came.
Then he collapsed on top of her, his breath hot on her shoulder, his heart pounding against her own. “Damn, boss lady,” he whispered and Chloe started to laugh.
“I need to be impulsive more often,” she said.
Hunter grinned at her, his hair rumpled and his gaze warm. He ran a fingertip over her shoulder, watching its progress, and his expression turned mischievous. “I think it would only be responsible to give positive reinforcement for that,” he whispered.
“You don’t think you have already?”
“I like to be absolutely sure,” he confessed, eyes glinting. “And you instructed me to do it again.”
“True.”
He lifted the strap of her merry widow and slid it down her shoulder, baring her breast to view. “We’ve really only just begun,” he said with intent, then bent and took her nipple in his mouth.
Chloe wasn’t going to argue with that.
Six
Hunter left Chloe dozing and started the shower. He felt amazing. He’d never expected Chloe to be bossy or blunt or talkative, but it was hot when she told him what she wanted. And she was gorgeous, all flushed with her hair loose, those eyes shining. So responsive. So ready. It had been so great, so great that one interval wasn’t nearly enough—although he wouldn’t tell Chloe that. She’d just assume it meant he wanted a relationship, which wasn’t the same as wanting more sex. He just wanted all the pleasure he could get.
Like this shower. If he ever had a place of his own, he’d have a shower like this one. It was big, tiled in stone, with a huge showerhead that hung from the ceiling overhead. He could have been standing beneath a waterfall as the hot water flowed over him and he loved it.
“Tell me about Duchess,” Chloe invited and Hunter was startled by her voice. He opened his eyes to find her stepping into the shower beside him.
“No.”
“Why not?” She smiled at him, then stepped under the shower herself. “Haven’t I earned another secret?”
He gave her a look. “No.”
She didn’t let it go. “Does she have anything to do with you hating Christmas?”
“No.” Hunter’s satisfaction was rapidly disappearing as Chloe asked questions. He was starting to feel irritable, which was just wrong. After that sex, he should have been walking on sunshine for days.
“I must be on to something,” she said lightly instead of being deterred. “You’re not usually a man of few words.” She reached for the shower gel and poured it into her hands, taking a deep breath of the scent. She lathered it up and rubbed it over Hunter’s chest, backing him into the corner, then kissing him.
This was more like it. Her touch made him think about going another round.
“Go on,” she invited in a whisper when she broke their kiss. “Tell me.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he managed to say.
“But I do.” She smiled a little as she lathered lower and he caught his breath as she closed her hand around him. Their gazes met again. Hunter swallowed.
“We should practice some moves before the hot water runs out,” he said, trying to make a joke.
“I don’t think we need practice with that,” she whispered, crushing her breasts against him. She was exactly perfect, soft in all the right places but all muscled strength in others. “I think we got it just right,” she whispered in his ear.
Hunter surrendered, closing his eyes and leaning back as she caressed him.
“Are you going to go ride her?” she asked, when Duchess was the last thing from Hunter’s mind.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because. Because it’s an exercise in futility.” He stepped away from Chloe’s enticing touch with an effort. If she wanted to talk all the way through doing it again, Hunter would pass. “Because the past is gone.”
Chloe lathered her breasts, a tendril of wet hair falling over her shoulder. She peeked up at Hunter, obviously aware that he found the sight appealing. She smiled, rolling her own nipples between her fingers and thumbs, and he stared. “Because it would be taking a chance?”
“No.” Hunter shook his head, trying to keep his thoughts on the conversation so he didn’t reveal too much. “I take chances all the time.”
“You take chances on things that don’t matter,” Chloe replied. “If you’re going to challenge me to take more risks, then you should take some yourself that are important.”
“You have no idea what’s important to me and what’s not.” Hunter got out of the shower, feeling dissatisfied and irritable. He grabbed a towel.
“But I’m interested in finding out.”
“No,”