Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Kate
Every bone in my body has melted. I’m on my back, staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes while Tucker’s closeted himself away in the bathroom…presumably to dispose of the condom and wash up.
I feel like calling what we just shared a religious experience doesn’t do it justice. It was beyond description.
And I know how lucky I am, having Tucker be my first.
I overheard girls talking in the bathroom in high school. I know the first time for a girl can be a painful, messy, unsatisfactory experience. That it “gets better” with time and practice.
Could it possibly get any better than what I just experienced? I’m not so sure.
And I have Tucker to thank for that. I may have spent most of my adult life embarrassed over waiting so long to sleep with a man, but hell if Tucker wasn’t worth the wait.
He was patient and kind, made sure I was ready beyond a shadow of a doubt, then took his time and let me adjust to what was happening. And I’m not na?ve. I saw and felt the tension in him. I know what it cost him to move so slowly and carefully.
But he was only concerned about me. About my comfort. My pleasure.
Like I said. Lucky.
The door opens, and Tucker reappears, looking like he’s sculpted from marble as he strides naked toward the bed. I drink him in as he approaches, his blue eyes shining in the sunlight streaming through the sheer curtains over the window.
He climbs into bed, laying on his side and pulling me toward him. I end up spooned in front of him, his arm looped over me and his lips pressing gentle kisses to my bare shoulder.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, his breath whispering across my skin.
“About?” I reply, keeping my tone light and teasing despite the flutter in my belly.
I know I have no reason to be embarrassed. After what we just shared, the intimacy involved, I should be able to discuss anything with him. Even my deepest fear––that it wasn’t as good for him as it was for me.
Tucker’s arm tightens around me as he says, “Don’t do that, Kate. Don’t deflect. Tell me how you feel about what just happened. I need to know if there’s anything you need. Anything I could’ve done differently.”
I can hear the uncertainty in his voice––which is ridiculous––and I feel bad for letting my own insecurities make him question himself. Lifting his arm, I turn over onto my other side so we’re facing each other. Pressing a palm to his cheek, I stare right into his eyes as I speak.
“I was just thinking about how lucky I am it was you. You were perfect, Tucker. You made my first time absolutely perfect. I’m just worried it wasn’t as good for you.”
His head flies up off the pillow so he can stare down at me with incredulous eyes. “Wasn’t as good? Are you crazy?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?” I offer, my chest warming at his vehemence.
“Kate, listen to me,” he says, dropping his head back to the pillow so we’re eye to eye. “That was the most explosive, mind-blowing orgasm I’ve had in my entire life. Being with you was an out-of-body experience, and I barely managed to keep myself from railing into you with wild abandon. I only lasted, what? Three, four minutes? Talk about embarrassing.”
A giggle bursts from my lips without my permission, and Tucker’s mouth curves into a soft smile. He leans in and kisses me with soft, whisper-light touches before pulling back to meet my eyes again.
“You’re really okay?”
“Better than okay,” I whisper back.
“Good,” he sighs, closing his eyes for a moment before they pop back open. “How does a bath sound?”
“A bath sounds amazing,” I say.
Soaking in a tub sounds divine, actually. I’m definitely a bit sore from our…activities, and a hot bath would do wonders to relax me.
“I’ll go run one for you,” he says, kissing me again before rolling over the edge of the bed to land on his feet.
I unabashedly stare at his tight, firm ass as he walks away. Damn, how did I ever get so lucky?
He disappears into the bathroom, and I roll back onto my back and blow out a long breath. I cannot allow myself to forget the temporary nature of this relationship. No, “relationship” is the wrong word. Partnership? Arrangement?
Whatever it is, it has an expiration date that’ll be here long before I’m ready. Two days. That’s all we have, and then Tucker will be gone. Sure, I may see him again. He and Logan are best friends, so there’s little doubt Tucker will return to the island to visit at some point.
But as far as he and I are concerned, this is it. This time we have together is all we have and all we’ll ever have. And as long as I remember that, I can allow myself to scrape every ounce of pleasure I can manage out of the next two days.
