I hear water running. Moving under his sheets, I go to my back and stare at the ceiling like it has all the answers I need. Except the images of a naked Hunter five feet away from me in the shower are bombarding my brain. I mean, sexy man and water? Unf, I can’t even deal with it right now.
I’m thinking about marching into that bathroom, throwing open the curtain and attacking Hunter. I squelch down that uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, and ignore the way my heart wants to beat out of my chest.
He already saw me naked, there’s no reason that I should be feeling like this, being nervous about what he thinks of my body. Grrrrr. I still get up and rummage through his dresser drawers, pulling on one of his t-shirts that falls to mid-thigh. Pulling my hair out through the neck to let it settle along my shoulders, I take a deep breath before stalking across the hall.
I can do this. I can, I can.
Oh, shit, the water stopped. Lost opportunity. And I just stand there, staring at the door, wracked with indecision. To go or not to go?
I swear I was only staring at the door for seconds, seconds, before I see the door handle turn and Hunter’s there, he’s there, right in front of me, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.
Just looking at his body makes me punch-drunk, exactly like I’ve taken too many punches to the head. I don’t know where to look first – his hair, slicked dark with the remaining water in it? Or how about the droplets on his shoulders that sluice down his body in appetizing droplets flowing down his skin? Or the way his nipple piercings glint in the light and shadows, or how about the terrain of muscle that seems to be in every part of his body? Don’t even get me started on the soft smile he gives me, holding the towel around his hips with one hand.
“Hey,” Hunter says, wiping the moisture from his face, then wiping that hand on his towel-clad thigh. Frak, he’s beautiful.
“Hello...” My God, could I be any more of a dork? I clear my throat, and have to tear my gaze away from his delectable body. Would he let me touch him like I want to? To run my hands over his pecs, his abs?
“Sera, stay with me a sec, would you?”
Slammed back to reality. “What?”
Hunter smiles, eyes crinkling with warmth. I’ve never seen anything so sweet in my life, and it’s directed at me. I must’ve done something right to deserve this.
“You went somewhere in your head.”
I tilt my head. “Perceptive much?”
His smile gets wider as he brushes past me into his bedroom. I follow like a dumb puppy expecting a treat.
The towel drops. Fuck... just fucking shit.
My hands clamp over my face, but the image is already seared into my brain. I spread my fingers and peek through them, catch him staring at me, and close up shop once more. Finally aggravated with myself, I drop my hands and fist them in the hem of my borrowed shirt, forcing myself to look.
Hunter is hard, pink and beautiful. Of course he would be. Bastard.
I look up at the ceiling, to the floor, at my feet, always to come back to his body as he waits for me patiently. I don’t know what he expects, what I expect, but it wasn’t this. He’s being so careful with me, and I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.
Hunter doesn’t move from his spot by the bed, just keeps standing still, letting me look my fill, or rather, not looking my fill because I am a coward, and I’m terrified and I’m not sure if I want to run away from him or run to him.
“Are you scared, baby?”
I try and keep my eyes on his face, but damn it, I keep skimming down his pecs, down his abs to rest on him. Obviously I know what a penis looks like, and what it’s supposed to do. But knowing and seeing the real thing are two different things. It’s like trying to compare Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. In theory, yeah, wizards and giants and (house) elves, and goblins – but in reality, Hogwarts trumps Gondor every single time.
My throat’s gone tight so I can only manage a nod. My stomach twists, and my knees have gone all wobbly.
“Why are you scared?” he asks.
He’s going to make me talk. Gah! I let out a heavy breath. “What about me being a virgin escaped your notice?”
“Do I look threatening to you?”
Shit. I look down at his cock and can’t seem to look away. “Yes. You do.”
“I’m going to try my best not to hurt you.”
I frown, biting my lip. “Are you even sure we’re gonna fit?”
I look up to his face, needing a really good answer. “We’ll fit.”
“I don’t know how you can say that without having scientific proof that we will.”
Hunter laughs. “Sera, we go as far as you want. In my bed, we do whatever you want to do. For however long you want to do it. I’m not going to force you into anything; I drove you away already and it was the shittiest three weeks of my life.”