He pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. “Can you do that, Mia?”
She trembled as he slipped a strap down her shoulder, his mouth moving to the curve of her shoulder to follow its path down her arm. He repeated the motion with the other side, increasing her trembling. “I don’t know.”
“Let’s find out.” The gown pooled to her waist, and Shane pushed her back against the pillows so he could straddle her.
Mia closed her eyes when he took one nipple into his mouth with deliberate care. His gentle sucking sent bolts of pleasure throughout her body, centering in her core. She was so wet between her legs that she would have been embarrassed if she hadn’t been so focused on his mouth and hands.
Those hands stroked her skin carefully, as though determined to seek out and learn all her secrets. The satin and lace confection she’d worn slid down her body with minimal assistance from her, and she couldn’t help a small smile at his appreciative hum when he discovered she wore no panties.
Shane parted her thighs but didn’t touch her pussy. She arched her hips in invitation before muttering a small grunt as he got to his feet instead. Mia watched as Shane slipped off the robe. She had seen him naked before but had always been so preoccupied with resisting that she hadn’t taken time to really study his body.
A few scattered tattoos adorned skin stretched taut over muscles she had felt firsthand. Muscles she had strained against before being forced to submit. That thought made her clench her thighs.
He shook his head. “Open your legs, honey. Let me see that pretty pussy.”
Inexplicably shy, considering the things she had done with him, Mia slowly let her legs fall open again. As he turned to put the robe on a chair, his back diverted her attention. She gasped at the sight of the jagged scar running parallel to his spine. Other marks marred his flesh, but that was the most prominent. It hovered on her tongue to ask him about it, but she called back the impulse when he turned to look at her, his expression making it clear the subject was out-of-bounds.
“Come here.” He crooked his finger.
It wasn’t as difficult to obey him as she’d expected. Mia got off the bed and walked to him, insanely aware of their nakedness. Part of her wanted to draw out this intense seduction, while another part of her wanted to beg him to fuck her right then. She knew her body would offer no resistance to his possession, and her mind was falling in line with that idea.
To her surprise, Shane put his arm around her waist and led her to the bathroom. As they got closer to the shower, she tensed, remembering their first time. “What are you doing?”
“Giving you a better memory.” He paused to turn on the water, fiddling with the panel of buttons until the light was a dim pink and the steamy haze smelled of vanilla.
“That’s an impressive shower control system.” Her stomach clenched with nerves as she hovered at the entrance. Shane stepped into the marble stall, holding out his hand. She didn’t know if he would accept her refusal if she turned away, but she enjoyed having the illusion of choice.
Hesitantly, she took his hand and allowed him to take her into the space that had been the scene of their first violent encounter. Mia shivered despite the warm water cascading down on them with the intensity of a gentle rain instead of the deluge like last time.
“I forgot something.” Shane paused in the process of closing the glass door. “Will you wait here for a moment?”
Feeling lost, both by his gentle manner and the turn of events, she nodded. Hugging her arms around herself, she drifted to the built-in bench as she waited for Shane to return. Whatever he’d gone to fetch must have been in the other room because he was back quickly.
Her eyes widened when he sat on the floor between her legs. The silver gleam of a razor clued her in to what he’d gone to get, and while she didn’t really think he would cut her, she couldn’t stop herself from tensing as he lifted one of her legs to put on his thigh.
She couldn’t speak as he reached for a can of shave gel and applied a generous coating to the leg on his lap. It was unnerving and sensual to have him shave first one leg, and then the other. He moved with confident strokes, and she found herself asking a question she hadn’t intended to utter. “You’re good at this. Do you shave women often?”
“Once or twice.” He didn’t move his gaze from the path of the razor. “Jealous?” he taunted in a joking tone.
“Yes.” She’d meant to respond in a teasing fashion, but the word rang with sincerity. Somehow, she forced herself not to look away as he looked up, his green eyes wide with surprise. With a shrug, she said, “I’m fucked up.”
There was a hint of cockiness in his grin as he resumed shaving her. “I lied.”
“What?”
He chuckled. “I’ve never shaved a woman before.”
“Oh.” Without a witty response, she leaned back against the cushioned wall of the bench and watched him finish shaving her in silence.
When he’d reached the top of her second thigh, she started to sit up.
“Uh uh.” Shane placed her feet methodically on either side of the bench, splaying her wide for his inspection. “I like your neat little patch of curls, but I’m dying to see and taste you hairless.”
Mia’s stomach spasmed as he arranged her a bit more, and it took every ounce of courage not to flinch or try to move away when he put a dollop of gel on his palm and started to smooth it over her slit. There was something so personal about this act that it left her feeling raw and exposed.
Shane seemed to pay special attention to covering her mound with gel. He was methodical as he stroked it down the inside of her outer lips, pausing to swirl his finger around her throbbing clit.
Mia whimpered and arched her hips, eyes wide when he gently swatted her between the legs. The light impact made her inner muscles clench with desire.
