The Awakening Aidan

Chapter Eight


Jaylin snuggled closer to the hard chest warming her back. Aidan made a sleepy noise and buried his face in the crook of her neck. The arm around her waist tightened. Smiling, she opened her eyes and blinked against the bright light that filled the room.

What time was it?

She craned her head up to glance at the clock on the nightstand.

A little after noon.

No shock there. What time had they finally fallen into an exhausted sleep after the previous night’s sex-a-thon? Four, five o’clock?

Aidan had been insatiable. One orgasm after another had ripped through her—for hours. He’d give her time to settle from each earth-shattering release before he’d use deliberate touches to make her body come to life again. All done while spooned behind her, denying her the ability to touch him in return. And when he had her moaning for more, he’d either roll her onto her belly or back and then stand or kneel between her legs and slip inside.

The continued denial of the weight of his body and the inability to slide her fingers over him as she wanted was an added aphrodisiac. All she could do was fist her hands in the comforter or in her hair and feel. He’d controlled what happened in that bed, controlled how he’d made her come, and she’d loved every minute of it.

But today it was her turn. She’d have to be sneaky though, having learned very quickly that Aidan liked to dominate. He wasn’t going to give that up easily.

A grumble came from Aidan’s belly and Jaylin smiled. They’d burned a ton of calories over the course of the evening. After the incredible night he’d given her, the least she could do was feed the man.

Slipping from beneath his arm, she paused when Aidan made another noise, but he then rolled onto his back, his arm flung above his head. Out. Cold. Now would be a perfect time to do some deliberate caressing of her own, but his stomach rumbled again. She’d get the food first, and then wake him by kissing her way down his chest.

As she stood, the muscles in her thighs quivered, reminding her of how he’d had them wrapped around his shoulders, spread wide apart or pushed close to her chest as he’d taken her. She was lucky she could even move this morning.

She grabbed his shirt off the floor and slipped it on, liking the idea of being dressed only in something of his when she roused him from sleep. Could already see the smug smile he’d give her as he realized what she wore.

The wonderful woodsy scent that was Aidan surrounded her. She brought a fistful of fabric up to her nose and breathed deep. The man smelled so good, had such a distinct scent, that just catching a whiff of him made her body respond, nipples tighten.

Releasing the material, she fumbled around for a button, then smiled as she remembered.

No buttons. She’d popped every one of them off in a fit of passion—a passion she’d never felt for another man, and possibly never would again. Scary thought.

She overlapped the edges of the shirt and held it closed by crossing her arms over her chest. Typically she’d just let it hang open, but she wasn’t sure of Rafael’s schedule and the last thing she wanted to do was shock the lovable older man with a peep show.

As she started to tiptoe out of the room, she spotted a discarded condom wrapper lying by the bed that had missed the wastebasket beside the nightstand. She picked it up and tossed it in.

Aidan had surprised her with that.

They’d both lost their heads on the deck and hadn’t used one. A definite slippery slope that neither of them could afford to walk on. She’d been prepared to tell him that, but he’d beaten her to it by apologizing and swearing it wouldn’t happen again. And it hadn’t. The sounds of ripping foil had been as constant as her pleas for more.

Thankfully the oops wouldn’t result in anything more than an oops. She was too close to the end of her cycle to stress over getting pregnant. To top it off, Aidan had assured her that she wasn’t fertile, that her scent wasn’t marred by the slight acidic smell of ovulation. She’d known he’d wanted to relieve any undue stress, and it had helped having him confirm her assumptions. If a pregnancy occurred…she didn’t even want to think about how overbearing Aidan would become. The unnatural willpower he used to keep the Drall contained would most certainly snap.

But Aidan was in control, and she had nothing to worry about. At least she hoped not.

She padded out of the room and into the kitchen, then chuckled.

So much for making Aidan breakfast in bed. Rafael had beaten her to it. Against the far wall was a buffet loaded with an assortment of breakfast foods, ranging from buttery croissants, to muffins, to sausage, eggs, and bacon.

She had no idea what Aidan liked, so she picked up a plate and started putting one of everything on it. She had just added a silver dollar pancake when, from behind her, Aidan asked, “Whatcha doing?”

Sighing, she closed her eyes. Guess she wasn’t going to get to kiss her way down his chest. Bummer.