I hear the water running in the bathroom, and I silently send out a prayer of thanks that Miss Ginny gave Tucker one of the rooms with an en-suite so we don’t have to sneak around in the hallway.
I refocus on the present as Tucker emerges from the bathroom and walks toward me. Rounding the bed to my side, he tosses back the covers, and before I can snatch them back over my bare body, he slides his arms underneath me and picks me up, cradling me against his chest. I struggle to get down, because hell, I know I’m heavy, but he only tightens his grip on me and marches back to the bathroom like I weigh nothing.
Setting me down on my feet, he leans over to turn off the water before offering me a hand. I pause for a moment, just staring at him as my mind goes a little haywire.
He expects me to take a bath while he’s in here?
I can see the challenge in his eyes, and my spine straightens the tiniest bit. Oh, he’d leave if I asked him to, but he’s daring me to allow him to stay. All while we’re both standing here as naked as the day we were born.
Holding the eye contact, I stretch a hand toward him, palm down. A huge grin breaks out across his face, and I don’t miss the pride in his eyes as he takes my hand and holds me steady while I step into the steaming hot water. As I settle in the tub, Tucker steps into the shower stall and comes back out with two bottles.
“I can wash your hair, if you’d like,” he offers, holding out the bottles of shampoo and conditioner for my inspection. “These were here when I got here, but they’re brand new.”
That makes sense, the brand and flowery scents are made more for women than for men. Miss Ginny must stock this stuff in the rooms for her guests. I lift my gaze to meet his and slowly nod. I shampooed this morning, but there’s no way I’d turn down an offer like this. Is there anything better than having someone else wash your hair for you?
I sit up and scoot forward so I can tilt my head back. Tucker grabs a plastic water pitcher from the bathroom counter and dips it into the water, filling it before pouring it over my hair. Once it’s fully saturated, he piles the wet strands on top of my head and instructs me to lean back. Then he drops to his knees beside the tub, squirts some shampoo into one palm, then sets the bottle aside before rubbing his hands together.
My eyes fall closed as he lathers my hair, and once it’s nice and sudsy, he starts massaging my scalp, and I can’t stop the deep, guttural moan that vibrates in my chest. God, this feels good.
“You keep making noises like that, and we’ll never make it through this,” Tucker teases as yet another moan slips through my lips.
“Can’t help it,” I sigh. “It feels amazing.”
“I’m eager to please,” he whispers with a husky edge to the words.
We don’t speak again as he massages my head for what feels like an eternity. He helps me sit back up, and after he rinses the shampoo from my hair, he slathers conditioner through it, making sure to fully coat the ends.
“Have you done this before?” I ask as I lay back to let the conditioner soak into the strands.
I immediately regret the question, but Tucker just chuckles as my face scrunches up with consternation. Why did I ask him that? I don’t want to hear anything about his exploits with other women.
“Forget I asked that,” I say quickly, keeping my eyes closed.
“My mother.”
“What? ”
“I’ve washed my mother’s hair many times. Not naked in a tub like this, obviously, but she has arthritis in her hands and can’t scrub her scalp the way she used to. So whenever I go home for a visit, we set up a chair at the kitchen sink, and I wash it for her.”
“Oh,” is all I can say to that.
Imagining Tucker lovingly washing his mom’s hair for her is…
Damn. I honestly didn’t think this man could get any more attractive, but here we are.
“Sit up so I can rinse this out,” Tucker says softly, and I follow his direction.
Tilting my head back, I enjoy the feel of the warm water sluicing down my back. Once he’s finished, Tucker squeezes the excess liquid from my long strands, then drapes the bulk of it over my shoulder. Pumping a squirt of body wash from a bottle on the ledge into his hand, he rubs his palms together before rubbing them both over my back. His movements are slow and tender, making me shiver, then he rubs harder, massaging the muscles in my upper back and shoulders.
“You keep this up, and I’m never going to let you leave this island,” I tease. “I’ll hold you captive in my attic and only let you out for times like these.”
