I was going to take a shower, but Miles had another idea once he saw my big bathtub. “Let’s get in it.”
“A bath?” I wrinkled my nose. “It will take forever to fill. And it’s a pain to wash my hair in a bath.”
Miles put a hand on his chest. “I will wash your hair. In fact, I will take care of everything. You go away, and I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
I sighed. “OK, fine.” Shaking my head, I went into the second bathroom and cleaned up a little. With the adrenaline rush over, my mind started to wander back to the conversation I’d had with Dan. Was it really over? Why didn’t I feel more devastated? Was it because it had been over already and I’d just been clinging to an idea? Was it because he’d cheated on me? Maybe I was still in shock and it would hit me later, but mostly what I felt was relief.
I wandered back to my bedroom, where I heard the water running through the closed door to the bathroom. I also heard drawers being open and shut as well as the vanity cupboards. What the hell was he doing in there?
Inside my closet, I undressed and pulled on a short robe. From a high shelf I took down a small suitcase, opened it on the floor and dropped a few things inside it. I wondered if I needed anything dressier than shorts and jeans, and if I should pack a swimsuit.
A few minutes later, Miles poked his head in. “Ready.”
My pulse picked up at the sight of his bare chest, even though I had just been thoroughly pounded not thirty minutes before. Was I turning into an animal too? Smiling, I followed him into the bathroom, where he’d dimmed the lights and lit the candles on the windowsill. He’d also filled the tub with bubbles, and the air was warm and humid and scented with vanilla and cinnamon. “Wow. I’m impressed.”
“Good.” He slipped the robe off my shoulders and hung it on the back of the door. “Go on, get in.”
I slipped beneath the warm, fragrant water, the bubbles up to my shoulders. “Coming in with me?”
He set the plastic container I keep under the sink to water my plants on the sill too and unzipped his jeans. “Definitely.”
“What’s the container for?”
“To wash your hair, like I promised.”
I smiled. “You don’t really have to do that.”
“Well, I want to. So shut your face.”
Laughing, I watched him get undressed and noticed he wasn’t fully hard for once, although the size was still impressive. It felt oddly intimate, seeing him like that, somehow more intimate than seeing his giant erection in front of my face. Why was that? I looked away as he stepped into the tub behind me.
“Scoot up a little bit.” He stretched his legs on either side of me, and I leaned back against him as he gathered me in close. “There. Isn’t this nice?”
“Yes.” It was nice. I was more of a shower person since I got up so early and was always in a rush, but it felt good to slow down and relax a little. “I don’t think I’ve used this tub more than once since I’ve lived here.”
“How long is that?”
“Three months. And I’ve definitely never been in it with another person.”
“Can’t say I’m sorry about that.” We were silent a minute, the only noise the crackle of the bubbles and sizzle of candle wicks. “So was Dan boring in bed or what?”
I sighed. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
I tried to think of a way to explain it. “Well, you know how you have a favorite pair of sweat pants or something, and they’re really comfortable and feel good every time you put them on?”
“Uh, I guess so.”
“Well, sex with Dan was sort of like that.”
“Like sweat pants?”
“Yeah, you know—something comfortable and familiar that feels good. Does that make sense?”
“I guess so, but if any woman ever said sex with me was like sweat pants, I’d fucking shoot myself.”
“Well, I didn’t know any better, OK? We both had orgasms, so I figured we were doing fine, but clearly we weren’t, because he went elsewhere to get what he really wanted, and I…” I stopped, unsure of how to finish the sentence.
“You what?” In front of my chest, Miles linked his fingers with mine.
I’m having way more fun—and way better orgasms—with you than I ever had with him. But I couldn’t say that. Miles would probably freak out and think I wanted him to be my next boyfriend or something. And I didn’t want that. I knew we were just friends doing this for the hell of it, enjoying the kick. For all I knew, sex with Miles would become routine after a while too.