Jaylin turned around with the plate held in front of her, trying to ignore the enticing naked skin only a few feet away. He’d slipped on a pair of maroon boxer briefs. The tight material hugged him so that every manly ridge of his well-endowed package was displayed for her viewing pleasure. Swallowing, she shifted as warmth spread through her belly. “Bringing you breakfast in bed.”

His gaze was nowhere near the food, but much lower. The warmth intensified to all-out fire, and she was very aware of how the shirt had fallen open in front, revealing her from between her beasts to the apex of her thighs with only a plate in between.

A growl permeated the air before he stalked over to her, grabbed the dish, tossed it on the table and whirled her around. Hands roamed over her body, pinching, kneading…oh, yes, rubbing, all while he walked her forward until her body made contact with the wall. Her head fell back against his chest as Aidan, once again, made her body become a puddle of desire, allowing him anything.

The now-familiar sound of ripping foil hit her ears before he slowly pushed inside her. Jaylin reached behind her, sliding her palm across his hip and down over his ass, wanting to at least touch him, but Aidan grabbed her hands in both of his and placed them flat against the wall.

“Keep them there,” he demanded as he gripped her hips, keeping her still as he drove up—over and over. She leaned her cheek against the wood, breath stuttering out with each forceful thrust until her body was a taut rope of arousal.

“Aidan, please,” she breathed out.

Again, fingers probed the folds between her thighs and she widened her legs, giving him better access to the throbbing that needed the most attention. When he touched her, she cried out, simply relieved to have the ache massaged, knowing release was soon within her grasp.

The added friction against her * combined with the powerful, even thrusts of his cock sent her straight over the edge and she came apart, her fingers curling against the wall as she moaned through her orgasm. He followed quickly, a guttural groan warming her skin as he stiffened behind her. One, two, three more slow thrusts and his movements stilled. Aidan nuzzled against her neck, lightly kissing and nipping the skin. “Hmm. Now this is a meal I can wake up to every morning.”

She leaned back against him, tilting her head a bit more to the side. “You’re going to make it to where I can’t walk, you know.”

He tweaked her nipple, his other hand exploring the naked skin of her stomach. “A little sore?”

“Deliciously so.”

Another growl came from him before he withdrew and smacked her ass. “Sounds like you need some recoup time. Go get your bathing suit on. We’ll go down to the beach.”

“You mean birthday suit?”

His fingers dug into her hips as he rocked against her. “Unless you do indeed want to get to where you can’t move, go put some clothes on.”

Sending him a pout over her shoulder, she hurried to their bedroom.

Their bedroom.

An automatic thought. A dangerous thought. It wasn’t their bedroom. It was simply the room they were sharing until they left, one of the many places they’d f*ck over the next two days. Nothing more.

She shouldn’t have to remind herself that, and it scared her that she did.

Aidan was simply a sex toy, a wonderfully arousing, multiple-orgasm sex toy.

After digging through the suitcases, she found her black bikini with white polka dots and pink trim, then slipped it on. With the tiny strings that held the material together at her hips, the suit left little to the imagination. Jaylin smiled. This would definitely keep things on the sex playing fields. One tug and the suit would fall right off.

Yummy.

She grabbed her makeup bag and found two ponytail holders. After she put her hair in low pigtails that made the strands cascade down the front of her shoulders, she sashayed back into the kitchen, very aware of the way Aidan had stilled in pouring some liquor into a blender. The way he watched her, all predator-like, ready to jump, made her feel she had some control.

Stopping in the middle of the kitchen, she held her hands up and turned around, giving him a view from every angle. “You like?”

“Oh.” He cleared his throat. “I like. Very much.”

She gave him a saucy smile. “Good.”

As she sidled up next to him, she lifted her face. When he gave her lips a quick smack with his, she jerked back, shocked at what she’d done. She’d invited his kiss. Again, automatically. Like a couple. What in the world was happening to her?

He gave an affectionate tug on one of her pigtails, then handed her a picnic basket.

“I put some food in there, along with a blanket. There should be two chairs already set up on the beach. Go on without me. I’ll be down in a few minutes. Need to get our drinks ready and throw on my swim trunks.”

She didn’t argue, needing to get away from him and collect herself. Here she’d been so worried about Aidan losing control, and it seemed that she was the one doing the losing instead. The really frightening part was that she didn’t realize what she was doing until after she’d done it. What kind of signals was she sending Aidan?

