whispered get closer. A persuasive voice that came from the same place that loved Tucker coming to her defense, guarding her, fighting on her behalf. And that place was only expanding, minute to minute.
She lifted her hand out of the water, pressing warm fingertips to her lips, and remembered the feel of Tucker’s mouth there. How he’d struggled to taste as much of her as possible, while keeping himself restrained, trying to keep his lust at bay but never really succeeding. The way his mouth had traversed hers in awe, his fingers adoring between her thighs.
Mary dropped her hand back into the water now, settling a palm on top of her mound. Pushing down on her sex with the heel of it, the way Tucker had done, her legs opening and creating the sound of water rippling in the quiet bathroom. She ground the back of her skull against the back of the tub and rubbed her fist up and back, biting her lip over the friction. Lord, she was still so sensitive there. More sensitive than she’d ever been—
A door slammed outside the bathroom and she jumped.
Footsteps went past the bathroom door and returned a moment later, pacing.
“That’s enough of that, Mary.”
There was no questioning what Tucker meant. It was right there in the threadbare tone of his voice. Somehow he knew Mary was touching herself and he wanted her to stop. And honestly, he didn’t have the right to dictate when and how she touched her own body, but her hand crept away from her private flesh nonetheless. The tips of her breasts rose out of the water on a deep inhale and her hips shifted.
I don’t understand, but I like this.
Sharing responsibility for her pleasure with this man. It made no sense, but so little of what Tucker inspired in her was familiar. What could she compare it to? These were confusing, yet extremely demanding emotions and physical responses that she couldn’t control.
Swallowing, she rested her culprit hand on the edge of the bath.
Something thumped against the door. His forehead? “Good girl.”
A hot shiver ran through Mary, straight down to her toes. “What clothes did you pick out for me?”
“I thought you might want to sleep soon, so I brought you…” A pause ensued. “I brought you one of my shirts. It’ll swallow you whole, but you didn’t have any pajamas.”
“I didn’t even think of that, actually. I’ve never had to pack.” She struggled against touching herself again. “I’ll like wearing one of your shirts.”
They didn’t speak for a full minute.
There was another thump, this one more muffled. “Are you sitting down?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Guarding me?”
“Yes.”
A surge of need had Mary licking her lips, but she fought against the impulse to tempt him. She wasn’t his mate, so he could have no real relief from the desire between them. Being physical with Tucker would only result in her reaching full enjoyment and that wasn’t right. It wasn’t right no matter how loud the whisper spoke in the back of her mind, urging her to tantalize him into giving in, telling her vampire rules didn’t apply to her.
That was selfish.
Is that how she wanted Tucker to remember her?
A sharp object turned over in Mary’s throat, causing her hunger to dim. She traced the faucet of the bathtub with her big toe and thought of all the things she would remember about Tucker. His cigar and mint scent. The cushion of his body. The metallic taste of his chains, the reassuring pressure of his hand. But she wanted to remember more. She wanted to know everything. That’s when she remembered something he’d said earlier.
I mean, hell, I grew up pudgy with a smart mouth, so I’d been in my share of fist fights. Mostly happened when they’d make fun of my father. A black eye now and again was par for the course.
Mary sat up straighter in the bathtub. “Hey Tucker?”
“Yeah, honey.”
God, that nickname made her feel warmer than this bath. “When we were driving, you said that people used to make fun of your father. Why did they do that?”
His snort was followed by silence. “From the time I was sixteen, he was only interested in one thing. Contacting aliens.”
Mary’s mouth dropped open. “Aliens?”
“That’s right. He put together a satellite in our barn, right there in plain view of the road where everyone could see it. In a small town, that kind of behavior doesn’t just get noticed, it gets the whole place talking. People would come by and