossing it aside. The cool air hit my skin, making the hairs on my arms stand on end as I reached for my waistband. I yanked off my jeans and boxers in one go, kicking them into the corner and stepping towards the shower. The steam billowed out, warm and inviting, and I could just make out Cerys’s silhouette through the plastic curtain.
Before I could locate some sense, I swept the curtain aside and stepped into the bathtub. The warm steam engulfed my body, but I barely felt it.
I tried to keep my eyes off Cerys. I really did.
But it was like telling a drumbeat not to echo. Impossible.
She stood under the stream, water flowing over her curves, rivulets tracing paths I longed to follow with my tongue. Her eyes were closed, dark lashes fanning against her cheeks as she tilted her head back, letting the water soak her hair. I couldn’t look away.
“You gonna stand there all day, or are you actually going to wash up?” Cerys asked, her voice barely audible over the sound of the water. Her eyes fluttered open, catching me staring. I quickly looked away, expecting a sharp rebuke.
“Sorry, I...” I started, but she cut me off with a soft snort.
“Was just admiring the view?”
“Maybe?” I reached for the soap, needing to do something, anything, to distract myself from the way her body called to mine.
She snorted, turning around to face the flow of water, giving me a full view of her back and biteable ass. “Well, admire while you wash. We don’t have all day.”
“You’re not going to tell me off for it?” I asked cautiously.
“Would you prefer I did?”
I shook my head, confusion swirling in my mind. “No, it’s just... unexpected. A few hours ago, you could barely stand to look at me.”
Cerys shrugged, turning back to the water. “I’m tired of fighting.”
Frowning, I lathered up, trying to focus on the mundane task of cleaning myself. But my gaze kept drifting back to Cerys, to the way her hands glided over her skin, the way the soap suds traced paths down her arms. I was painfully hard, my cock aching with every beat of my heart.
This is a terrible idea. I should get out. Use the other bathroom.
But my feet stayed rooted to the spot, my body yearning for something it had wanted for years.
“Could you...” Her words trailed off as she turned to face me. “Could you wash my back?”
I hesitated before nodding. My hands trembled as I accepted the soap from her. Jaw tight, I worked the bar into a lather, trying to steady my nerves. She turned back around, giving me space, but a part of me felt frozen in place, I couldn’t make myself reach out.
Which was laughable really. The guy who drummed in front of thousands, was fumbling over washing a woman’s back. But this wasn’t just any woman.
Cerys, impatient as ever, snapped over her shoulder, “What are you waiting for, Nick? A written invitation?”
The tension between us shifted, turning familiar in a way that was both comforting and unsettling. This was familiar territory, the kind we’d perfected over years of friendship and silent longing.
I focused on the soap, its slippery texture under my fingers a welcome distraction from the racket of worries and fears inside my head. The warmth of the water, the scent of the soap, the quiet intimacy of the moment — it was all so overwhelming, yet so right.
I started at her shoulders, gently massaging the suds into her skin. I worked my way down, tracing the curve of her back, taking more pleasure than I should have in the way her muscles tensed and relaxed under my touch.
When I finished, I was breathless, and my cock ached with a need that was almost painful. I rinsed the soap from my hands, trying to ignore the throbbing pulse of desire that coursed through me.
Cerys turned back around. Her darkened eyes locked onto mine. “Your turn,” she whispered, her voice hoarse, making me question if she felt the impact as deeply as I did.
“Okay.” I barely got the word out, my voice thick with need.
We shuffled awkwardly, trying to swap places in the small space. I attempted to avoid touching her again, but there really wasn’t room. A jolt ran through me as my cock grazed her stomach, and we both froze. That small brush sent a jolt of pleasure through me, and I bit my cheek hard to snuff out the groan building at the back of my throat.
Cerys’s pupils dilated, her lips parting as she drew in a shaky breath. Every reason this was a bad idea flooded my mind, but I couldn’t focus on any of them. Not with her so close. She chewed on her lower lip, drawing my gaze, and making me wonder if she was as affected as I was.
The air between us crackled with tension, the quiet pressing in from all sides.
I couldn’t say who moved first. All I knew was that one moment we were standing there, frozen like statues, and the next, my lips were on hers, hungry and demanding. She responded in kind, her arms wrapping around my neck, pulling me closer.
I picked her up, her legs wrapping around my waist, and pressed her against the wall. My cock grazed her pussy, and we both groaned, the sound echoing in the small space. Years of denied need surged through me, drowning out any rational thought. All that mattered was Cerys, her mouth hot and demanding, her tongue delving past my lips to claim me. The world narrowed to the press of her body, the taste of her, the desperate need to make her mine.