It couldn’t be good. Was he silently tallying these small victories, believing she wouldn’t be able to leave him when they returned home?

After setting the picnic basket down, she sank into the mesh material of the beach chair. Would she be able to leave him? She enjoyed being in his arms so much, enjoyed just being with him. Somehow Aidan made her forget her troubles—forget the struggles at home that were still very much there and waiting for her return.

A failing practice, a best friend who stayed by her side regardless of how broke she was because of Jaylin’s decisions, and a mother who sat at home waiting for death.

How could he make her forget all of those things? Especially the last one.

That could be her in a few years if she let her emotions control her.

Just last week she’d stopped by to see her mom. She was cleaning. The woman was always cleaning. Her mother had never been so OCD about her floors until Jaylin’s father died. In the beginning, even as a teen, she’d known it was a way for her mom to cope, a way to not think. But after twenty years, the loss of her mate should’ve become easier, lessened some of the compulsive tendencies she’d acquired from his death.

A movement to her left broke into her thoughts. Aidan trudged across the beach toward her, balancing two coconut cups with tiny colorful paper umbrellas in the crook of one arm and a cooler in the other. The wind blew up his hair and her insides gave a funny jump of affection. Jaylin swallowed and glanced away. Lust she could deal with. Butterflies and roller-coaster dips in the stomach she couldn’t. And after reminding herself about her mother, how could she possibly still feel anything?

Her heart was becoming her worst enemy.

Aidan sat down beside her and handed her a drink. She took a sip, the wonderful coconut taste shocking her conflicting thoughts right out of her head. “Wow, Aidan. You missed your calling in life. You should’ve been a bartender.”

He chuckled. “Pretty damn good, right?”

“I’ve had plenty of piña coladas, but this is excellent.”

“It’s the secret ingredient.”

“Which is?”

“It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, now would it? Besides, then you’d be able to make them yourself and I can’t have that.”

“It can’t be that hard to figure out.” She took another sip. She tasted the coconut and a hint of pineapple, but there was something else she couldn’t put her finger on. “What is that?”

“All I’m going to say is you can’t get a drink to taste like that by using premade bottle mixers. All fresh ingredients, baby, with a little added bonus.”

She swished another mouthful around and then gave up. “If you won’t tell me, you’ll unfortunately have to keep going back and making me more.”

He opened the cooler. “You can have as much as you want.”

The appearance of a full pitcher of the drink shocked a laugh out of her. “You’re always prepared, aren’t you?”

“Most of the time. I’ve been caught unprepared a few times and hated the outcome.”

Her smile faded, noticing the seriousness of the words under his carefree attitude. Their conversation from the night before came to mind. “Is that what happened with your career? You were caught unprepared?”

Sighing, he slumped back against the chair. “Already? Really?”

“I can’t help that your ‘unprepared’ comment made me think of last night. I’d like to know what happened.”

“There’s really not much to say. I took my dad’s obsession and magnified it. Little business takeovers didn’t appeal to me. Large corporations did. The harder and more complicated the takeover, the more satisfaction I got.”

“Is that how you got a reputation as a bad guy?”

“Businesses feared me. Knew if I got my sights on them, willingly or not, I would one day own them. I ate that up, thrived off it.”

“What changed?”

“My last takeover. Funny enough it wasn’t a huge corporate invasion. It wasn’t even an actual takeover. I saw a little homemade product that promised a fortune, and went after it in a way I’m ashamed of today.”

“What in the world did you do?”

“I sold out morals for money.”

She wished she was surprised by the admission, but after having a small taste of the other Aidan O’Connell, she knew he was capable of almost anything when something he really wanted was denied him. “I need more details here. Give it to me from the top.”

He winced. “I’m not sure if I want to tell you, Jaylin. You’ll hear what a slimeball I was.”

“I saw firsthand what a jerk you can be, Aidan, and I’m still here. Why? Because I know that isn’t who you want to be anymore. I promise not to judge you for past mistakes. Okay?”

Surprisingly, she realized she meant it. As much as she could use what he said to make it easier to walk away, she wouldn’t. Whatever he’d done hadn’t been done by the man sitting beside her now.

He stayed silent, his expression tense, lips pressed together.

“You can tell me.”

He looked at her, finally nodding. “I used to be a cold son of a bitch, Jaylin. I embraced it, feeling it was exactly what I had to be to succeed. All it took was one tiny woman to open my eyes to the monster I’d become.”

