CHAPTER 17 BEING A BURDEN #3
“Stay put,” I said as I got up from the couch.
I had a few ideas to help Talon relax. He needed to just take some time for himself.
I took the stairs to his master bedroom and started a bath for him.
Talon had a huge jacuzzi tub; it was a bathroom I was extremely envious of.
He had a huge walk-in shower too that had multiple shower heads.
It was a bathroom meant for the rich and famous.
Quickly, I squeezed some nice smelling bath soap into the tub. I was a little shocked he had anything like that here but chalked it up to his former fiancée. Or maybe the giant actually liked taking a bubble bath every now and then.
Once the bath was filled, I walked back down the stairs and tugged on Talon’s hand.
He peeked an eye at me and slowly followed as I dragged him upstairs.
Normally, I wouldn’t be as bold as this.
After our talk though, I felt really close to him.
Talon saw pieces of me that no one else really did, not treating me with pity or like a burden.
To him, I was more than medical issues, more than someone to pity. I was Aife—his.
Once we were in his bathroom, I motioned for him to strip.
Talon shot me a look but pulled his sweats off his thick thighs.
I took a moment to appreciate them. His thighs were so sculpted and muscular, I felt myself wanting to bite them, to feel them in my mouth.
I would never had considered myself a thigh girl, but Talon changed my mind in the time I’d known him. I still wanted to ride them.
Then he pulled his long sleeve off, and I couldn’t help but ogle his strong chest. Staring me down, Talon then peeled his tight boxer briefs off. I made sure to keep my eyes above his waist, no matter how much I wanted to peek. A smirk landed on his face. He walked past me and climbed into the tub.
When Talon was fully seated and I was sure his bottom half was covered in bubbles, I moved behind him.
Along with his bubble bath, he had some nice scented lotion.
I grabbed one labelled cucumber and poured it into my hands.
Rubbing my hands together, I warmed up the lotion before I began massaging his tense shoulders.
“What are you doing, darling?” Talon’s voice was low, lower than I had heard from him before. It sent tingles down my body.
“Helping you relax,” I said and continued to massage his shoulders and down his biceps.
“Shouldn’t I be doing that for you? You just got out of the hospital, Aife.” His eyes met mine over his shoulder. “Why don’t you let someone take care of you for once?”
“I thrive in chaos. Let me do this for you, Talon.” He growled lightly before pulling me to the side of the tub. Talon tugged my top over my head. He made a hand gesture for me to get naked, so I did and climbed into the warm water with him.
The water felt nice on my skin, and I immediately relaxed against his firm chest. This felt more intimate than anything I’d done in the past with a partner. Talon rubbed gentle circles into my thighs and placed kisses on the top of my head.
It was somehow intimate without being sexual.
Though I could feel he was aroused, based on the hardness pressing into my back, I didn’t think he was going to act on it. We sat like that for a long while, just enjoying the warm water and each other.
“Thank you, Aife,” Talon said once the water had cooled drastically. “It was nice to just sit here.”
“Of course,” I said and stood from the tub, grabbing the towels I’d laid out for us.
Talon’s eyes darkened as he looked over my body.
“You know this is the second time I’ve seen your breasts, but we haven’t even really kissed. How is it I’m seeing you naked before anything else?”
“Um…” My words failed me as warmth flooded my cheeks.
He was right, of course. We had somehow completely skipped over a real kiss and jumped right to nudity. It was hard to define what exactly our relationship was. We were clearly more than friends but not anything defined. Talon knew me better than anyone including Dre, Nat, and Davis.
“Aife, can I kiss you?” Talon asked, hope and lust evident in his eyes. This was different than when he asked at the hospital. This felt real, unrushed.
Thumping was all I could hear, likely my own heart. No one had ever asked to kiss me before. It was extremely endearing. Licking my lips, I gave Talon a nod. Of course he could kiss me.
Talon smiled before gently gripping the sides of my face.
He wet his lips with his tongue and bent down to my level.
The kiss was gentle, not at all explosive.
It was so tender and soft. Kisses were never like books or movies.
While they could be extremely passionate, they weren’t mind blowing.
At least, not in my opinion. But this kiss, as gentle and soft as it was, made me rethink my previous thoughts.
His hands cupped my face, firm and warm.
Our lips and tongues battled, twisting around each other, not needing air.
My hands landed at the nape of his neck, fingers wrapped in his curls.
The stubble along his jaw scratched my cheeks and chin, centering me to him.
“Wow,” I said when he pulled away. His hands were still cupping my face.
Talon smiled brightly. “My thoughts exactly.”