The men scattered, and Colt found himself stepping back as Brielle moved away.
"I'm going to shower," she told them all before leaving.
"You going to join her?"
Colt turned to look at Hawk, who was laughing at him outright. "Maybe," he said with a wicked smile. Hell, why try to hide the fact that he wanted her? It wouldn't do him any good. It wasn't as if the entire town didn't know about the two of them now.
"Attaboy," Hawk said, clapping Colt on the back.
Colt didn't hesitate to follow Brielle back to her house. He'd had to face the reality of possibly losing her today.
Though she was his now, he had to tell her the truth, had to lay all his cards on the table, and that scared the hell out of him, because Colt didn't think he'd ever be the same without her. She was that woman his father had spoken about so many years earlier, the woman who made him feel like a better man, the woman he didn't want to spend another single day without.
Chapter Thirty
Brielle stripped off her soot-covered clothes, turned on the faucet, and waited for the water to heat. This wasn't her old condo, where she had hot water on demand. Still, she was in love with her nice big walk-in shower here, and with the huge water heater. When it finally cranked up, it allowed her to shower almost forever.
When it was warm enough, she stepped under the spray and tilted her head back, feeling better almost immediately as the black ash began washing down the drain. She let the steam fill her lungs with each deep inhalation and cleanse them from the inside out, though the heat wasn't doing wonders for her sore throat. This day had been a disaster, but a few encouraging words from Tony and she already felt better.
How sad was it that she needed his encouragement to feel better about herself? But she really was trying, and not just to beat her brothers anymore. For some reason she felt that if she didn't succeed at this, she was going to fail with the rest of her life.
Not because of the trust fund, but because she'd never tried so hard at something she didn't know how to do before. She'd been drifting through life for years, almost in a fog, counting on her family name to get her out of trouble. Those days were behind her now.
Letting the hot water cascade down her front, Brielle jumped when a pair of hands circled her from behind and climbed up her slick stomach.
"I figured you'd need help washing your back."
The words whispered in her ear sent shivers traveling down her spine, leaving glorious goose bumps on all her flesh. She should tell him to leave - should be horrified that he'd invaded her personal space. But all she could feel was pleasure as Colt pressed up against her back and cupped her wet br**sts, then squeezed the ni**les into aching peaks.
"I didn't give you permission to come in here," Brielle gasped, but the breathless sound of her voice wasn't doing much to chase him away and she knew it. She didn't know what she'd do if he actually did leave.
When he stepped back, she started to panic, but he just leaned against the shower wall and gave her a smile that made her legs shake. Neither of them spoke as his eyes roamed over her, so with a flirtatious smile she picked up the bottle of body wash, poured a generous amount onto a washcloth, and began rubbing it over her body, all the while looking him in the eyes.
The gasps from his mouth as she took her time sudsing her br**sts, and then sliding the cloth down her stomach and over her heat made her feel like a wanton woman. The pleasure shining in his eyes told her he was turned on. Of course, what was standing up between his legs also offered welcome proof.
He didn't budge as she finished with the washcloth and ran her fingers through her hair, letting the water make it cascade out before she poured shampoo on it and lathered.
Never before had she realized that the act of bathing could be such a turn-on, but as he watched every move she made, she felt empowered, beautiful, desirable.
The feel of soapy water dripping down her body and traveling over her br**sts was heightening her pleasure, making her already pulsing core almost unbearably sensitive. With her gaze locked on his, Brielle poured more body wash into her hands and ran them over her br**sts, the feel of her ni**les being touched sending waves of pleasure lower. Then she trailed her fingers down her stomach, and again gave attention to her swollen folds as Colt's eyes took in every...single...move.
Unable to take the heat from his eyes, she turned, placed one hand on the wall, arched her back, and ran the other hand down the curve of her hip and over her rounded behind, leaving a trail of suds. Suddenly Colt was right there, his hands coming up to cage her against the bathroom wall. "You are unbelievably sexy," he whispered, his head bent close to her ear as the water descended over them both.