“A woman?” She shoved back the flare of jealousy that ignited in her chest. Now—or even ever—was not the time for such emotion.

“Tracy Platt. She was the manager of a family-owned general store out in Podunk, America. Population one thousand eighty. I was on my way to a business meeting on an especially difficult takeover. I’d taken the car for a change, instead of flying. I love the mountains, the winding roads, the scenery. It clears my head. If I’d flown, who knows where I’d be today. Probably still getting my kicks from stealing businesses out from other hard-working people.”

The self-disgust in his voice turned her stomach. She reached over and squeezed his hand.

He slid his palm over hers, squeezing back. “Anyway, I needed to stretch my legs, and this little store appeared around the next bend. I told the driver to stop. As I walked around, I noticed these mason jars filled with yellow liquid. A home-packaged sort of deal, where frilly lace decorated the screw cap and a simple sticker that had ‘Gleam’ written in black Magic Marker placed on front. The young lady behind the counter said it was her homemade cleaning agent, a recipe passed down from generation to generation that was really popular with the locals. Out of curiosity, I bought one and went on about my day. I didn’t think about it again until I got back home. It was an amazing product.”

“And you had to have it?”

“Oh, yeah. I saw a gold mine. Like I needed more of those. I was already extremely wealthy, but that didn’t stop me. So I drove back up, believing I’d make an offer and she’d jump right on it. These were backwood folks. They didn’t have a lot and I was offering her the world.”

“But she didn’t want to sell?”

“Adamantly refused, stating it was a family recipe that had been passed down from her great-grandmother, to her grandmother, to her mother, and then on to her. And she would one day pass it along to her daughter, and a price tag couldn’t be put on tradition. To say the least, I was stunned. Someone would willingly give up a fortune because of a tradition? How stupid—and I wasn’t above showing her how stupid it was. So I pretended to graciously accept her refusal of my offer and left. Over the next couple of weeks, I made a few trips out there. Never once bringing up the offer, just flattering her, telling her how she’d caught my eye the moment I walked into the store, being the rich city slicker who swooped in and courted the country mouse.”

“Aidan, you didn’t.”

“Oh, I did. I didn’t rush it, either. She was guarded around me, leery, with good cause, but I knew I could win her over. I was patient, letting her get used to seeing me, anticipating when I’d happen to stop in, waiting for that moment I went from being the man who wanted her family secret to the man she couldn’t wait to see. The day she welcomed me with a shy smile and eyes that wouldn’t quite reach mine, I knew I had her, and that was when I asked her out. I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt, Jaylin. Not one iota of remorse. I had a goal. Get the secret. I showered her with the finest things money could buy to do so. I believed if I showed her everything she’d missed by living in a small town, fed her fine dining, bought her fancy clothes, she’d never be able to pass up the opportunity to have it for herself.”

“What happened?”

He shook his head, as he exhaled harshly. “I had degrees, had dealt with some of the savviest businessmen in our country, and had taken them all down. It never occurred to me that a high school dropout, who had no dealings with the wolves of the world, would be so damn smart. But she was, and she became suspicious. She ended up hearing a conversation with one of my business partners. I’ll never forget the day she confronted me. It changed my life. She showed up in my office. Gone were the lavish outfits I’d bought her, the expensive jewelry. The woman who stood before me was the woman I’d met that first day at the general store.”

“Oh, wow.”

“She placed two suitcases on the floor. I later found out it was every piece of clothing and jewelry I’d ever bought her. She thanked me for reminding her who she never wanted to be. It was the first time in a long time I’d felt awful for going to any lengths to get what I wanted. I tried to apologize, but she simply said she wasn’t angry, that she only pitied me, and that I apparently held nothing sacred. Right before she walked away, she added that anyone who traded family for material things had somehow lost their way in life, and she only hoped I could one day find the path back to mine.”

“Ouch.”

“Definitely, but her parting words made me take a long hard look at myself, and I found I no longer liked who I saw. In fact, I hated who I’d become. Money was the only thing that was important to me, and I’d steamroll anything or anyone who stood in my way, including an innocent woman. I started selling my companies, one by one. The day I signed the last company away, I bought the cabin and started getting acquainted with the new me. And you know what? I like him.”

Jaylin smiled. “I like him too.” She tilted her head to the side. “What happened to the woman?”

