Chapter Twenty-Eight
Zeppelin
“Are we going to fit?” I ask as she pulls me by the hand into the bathroom.
My eyes land on the largest clawfoot tub I’ve ever seen, and I’m impressed Gloria managed to get in and out of this thing without falling and breaking a hip.
“I think so,” Misty says with a smirk. “You left some clothes here the last time you stayed the night, so I have something for you to change into once we’re clean.”
She turns on the water to the tub and adds bubbles. It’s not overly feminine scented, and I’m eager to experience this. I don’t remember the last time I took a bath, even. Maybe when I was eight?
Her soft hands slowly take off each piece of clothing I have on, her eyes only leaving mine when she has to focus or balance.
This isn’t something I’ve even dreamed someone would do for me, and I’m completely mesmerized.
And surprisingly not hard. Her hands undressing me should have me standing at attention.
That changes when she gets naked and climbs into the running water and bubbles first. Her back rests against the tub, and I stare in confusion.
“Come on, big guy. We won’t tell anyone you were little spoon.”
I chuckle and climb in, leaning back to rest against her chest. This isn’t bad, actually. “This might be right up there with having you behind me on my bike.”
“Better, though, because there are bare tits.”
“Obviously,” I joke and chuckle.
Her hands rub along my skin, and I swear my stress and pain begins to wash away. Mostly.
“Scoot forward and tilt your head back. I need to wet your hair.”
I decide to do as she says and let her take care of me. I do as she says, and there’s such a gentleness to every action. How no one has scooped her up before now and made her their forever, I have no idea. But I’m glad they haven’t.
“Sorry, I don’t have anything that’s not girly,” she says and lathers shampoo in her palms. “But anyone who sniffs your head should be questioned about their actions anyway.”
I chuckle and then moan as her fingers massage my scalp. My eyes close, and it feels amazing. Tingles spread down my shoulders, and I could get used to this.
Why does it feel so damn good, though?
“I love having my hair washed, too,” she whispers, her breath making me shiver. “It’s half the reason women go to the salon.”
“Mama never does it this good when she cuts my hair.”
“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She scrubs for longer than necessary, and I don’t complain. It’s a nice distraction, but I know it can’t last forever.
“Scoot forward again. Gotta rinse. And keep your eyes closed. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Baby, hurting me is the last thing you need to worry about right now.
After my hair is clean and rinsed, she lathers up her bodywash. Another girly scent, but I don’t mind. There are much worse things than smelling like Misty.
Her hands rub along my skin, and it’s not until she reaches my waist that things happen. Against my will, my cock pops up, the head breaking the surface.
“I’d say sorry, but this is what your hands on me does. I can’t bring myself to apologize for that.”
Lips press against my cheek, and she wraps her hand around my shaft. “No, you never have to apologize for that.”
I lean my head back onto her shoulder as she strokes me, and I honestly feel like a fucking king. Lying in a bathtub with a sexy woman washing and jerking me off is the life.
“Oh fuck,” I mutter.
She kisses my cheek and temple as the water sloshes with her movements. It’s not surprising she knows what I like, and her free hand moves up to tug on my nipple ring. It’s the perfect amount of pain to set me off, and I shoot my load along the water, my entire body shaking as I come down.
“God, Misty, you really know how to make a guy forget about his problems,” I mutter, her hand moving to massage my balls just enough to send a shockwave through me. “Fuck.”
“I want to give you everything you need, Zeppelin,” Misty whispers. “You deserve that and so much more.”
Turning my head, I claim her lips. There’s nothing hurried about it, and it’s calm and comfortable. Like we could do this forever.
I want to do this forever.
“Let’s get out,” she says, her hands massaging my neck as we pull apart.
Of course, she knows the angle put a kink in my neck. And her fingers really are magical on my muscles.
I lean forward to let her out first, and she smirks at me as I watch her dry off. It’s so damn sexy.
“Come on, baby. Your turn.”