“Promises, promises,” he sing-songs back, making me laugh.
The laughter dies, however, when his soapy hands curve over my shoulders and move down my chest, his fingertips skirting the tops of my breasts. I suck in a sharp breath, and Tucker’s hands freeze .
“Is this okay?” he asks, his voice so quiet, I barely hear the words.
My nipples are puckering at the mere prospect of him touching them, so I cinch my fingers around one wrist and pull his hand down until it covers the entire boob. Tucker exhales harshly, then slides the other hand down to lightly grip the other breast. His breath blows hot over the skin of my shoulder as he takes his time washing every inch of delicate skin, and I almost grunt in protest when he pulls his hands away.
He quickly maneuvers from the end to the side of the free-standing tub. After pumping some more soap into his palm, he gets back to work, carefully washing my arms and torso. He soaps up first one leg, then the other, and his eyes lock with mine as his fingers finally smooth over my inner thigh, getting so close to the spot where I need his touch the most.
His tender ministrations have me panting with need, and as he silently asks for permission, I give it by spreading my thighs a bit wider while giving him a tiny nod. He lets out a relieved breath, and I fall back against the end of the tub with a groan as his slick, soapy fingers explore my sensitive flesh.
Then his hand is gone, and my eyes pop open as he climbs to his feet in a single, swift motion. Then he’s helping me to my feet with one hand while he pulls the plug to release the water with the other. Bending his knees, he wraps his arms around my upper thighs and lifts me out of the tub, paying no mind to the water soaking the floor and him.
I brace my hands against his shoulders to hold myself steady as Tucker draws a wet nipple into his mouth. He sucks at it ravenously as he turns and carries me back into the bedroom. I feel a brief need to protest when he lays my wet body on his bed, soaking his sheets, but the need vanishes when he pushes my thighs apart and licks the length of my seam with the flat of his tongue.
A high-pitched sound I’ve never made before keens from deep in my throat, and Tucker’s answering groan vibrates through my core. Spreading me open with gentle fingers, his tongue seduces my clit, worshipping it like a most delicate prize. Heat blooms in my core, and I lift my hips, instinctively seeking more pressure.
Tucker gets the hint and goes wild, making me shout as he devours me. A now-familiar pressure starts to build deep inside me, and I roll my hips in time with his tongue. The combination of his movements and mine drive me wild, and I end up driving my fingers into his hair and yanking it mercilessly.
He doesn’t stop. He doesn’t slow down or make any move that would suggest he doesn’t love everything that’s happening in this moment. He just works faster, building the desire inside me until the dam finally breaks.
I come with a shout, a hundred firecrackers exploding inside me at once. Every muscle in my body convulses at the same time, curling me upward, then I fall back as dopamine floods my system.
I yelp as Tucker runs his tongue around my over-stimulated clit one last time, and he chuckles as he climbs onto the bed to hover over me on outstretched arms.
“You’re delicious,” he murmurs, licking his lips .
“I think that was the body wash,” I quip back, and he shakes his head.
“Nope. It’s all you, and I can’t get enough.”
“Show me,” I say in a burst of self-confidence as I lift my hips to rub my core against the ridge of his erection.
“It’s not too soon?” he asks, his voice husky as I continue to rub myself against him. “You’re not sore?”
I pause my movements to think about that. I suppose I am, a little, but only in the best possible way. Tucker was so very careful with me, I barely felt any discomfort, much less pain, when we finally joined our bodies together as one. And residual soreness or no, I’m ready to do it again.
“I’m good,” I promise, rubbing against his cock one more time. “Please, Tucker.”
He kisses me before I finish speaking, and I hear the crinkle of paper as he reaches for the box of condoms still perched on the end of the bed from before. Breaking off the kiss, he pushes himself up and sits back on his ankles before ripping the wrapper off a condom.
His blue eyes are as bright as the Pacific as he says, “What the lady wants, the lady gets.”
And boy, oh boy, does he give it to me. All of him. Every. Single. Bit.