“A couple of months after she’d left, I went back to the general store. This time I thanked her for reminding me who I didn’t want to be. She said she was glad I’d found my path. I always make sure to stop in when I’m up that way and check in on her.”

“And you work as a consultant for failing businesses now?”

“Yep. I decided to use my evil for good. Who wouldn’t want a reformed bad guy working on their side to help keep other bad guys from poaching them?”

“Yeah, I can see how there is a market for that,” she said, laughing.

The skin between his brows folded. “You really don’t think less of me?”

“Aidan, I know you’re not that man anymore. If you hadn’t pulled the kidnapping stunt, I would’ve never known you could be like that.”

“I hated being him again—especially with you. He’s gone for good, Jaylin. I promise.”

“I believed you when you said it last night and I still believe you. This story didn’t change that, it just helped me understand you better.”

“It’s a scary thought to think that if that hadn’t happened I’d have never met you.”

She forced a smile. That was what he thought was scary?

What scared her was him one day wishing he’d never laid eyes on her. That one day she’d bump into Aidan on the sidewalk and he’d look at her with nothing but detest in his eyes.

Her heart twisted at the thought. As much as she hated to admit this to herself, she’d never regret meeting Aidan, even if letting him go would be one of the hardest things she’d ever do.

And if a cold reception was her possible future, she needed to grab what time she had left with him and make the most of it.

She hopped up from the chair. “Walk along the beach with me.”

He smiled, not even hesitating to stand. It made her feel awful. He never wavered, knew without a shadow of a doubt they were meant to be together, and a part of her wished she could have the same certainty.

As they started off down the sand, Aidan grasped her hand. The feel of his warm palm against hers tugged at another piece of her. For now, he was hers. The wind whipped a strand of hair that had worked its way out of her pigtails into her face and she tucked it behind her ear, leaning her body closer to Aidan, just absorbing his strength, his presence. It was so easy to do, as if he was supposed to help keep her anchored, help her through the whipping winds of life.

Unnerved by her thoughts, she concentrated on the water lapping over her toes. “It’s gorgeous here. How did you find it?”

“I’ve rented it a few times in the past.”

A wave of jealousy even more violent than the one she’d felt during his story swept through her. Had he brought another woman here? Treated her the same? She looked up at him.

The smug, satisfied expression on his face made her wish she hadn’t been so transparent.

“You’re the only woman I’ve ever brought here, Jaylin. You’ll always be the only woman I bring here.”

Her breath caught at his words. “Why?”

He shrugged. “This is my own little piece of paradise. I’ve never had the urge to share it with anyone else. But you’re my mate, and if we can’t have a future together, I want memories of you on this island, so when I do come back, I can feel like I’m with you again.”

Tears pricked her eyes. So he still knew that when they returned home they’d go their separate ways, had accepted it. It should have made her feel relief, but an ugly lump had formed in her stomach.

Why did this have to be so hard? Why did he have to be everything she was terrified of?

All she could get out past the thickness in her throat was, “Thank you for bringing me here, then.”

The smile he gave her was tender, as were the eyes that looked down on her. “Thank you for being here with me.”

He glanced off to the horizon, his throat working as he swallowed. Was he thinking about the helicopter that would return and bring an end to the bubble they had created here? The end of them?

She closed her eyes. It was all there again. The feelings. The wanting. The wishing. It was time for a different distraction, and if he wanted memories of her, she wanted to give him some that didn’t revolve around the bedroom, wanted to give him memories that when he stood on this beach, would make a small smile play at his mouth. And she’d lock those memories away inside herself as well, so when she thought of her time here with him, she’d also have that same smile on her face.

Slapping his ass, she tore off down the beach. “Tag, you’re it.”

She looked behind her to see a bewildered expression on his face that made her laugh before he shook his head and took off after her. She squealed, splashing through the waves as the distance between them closed. Seconds later, Aidan grabbed her up in his arms, a bright smile on his face. The smile she wanted him to have when he thought back to this moment.

“Got you,” he said.

That he did. In more ways than one.

As he waded deeper into the ocean, a mischievous twinkle entered his eyes, sending her thoughts away. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. “Uh-uh. Don’t even think about it.”

“What?” he asked innocently.

“Aidan, I swear— Oh!”

