Bethany’s fingers shook as she pulled at those ridiculous jeans. He was so damn gentle with her. When his fingers brushed her skin, she wanted so badly for him to do more than that. For him, this was work. But for her, this was so much more. She laughed at the irony.
She was married, but couldn’t get her husband to sleep with her. He kept her at a distance for a reason. He didn’t want to screw up the possibility of getting his son, but she wanted desperately for this to move beyond awkward sexual tension.
She pulled her running shorts on and exited her closet, finding him scrolling through the pictures on his camera with a stupid smile on his face.
“Did you get the shot you wanted?”
“What?” he asked, looking up at her. “Oh, yeah. I did. You ready?”
She wasn’t. Not really. He’d laugh at her for this one.
In the laundry room, he leaned against the doorway while she demonstrated the problem. She pulled her stepstool over to the washer, opened the top, and reached in. For her to touch the bottom she had to practically fall into the thing.
He chuckled, and she stood.
“You know, a front loader would fix that.”
“Can’t afford one of those.” Her cheeks flushed. He constantly reminded her of her state.
“You can now. But first we need to get the shot.” He was right. She had a credit card that allowed her to spend as much as she wanted. After this humiliation, she would go buy one.
“So what do I need to do?” she asked.
He studied her for a moment. “This whole thing is comical. That’s not the feel we are going for. So… how to make it sexy?” He paused for a second. “Take off your shorts.”
“What? You promised no nudity.” Her whole face went red. There was no way she would do this.
“Yeah, but an underwear shot would turn this from funny into sexy.”
She held onto her shorts. “You don’t even know what kind of underwear I have on.”
“It doesn’t matter. Even if it’s granny panties, it will look good. In fact, that might be the best.” He waited. Did he really expect her to take her clothes off? Part of her wanted to shock him. The other part was mortified. She squeezed her eyes shut and took her shorts off. She met his eyes with defiance. He obviously wasn’t ready for her to comply so quickly, and she saw hunger in his eyes. She had on black lacy panties that covered her skin, but were completely see through. She waited to see what he would do.
He put the camera near his face and waved to the washer. She found herself disappointed.
She dove in. The edge of the washer dug into her stomach, and she hoped he’d get this over quickly. Suddenly, the stool disappeared out from underneath her. She gasped.
“Jamie, put it back,” she called from inside the washer. She put her hands on the bottom to hold her weight, but she could feel the blood rushing to her head.
“In a second. This won’t take long.”
“I’m serious. Put it back.”
“Done. You can get out now.”
“I can’t. I’m stuck.”
He chuckled, and she seethed. He didn’t have to make fun of her. When she got out, she was going to go buy the most expensive front loader she could find.
She waited for him to put the stool back but instead felt him lean against her and wrap his arm around her bare waist and lift her out. He set her down, and she spun to face him. He didn’t take his hands off her. She looked up, ready to give him a piece of her mind after he humiliated her, but she stopped when his eyes pierced hers.
He leaned down, and his lips met hers. She responded instantly. He hoisted her up on the washer, and she wrapped her legs around his torso. His hands gripped her thighs. She’d never wanted a man as badly as she wanted him.
He pulled away for a second, and his eyes burned with hunger.
“We should go upstairs,” she whispered.
He nodded, but made no move to the door. Instead, he kissed her again. She grinned against his lips. “Or the laundry room works, I guess.”
She tugged at the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head. She ran her hand across his pecs. “I’ve been wanting to touch these.”
“I know,” he said with a light kiss on her nose. “Every time we go swimming you won’t look me in the eyes.”
She shrugged. “It’s a nice view.”
He looked to the door. “We should go upstairs.”
They were halfway up the stairs when his phone buzzed.
“Dammit. It’s Zoe. I should take this. It might help the case. Can you wait for me?”
She nodded, a little disappointed. He leaned forward and gave her another good kiss on the lips then answered the phone and headed down the stairs. She watched his shoulders and wondered how on earth she’d manage to snag such a sexy man.
She climbed into bed, completely happy for the first time in a long time. She closed her eyes thinking she’d rest before he returned, but soon she felt herself drifting off. Her mind filled with the taste of his lips and the feel of his hands on her skin.