I stalk past the tub, jump down onto the grass. I walk around the side. Ha, he’s going to keep me out the house, is he? Not if I can help it. I break into a sprint, jog up the field surrounding the house, around to the front. Reaching the door, I find it…closed. Bugger. I try the door handle, and it’s locked. I throw up my fists, ready to punch my way through…? As if that would help… Think… Think… What can I do…? I walk down the steps, get back into the car…search for my phone. Shit. My handbag—I left it inside the bloody house, along with my chef's satchel. Argh!
I slam my palm on the steering wheel, and the horn blares. Hell. I press down on the horn a little longer. I’d left the keys in the ignition… So, at least, I am mobile, but without my phone and my wallet... Hell, even if I went out into the village… which is a 45-minute drive away, I couldn’t do much. Damn it, I can’t even call anyone for help.
Ugh! I grip the steering wheel, take a deep breath, then another. Don’t lose it. You can think it through. He isn’t going to leave me out… Nah! He wouldn’t…would he? Damn it. It would be just like that reprobate who has chocolate tarts for brains to do something exactly so…assholish. Argh! Anger ladders up my spine. I swipe my wet hair out of my eyes… Great. Here I am, soaking wet, with no dry clothes in sight… Uhm, no, I do have my suitcase where I left it outside. There’s a distinct boom, then drops of water drizzle down. Shit. That doesn’t help. No way am I going to get soaked all over again. I snatch up the keys, step out of the car and lock it. Then run over to my suitcase… I drag it up the steps to the front entryway, and place it against the wall.
The retrace my path down the steps, then around to the back porch.
The wind blows. I shiver and step closer to the warmth emanating from the tub. Hmm. Should I? I glance around for the controls, spot a switch. When I throw it, the bubbles begin to churn in the tub. I dip my hand, and yep, the water’s warm. I turn the dial further toward the red. With the rain smattering outside and the floor patio heaters going full force… Well, it is not too bad. But that doesn’t get me inside the cabin. I hear scratching at the door—Max trying to get out again.
Okay, I’m not going to stand around here, as if waiting for him… I am going to… I grab the hem of my blouse, pull it off. I hear Weston talking to Max, then the sound of the door being unlocked. I strip out of my jeans. The door begins to open. I race toward the tub, jump inside, unhooking my bra at the same time.
6
Weston
What the—? What the hell is she up to now?
I walk out of the door and onto the patio in time to watch her sink into the hot tub. There’s a flash of pink, then she holds up her bra… something slinky and made of scraps of nylon. My jaw drops and my belly hardens. She can’t be doing what I think she is. She can’t be undressed…and turning the tables on me…can she?
I’d fed the mutt…then proceeded to take a cold shower…before pulling out clothes. When I could delay no longer, I’d walked out. Okay, also because I was curious. The last thing I’d expected was for her to reverse engineer the scene I’d played out for her earlier.
I stalk forward and my foot brushes something wet. I glance down to find her abandoned blouse…then her jeans… I follow a trail of clothes strewn across the patio that leads me to stand over her.
"What are you up to?"
"What do you think?" She tosses her bra at me and I catch it. Damn her, but I want to smell it. Would it have her scent…of sugar and spices and everything nice? Argh! I really have to stop reading to Birdie, my niece. Now I am thinking in nursery rhymes? Or is it simply her nearness going to my head?
She scoops up some of the hot water, pours it over her shoulders. The bubbles cover her up to the swell of her breasts, but she’s naked below it… Is she? Did she take off her panties? I glance around, can’t see the abandoned lingerie…so she must have it on… Would the cloth be transparent enough for me to see through it to that melting center of her, that I desperately want to get my hands on? My cock throbs and blood thunders at my temples. "Get out of there."
"No."
"If you don’t step out…"
"What? You’ll step in?"
Oh, I’m tempted to, but considering I spent the last few hours in there already, I’ll pass. Doesn’t mean I am going to let her get away with this little tease-filled antic, either.
I toss her bra aside then reach over to grab her shoulder. She twists her body and water splashes onto my shirt. "Oops." She giggles in a voice that seems to imply she’s not sorry at all.
"Why you little—" I scowl, then straighten. "Stand up,” I snarl.
"Make me."
"You don’t want me coming in there. Trust me."
"Oh?" She tilts her head, "We’ll see, shall we?" She slaps the water; more of it splashes onto me. What the—? I fold my arms over my chest, lower my voice to a hush, "Up." I growl.
She swallows.
"Do it."
"You sure?" she asks.
"I won’t repeat myself."
"Fine." She juts out her chin.
"Fine?" I frown. Why is she agreeing so readily? She’s up to no good, for sure, she— She rises to her feet. Water pours from her slim frame down the jut of her hips, in between her legs…and fuck, I was wrong. She doesn’t have her panties on.
The water slides down her flat stomach, down to the triangle between her legs. And I can only watch as a drop clings to her pussy lips, begging me to go closer, closer. My knees bump into the side of the hot water tub. I blink.
"My face is up here," she drawls.
I can’t stop the chuckle that rumbles up my throat. "Very good." I tilt my head. "Clearly, you’ve been paying attention to our conversation, and PS," I make air quotes with my fingers, "you ain’t got nothin’ that I haven’t seen already."
She blinks, then gapes at me, "I was wrong about you."
"Oh?"
"You’re not just an asshole, but a bloody, egoistical brute with no manners."
A grin threatens to split my face. I swallow it with a cough. "I’ll give you one thing though; you got my attention."
"Hallelujah." She raises her arms skyward and tilts her head back. Her tits jiggle with the action. My cock instantly springs to attention. Fuck. It’s not like I haven’t seen better-looking women—certainly, those with bigger tits, slimmer waists…curvier hips… But the complete package of the woman who stands knee-deep in bubbles, with her hair sticking to her forehead…the flushed cheeks, the pink lips… Yeah, the ones between her legs as well... All of it comes together in an amalgamation that is uniquely her… Something I want to get to know better… To own and to understand, to pull apart and piece together until she makes more sense… Until I get her out of my system, that’s all. Perhaps that’s reason to keep her around a little longer?
I jerk my chin, "Come on."
"Huh?" She frowns.