Warm water enveloped her body. Her feet made contact with the sandy floor and she popped back up, gasping. Wiping the salty water from her eyes, she surveyed the area. Aidan had moved to deeper water, treading on top, laughing. She pushed off the floor and with strong overhand strokes swam toward him.

“I’ll show you,” she said as she reached him.

She popped up, placed both hands on top of his head, and pushed down. He went under.

Easily. Too easily, actually. The ass.

If he wanted to placate her, then so be it, she’d dunk his butt.

She swam for the shore. As soon as the water came to her waist, she started running for the beach. Loud splashes came from behind her. Shrieking, she ran even faster.

A sharp stinging radiated up her leg and shocked the glee from her. She screamed and stumbled away from the source. Losing her balance, she landed on her butt in shallow water and cradled her shin, moaning.

“Jaylin!” Within seconds, Aidan had her swept up in his arms and was jogging toward the chairs.

Tears blinded her vision at the burning sensation. It felt as though someone had poured acid on her leg. “Jesus, Aidan, it hurts.”

“Shh, baby.” He placed her on the chair and lifted her leg in his hands. Three long red lines marred her skin, wrapping around the bottom half of her calf and ankle. “Shit. Jellyfish.”

Gathering her back in his arms, he hurried up the staircase leading to the house. He shoved open the door with his shoulder before entering their bedroom and placing her on a chair outside on the private deck. Without a word, he turned and left. His shoulders rigid, body shaking with barely restrained emotion.

Grimacing against the radiating throb, she didn’t have the energy to worry about his sudden change in behavior. She knew what had brought it on, and there really wasn’t anything she could do to stop it.

A few seconds later, Aidan came back and pulled a seat directly in front of her. Even though his face was drawn in harsh, angry lines, he gently cupped the back of her knee and propped her leg on his thigh. After unscrewing a bottle of vinegar, he poured a liberal amount on the wound. The sting didn’t disappear, but it did lessen some.

“I wish I could take it away, Jaylin,” he whispered in a tormented voice. He was so tense. On edge.

She had no idea what to say to make him relax, so she went with, “You are helping.”

“You know what I mean.”

Yeah, she did. He wanted to help by healing her, but the type of wound prevented that. Maybe she needed to make light of the situation. “Hey, it’s just a sting. If I ever get bitten by a shark, you’ll really come in handy.”

He scowled at her. “That’s not funny.”

She pursed her lips. So much for using humor to get him to chill.

As he used a pair of tweezers to remove the remaining tentacles attached to her skin, she touched his hand to get his attention, and he looked up at her.

“Aidan, without you here I would have been writhing around in pain. Just because you can’t lick the skin to mend it doesn’t mean you’re worthless. I had no idea vinegar helped take the sting out.”

He lowered his head. “I don’t like seeing you in pain.”

“I don’t like being in it, but that isn’t your fault.”

He didn’t say anything, just went to work tweezing. When he was finished, he placed her foot on the ground, then stood, walked into the bedroom, and disappeared into the bathroom. Moments later, the sounds of running water filled the air. When he returned, he asked, “You’re feeling okay, right? No nausea, light-headedness?”

“I’m fine. Stop worrying.”

Another scowl, a flash of blue, and Jaylin knew they were treading into uh-oh territory. She limped toward him, wanting to see the blue fade from his eyes. “I’m fine. Seriously. A hot bath and I’ll be good as new.”

“I never should’ve chased you.”

Oh, for God’s sake. She cupped his face between her hands. “I wanted you to chase me or I wouldn’t have run. So if we’re going to play the blame game, it’s my fault for starting it in the first place.”

The blue slowly faded from his eyes. “Let’s get you in that bath. It’s going to be hot. It has to be.”

Hot was an understatement. Just south of scalding was more like it, but surprisingly enough it did ease the throb in her leg. Aidan sat at the lip of the tub behind her and rubbed her shoulders. She leaned her head back. “You could join me.”

He shook his head. “I’ll stay here.”

She’d see about that. He needed to be distracted. More so than she did. She sat up and untied the back of her bikini and dropped it on the floor with a splat.

“What are you doing?’

Ignoring him, she slipped deeper into the water, until her nipples bobbed on top. They were tight, waiting. A growl vibrated from behind her. She bit back a smile. In an instant, he was at the edge of the tub by her side, eyes latched on the stiff peaks. She arched her back just a fraction to bring them farther above surface, before relaxing them back under.

She was shocked when he let out a string of curses, and stormed from the room.