Fuck!Jodi rested against the closed door to catch her breath, though the vision of him sparkling like he’d been painted with diamonds continued to loop in her head like an animated gif.And just like an old Tumblr gif, it stopped short of where she wanted it to go.
And that was a good thing.Wasn’t it?Right?Yes.Of course it was a good thing, because she didn’t actually want a close encounter with all those barbells, even if her lady bits were currently screaming at her in frustration to the contrary.
Well, they were just going to have to hush.She’d made her choice.Chosen Nash, and just because things were a bit testy between them of late didn’t change that.He’d been there for her when she needed him.He was still here for her, even if he was distracted by his newfound fame.They were still getting married, and she wanted that.
Doubts were normal.
She was still excited about it, about him.
She sent Nash Rock Giant’s room number pronto.
Accountability.The ultimate godsend.
Jodi: RG says you’re good to come up and join us anytime.
Retrospectively, it hadn’t been a good way to phrase it.
Nash: Join you?Doing what?
Watching him impersonate Neptune.
Jodi: Nothing.Hanging out.
Just come up after you’ve finished watching Balin.
Nash: How’d you know that’s what I’m doing?
Jodi: Are you saying it isn’t?
Nash: Be there in a bit.
He was watching Balin.
And she… she wasn’t even surprised enough to be bothered by that, just irritated, that the fall out of her doing something similar would have far-reaching consequences.
That was her fault though, too, because she hadn’t kicked up a stink.
They all kept assuring her it was harmless, but was it really?
Her guts weren’t so sure about it.
She’d made it as far as the lounge area again by the time Paul came out of the bathroom, mostly dry, but with a towel around his waist so all his ink was on display: the dragon—well, most of it—the many interlacing mythological and religious symbols, and of course, his newest tattoo, still safely hidden beneath a protective bandage.The towel was sadly a little longer than the one he’d been sporting the very first time they’d met.
He crossed to where his suitcase sat on a luggage stand and pulled out a pair of lounge-wear trousers.
“Unless you’d prefer me nude?”He flashed her a grin over his shoulder, before dragging a hand over his shorn scalp.
Jodi shook her head.Him nude was far too dangerous a notion.Him semi-covered already had her nerves ablaze.Her hands itched to touch.Her lips, to explore.He was literally three feet away from her wearing nothing but a white towel that it’d take zero effort to remove.She could see herself pressed up against his back.Her hands encompassing his arse, before sliding around his hips and… Yeah, was he still hard for her?In her head she was counting the rungs of his ladder with the tip of her index finger, while her lips explored the wings of his shoulder blades.
He sat on the edge of the right-hand bed, leaving the set of bottoms beside him on the comforter.
“I’ve been thinking.”
“No.”
He laughed.“You don’t even know what I was about to say yet.”
There were water droplets clinging to his shoulders.The dragon head across his chest had tears in its eyes.“Let’s steal a bus and run away together?”
