"Eww, Will licked me," Bella cried out.
Then Noah lost it. He couldn't stop laughing. Teagan fell apart, pressing her dripping head to his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.
When she took a breath, he took her sticky, wet hand. "Welcome to my life, babe. Can I use that word right now?"
"Yup, go ahead."
"If I can't live down the casserole, this one's on you."
Then it took everything he had not to kiss her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The master bedroom would have anything that Teagan needed-including a shower-and Noah couldn't shake the laugh from his chest at the sight of her face when the blender exploded with the chocolate shake.
He might not live down the oven, but he'd certainly planned on teasing her about the dessert fiasco. Seemed fair. Cleanup duty had gone far beyond anything he'd anticipated.
"Hey, you." She quietly knocked on the bedroom door before walking in then rolled her eyes at herself. "Kids are asleep after I promised them large ice cream floats tomorrow."
"On one condition."
"Hmm?"
"I make them, and you're on cleanup duty."
She laughed. "Absolutely walked into that and will never live that down. Will I?"
"Yeah, I don't think so." He shook his head, trying to hide his laughter. Teagan's shirt and jeans were covered in smeared-dry chocolate ice cream.
"Don't laugh. You don't look much better."
He looked down, smirking. "I think your pants got the worst of it."
"But I'm pretty sure your hair's held up by sugar, not gel."
He leaned back, walked a couple of steps, and glanced in the mirror. "Maybe I missed a spot."
"Right here." She pointed. "And here." Laughing, she came closer and touched his ear and neck. "And here, and here-"
And he didn't care. Noah wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in front of him. They were finally alone, and he'd said a lot earlier in the store, a lot that he didn't know what to do with, but he did know that he was dying to get his mouth on her again. "I'm glad you're here."
Teagan nodded. "I am too."
Chocolate-scented air and sticky skin sounded like fun, but in reality, maybe not for tonight. Maybe it was a sign he needed to listen to. Something to tell him to put on the brakes.
Squeezing her close, he rested his chin on top of her head, hating that he was going to pull away from her. "Why don't you take a shower?"
He let go, grinding his molars when her fingers scraped against his sides.
"You don't want to go first?" she asked.
He wanted a million things having to do with that shower. But going first or second wasn't anywhere on the list.
"Towels are in here if you need more." He walked to the closet next to the bathroom. "And just make yourself comfortable. I don't really use this room much, anyway."
Teagan's eyes stayed on him while he pulled out a washcloth and tossed everything into the bathroom.
"Otherwise, you good?"
"I ruined tonight, didn't I?" she asked. "I don't know how you're used to things, but this probably isn't how you pictured anything."
Her standing in front of him, getting ready to shower. Yeah, it was how he pictured everything, actually. The fun. The family. The kids. All of it overwhelmed him in a way he couldn't explain, and that made him uncomfortable, but not with her. With what he might have missed out on, and what it took him to stumble into a missing link in his life. "You didn't ruin a thing, Teagan."
"I'm trying to read your mind, and my superpowers are failing me."
He crossed the room and took her hand, having no idea how to answer when he didn't understand how two people could collide in such a profound way. "Tonight's been one of those nights that makes me feel like the darkest hurt and the hardest challenges happen for a reason."
He didn't want to kiss her-didn't want her to think this was about stripping her naked and getting her in bed. Hell, he didn't know what he needed to do, so he spun her around to spend time with his words, and shower off.
They needed to get clean so they could get dirty. It was that simple. Standing here and talking was too emo heavy for him, especially when all he could think was that life sure came at you fast.
###
If Teagan hadn't been sure about the day's date, she'd have sworn she was hormonal. He nearly had her in tears on the way to the shower. Noah was being careful with her because of their kids, but she hadn't realized how much he was hurting because of Lainey. She should have known.
But she was a respite from that pain? It made her heart soar. Everything about him did, and for every foot higher that she climbed, she also found Noah immensely more attractive. Who knew that was possible? But the combination of a man with a heart and a rock-solid body had turned her into mush.
She ran the shower and quickly washed off the remaining chocolate from her skin and shampooed her hair. The soap smelled like him, and the steamy air swirled with a delicious need to be with him. Physically.
As the water beaded on her skin and the rivulets flowed off, she wondered how he would look in there with her too. Gah! She was finished and slapped the water off after taking perhaps the shortest shower of her life.
Rushing to dry off, Teagan didn't know what she would say. Go get into the shower. Or … She stepped out of the bathroom and faced a freshly showered Noah with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Oh, hey. Thought I'd be out before you."
"I rushed," she said.
His grin hitched. "I'd say. You okay?"
"Very."
"Very," he repeated, and his playfulness heated. Noah tossed the T-shirt in his hand to the side.
He hadn't dried off the water droplets on his stomach and chest, and they followed the lines of his cut muscles. Teagan had known how thick his arms and shoulders were. Noah had held her against his torso, but as her eyes drifted toward the V hiding behind his towel, her mouth watered.
He prowled forward. Desire flared in his eyes with every bare step, and Teagan licked her lip as Noah tilted her chin up with the light touch of his hand. Shivers ran down her shoulders, cascading down her biceps. "Next time you're showering with me."
"Yes, please," she whispered.
"We can take our time."
Teagan nodded into his cupped hand, closing her eyes when Noah let his fingers drift across her skin and feather into her hair until he let the strands fall away.
"I like figuring this out with you. Having time with them, but then just you and me."
She didn't want to open her eyes. His fingertips drifted along her shoulders, and he said magical words. He took her hand in his and backed to the edge of the bed before sitting down. His thumbs massaged her wrist. Then he drew long strokes along her hand, up each finger, pulling one after the other. His thumbs worked her palm.
"That's so … nice." Unexpectedly erotic. He squeezed her hand and mimicked the same motions, massaging her wrists, running the length of her fingers, then putting pressure on her palms and working his way out, as though he knew each bone, every tendon and knuckle.
"Pressure points." He moved back to her right hand. "I'd always wondered."
"What?"
"The right place and touch can immobilize a person."
"Hmm." She believed it.
"But same place, different tactic." He brought her wrist to his mouth, and the heat of the wet kiss flamed through her body. Not just at her pulse point but awakening the nerve endings and heightening sensations until her core cried for his attention.
"Your experiment is working." A full body shiver slipped from her shoulders below her towel, and Noah languidly kissed up her forearm.
His lips paused, and he pulled her close, draping her arm around his neck. "Good to know."
Their two towels didn't hide much as he nestled her between his powerful legs. His palms drifted along her sides, pressing the shower-damp cloth to her flushed skin, and her pulse pounded in her neck.
Her towel-dried hair fell over her shoulders, and wet drips slid toward her breasts. Under the towel, her breasts ached for his touch, and even the tickle of water made her sizzle.
Noah's hands smoothed up her sides again, teasing along the top of her towel. His eyes held hers, and she waited for the rush of cool air when the towel fell away, but no.
He played. Tortured. He drew her closer again, dropping a hand to her backside and cupping her bottom while he skimmed the back of his knuckles over her covered breasts.
Her breaths shook. Her eyelashes fluttered. Still, the towel didn't move.
Noah squeezed her bottom, and Teagan's head dropped back on a throaty moan, and finally-
"Ah," she murmured.
His strong hand massaged her breast, and even through the towel, his focus on kneading her, working his way to the tip before sliding his hand to the other side, was heavenly.