With a wave of her hand, her mom dismissed Maisie’s words. “Sure. Sure. But if you love teaching there, you’ll need to get your degree and master’s. It’ll be a long road but oh, it’ll be worth it.”
Maisie shook her head. “I don’t want a degree, Mom. I’m there to share, teach, and inspire through photography. Part of the time, I’ll work with students directly. I’ll give workshops, put together an on-campus show for students to display their work, and I’ll work on my own projects.” She wanted to work on taking and selecting photos for entering the gallery exhibit.
Dropping her hands to the counter with a thud, her mom stared at Maisie. “You have a perfect opportunity to turn something small into something monumental. I don’t understand you, Maisie. And I swear, I’m trying.”
Maisie held up a hand. “Me, too, Mom. You have no idea howhard I’m trying right now to remember that youdolove me. And you’re saying all of this, making me feel like a horrible person and a disappointment as a daughter because you think you know best.”
Her mom gasped. “Maisie.” Her eyes went wide like she couldn’t believe her own daughter would say something like that.
“You don’t know best. That I’m sure of. What I’m not entirely certain about is whether or not you know me. At all.”
Before her mom could say anything else, Maisie hurried up the stairs, tears fighting their way free. She swiped at them but they continued to fall as she grabbed a change of clothes from her suitcase and hurried into the bathroom. She had icing sugar everywhere.
The shower was already going, the air thick with heat and humidity. She wasn’t used to sharing space like this. Sharing it withNickwas something that made her daydream about how nice it would be if her moments with him could last forever.
Which meant, she shouldn’t be crying and worrying about her mother when she had him, naked in the shower. Singing. She wiped her cheeks again, listening.
What?Maisie stood there, shocked still as Nick sang a Luke Combs song she recognized—not because he sang it well; he truly didnot—but because she knew and loved it.
Quietly, she set her clothes down, blinking the rest of the tears from her eyes. She bit her lip to keep from giggling at how he tried—and failed—to do the deep, growly thing that Luke Combs could pull off. He might be amazing on the ice but Nick King could not sing.
Without giving herself a chance to overthink or do anything other than feel, she stripped off her clothes, locked both doors, and pulled the shower curtain open.
Nick’s singing stopped abruptly with a less than manly squeak.
“Jesus Christ, Maisie. You trying to give me a heart attack?” Then, like he belatedly realized she was naked in front of him, hismouth dropped open, his eyes moving up and down the way she wanted his hands and mouth to.
With her heart climbing into her throat, it was hard to swallow the nerves as she stepped into the shower with him, closed the curtain.
“Fuck, Maisie.” He pushed his wet hair back, sending water drops everywhere.
Putting both of her hands to his chest, she smiled when she saw she smeared his skin with a rainbow of food coloring. She felt Nick’s head dip, his hands coming up to hers to cover them.
“Were you painting?” Even as he said it, colors swirled over him, along the ridges of his abs, the water swirling away ribbons of blue and red that turned purple.
She tipped her head back to look at him. “I was getting icing ready for the cookies.”
His wet brows, darker in the shower, knitted with concern right before his hands came to her face, cupping her cheeks. “Were you crying?”
There was no point in hiding it. One of Nick’s hands lifted and he stroked her hair back from her face. The spray wasn’t fully hitting her which made her shiver. He turned them so the water was on her, hot and wonderful against her skin and even though she stood there in front of him, happily willing to fall into the chemistry that kept building between them, he kept his hands on her face and in her hair, his gaze locked on her.
“Maisie?”
Instead of answering, she pressed her lips to his chest, one pec then the other, tracing her nose between them, smiling against his skin when he inhaled sharply. The hand in her hair tightened.
The one on her face tipped her chin back up. “What’s wrong, Maze?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I don’t want to waste any time.”
He nodded like he understood but she knew he didn’t. Couldn’t. Going up on tiptoes, she pulled his head down, kissing him like he could take away all of the bad. It was too much pressure to put on him but since she wasn’t asking for anything out loud, she figured it was okay. He didn’t have to know that on top of wanting him, she hoped to erase the way she felt about herself in this moment. It could be both.
He kissed her, fully and completely, his body pressing into hers in a way that made it clear he was every bit as into this as she was. Everything else was fading back, moving to the periphery so all she saw and felt was Nick. Their water-slicked bodies pressed closer, pulling Maisie under. His tongue traced along her lips, gentle and sweet before he tilted his head, angled hers and kissed her harder, more thoroughly. Perfectly. The way only Nick King had ever kissed her; like nothing else existed but the two of them. Nick’s hands roamed just as Maisie’s did, trailing, exploring, seeking. The water warmed her back and Nick set the rest of her skin on fire with just his mouth.
But then he lifted his head. His gaze was full of the desire she felt all the way through her body. There was no misreading it. Which was why it confused her so much when he reached behind her, grabbed the body wash, and squirted some in his hands before turning her.
“Let me wash your back,” he whispered.
Every nerve in her body was on high alert, craving Nick’s touch. And she got it. Everywhere. His vanilla-scented hands washed down her body and back up. It was the most intimate thing she’d ever experienced but not once did he make it sexual, and somehow, that felt even more intimate. When he finished, when he’d watched the soap suds rinse from her body, his eyes dark and hooded with lust, he kissed her again. It was sweet and way too quick.