I climb out of the water more relaxed than I remember ever being, and she wraps me up in an oversized towel. She dries me off, and I still can’t believe tonight is about Misty servicing me. It’s awe-inspiring, and also a little selfish.
I want to tell her that there will never be anyone for me but her.
That nothing Chanel has ever done holds a candle to Misty.
Over a decade with Chanel means little when I think about the time I’ve had with Misty.
It’s just so much more than I ever thought there could be with Misty.
She’s given me everything I wanted and even things I didn’t know I did.
Tonight was supposed to be the night I told her how I felt. I’d made it my mission, but saying it after what I found out doesn’t feel like the right time. I don’t want this to tarnish what we have. The moment. I want to look back and remember it without any pain associated to the night.
“I can return the favor,” I offer as we walk into the bedroom.
She tosses me a pair of boxers, and they smell like her fabric softener. She washed our clothes together.
“No.”
“No?”
All she has on is an oversized T-shirt she stole from my house during our week together and a pair of panties. God, she looks good, and she climbs into bed and holds the covers open for me to climb in with her.
“You’re the one being taken care of, remember?”
“It’s not a problem. Trust me—”
“You take care of people around you all the time. Let me do this for you, baby,” she whispers and pulls me to rest my head on her chest. “Just you.”
Closing my eyes, I sigh. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Anything you want. You’re allowed to be upset and angry. You can yell and shout, if you want. Even cry, if it helps. What happens here stays between us.”
“You wouldn’t hold it against me?”
If I ever cried in front of Chanel, she’d hightail it out of town faster than I could blink. Even at Johnny’s funeral, I had to keep myself in check. I didn’t want to push her away because I needed her comfort.
“Never,” she whispers and runs her fingers through my hair, massaging like she did in the bathtub. “I want to be your rock while also being your safe place to land.”
This makes me smile. “I like these soft places to land,” I say and nuzzle my face into her chest.
Misty giggles. “I’m sure you do. I need you to know you can depend on me as much as we depend on you.”
“I’ve never had that before. Except for Johnny, but that was nothing like this.”
“Glad to hear it. We might be having a different conversation if it was.”
Smirking, I play with the hem of her sleeve. “Johnny taught me how to be a man.”
“Yeah?”
“He taught me how to fight. Play football. Ride a motorcycle. And he bought me my first box of condoms at thirteen. He made sure I knew that saying they’re too tight to put on was a bullshit excuse that would never fly.”
Her laugh makes me lighter. “So many guys tried to say that, but I once had a health teacher put one on her head to show it would fit a dick.”
“And you still didn’t use them?”
Misty snorts. “This was after I was already pregnant.”
“That must’ve been hard. Being so young and on your own.”
She sighs, and I like how my head rises and falls with her chest. Like we’re one entity. “Yeah, it was.”
“Tell me about the early years with Bernie.”
“This is about you tonight, Zep.”
Looking up, I reach up to run the back of my fingers over her cheek. “I want to know. I want to know everything about this amazing woman who makes me feel worthy. How the fact you ended up in my life takes my breath away, Misty, and I want to know everything about you.”
Her eyes shine, and I swear they’re filled with love. As much as I want her to say it, I hope she holds back. Not tonight. Tonight shouldn’t be the night we confess the love I know we both have for each other. Not when it started with such a darkness.
She doesn’t confess her feelings for me, but she does answer my question. She tells me everything I want to know, and we spend the rest of the night talking. I take a chance and tell her some of my darkest secrets.
The secrets aren’t club related, but they’re both embarrassing and shameful. Things I’ve never told anyone else. Especially not Chanel. And I don’t feel judgment from Misty as I say the words out loud.
We fall asleep, my head on her chest, and I don’t remember ever having as good of a night’s sleep than I did that night. Content in a way I’ve never felt before.
Maybe it’s not a bad thing I’m here. And she helped me understand Mama’s side of things. It still doesn’t take away the sting of the truth, but it helps.