“Very nice,” he said, planting a soft kiss on my belly button.
He pulled me up and tugged my T-shirt over my head, then reached around to unhook my bra.
“Mmm,” he said, tasting both my nipples, his eyes glinting with mischief.
I slapped him away.
“Don’t start what you can’t finish, Sebastian.”
“Who says I can’t finish? You were the one who said we should be creative. I’m just doing as I’m told, ma’am.”
He unbuckled his heavy biker boots and kicked them into the corner, tugged off his socks and dropped his jeans and briefs to the floor in one quick movement.
Then he tugged his T-shirt from the back of his neck and pulled it over his head, scooped me up and carried me into the bathroom with military efficiency.
The shower was deliciously hot: so was Sebastian.
He lathered up the soap, and carefully washed every inch of my skin, stopping only to kiss me softly.
“You want some more, Caro,” he said, smiling down at me, and suggestively massaging between my thighs.
“I’d love to say yes, but really I just want to go and sleep. Rough sex during phone calls always does that to me.”
“Always?”
“Always.”
“Hmm,” he said, frowning.
“By the way, why was your CO calling? What did he want at this time of night?”
Sebastian sighed and looked away.
“He wanted to know where I was.”
“I gathered that. Because?”
“I’m sorry, Caro; I’m going to have to be back in Geneva in four days… and then back to Afghanistan.”
“Four days?”
Oh no.
“I’m so sorry, baby.”
“Well, we’ll just have to make the most of the four days then.”
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise, Caro.”
“Sebastian, don’t worry. Every day with you is a bonus. And we’ve got the rest of our lives to see Italy.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
I pulled him into my arms and we stood together in the tiny shower, letting the hot water flow over us, trying to reassure each other that it would be okay.
Eventually the water began to cool and I turned off the faucet.
“Come here, let me dry you, tesoro.”
Sebastian stood with his arms outstretched, as if waiting for an embrace that didn’t come. Instead, I used the large, fluffy towel to dry his back and shoulders, chest, stomach, arms and legs; slowly, carefully, methodically, soaking up each droplet of moisture.
“There you are – all done.”
He handed me a fresh towel to wrap around myself, then carefully rubbed my hair with a small hand towel.
“You shouldn’t sleep with damp hair,” he scolded me.
His words made me smile.
“Sebastian, I’ve done a lot of foolish things – reckless, you might say – since I met you: sleeping with damp hair doesn’t figure particularly high on that list.”
He scowled.
Jeez, he looked so cute when he did that.
I kissed him on the tip of his nose.
“Race you to the bedroom!”
I ran from the bathroom before he could move a muscle, and launched myself onto the bed.
“You’re so slow, Hunter,” I laughed at him. “You’re really out of shape. Maybe you should go for a run, like you told your CO.”
“Tomorrow, Caro, I’m getting a fucking sack-load of condoms, and I’m going to make you regret every word you’ve just said.”
I smirked at him. “Like I said, Sebastian, promises, promises. I keep hearing about these fuckathons, but nothing ever happens.”
His eyes flared with the challenge, and I knew for sure that I’d live to regret my taunts. I was looking forward to it.
I yawned loudly, and he looked amused.
He lay down beside me, his body warm and still slightly damp from the shower, pulling the sheets over us. I snuggled into him, and he wrapped his arms around me so I was curled up on his chest, our legs entwined.
“God, Caro. You make it all worthwhile,” he said, kissing my hair. “Thank God for you.”
“I love you, tesoro,” I whispered.
Chapter 10
Waking up in the morning, the first thing I saw was Sebastian’s beautiful blue-green eyes gazing down at me.