At that thought, she spun and headed for the bathroom. Being around Riggs was hell on her libido. But the last thing she wanted was to make him uncomfortable. Women had to hit on him all the time. He was that beautiful. And she didn’t want to do anything that would make him regret letting her stay here.
She glanced at the doorknob as she brushed her teeth and saw she was right. There was no lock. But she didn’t feel any fear. After brushing her teeth, she turned on the shower and was delighted with how fast the water warmed. She stripped her clothes off as fast as she could and was under the warm spray before she had a chance to even worry about being naked with only a flimsy door between her and Riggs.
A shower had never felt so good, and she swore once again to never take electricity or hot water for granted again.
Chappy gritted his teeth as the water in the bathroom came on. Carlise was on the other side of the door. Naked. Soapy. In his shower.
His cock hardened, and this time he didn’t immediately think about something else to make it go down. It had taken every bit of willpower to leave her in the bed earlier. She hadn’t panicked when she’d woken up in his arms. She’d taken it in stride, just as she had everything else since they’d met.
He hadn’t been able to stop himself from making it clear that he wanted to sleep with her again tonight, surprised and relieved when she hadn’t protested. He hadn’t missed the look of lust in her gaze, nor the way she’d shifted subtly under him. She’d been aroused at the thought of sleeping with him again—and Chappy had never been more thrilled in his life.
“Slow, Chap. You have to go slow,” he muttered. “You can’t jump on the woman like a wild animal.”
But that was how he felt. He’d never wanted a woman as much as he did Carlise Edwards. That was actually part of the reason why he’d suggested they take a walk. He needed to take his mind off the feelings she stirred in him. If he sat in this cabin with her all day, he’d probably do something he regretted. He didn’t want to scare her. To let his desire for her mess up the connection they had.
He’d never been the kind of man to need sex, but the more time he spent around Carlise, the more he thought he’d go crazy with want.
He wanted to see her looking up at him with sleepy eyes, run his hands over her naked body, and feel her tremble under and around his cock as he took her over the edge.
“Damn,” he swore, running a hand through his hair. It was time to think about something else. His cock throbbed in his pants. His balls were pulled up tight, as if they were ready to release their load at just the thought of being inside the woman in his shower.
He could go in there right now. Strip. Join her under the water and have her coming on his hands, his tongue, in minutes. He was that sure of their connection. But he wouldn’t do anything that might make her lose the trust they were building.
And that was why he needed to get outside. To expel some of this crackling energy. He was feeling fine, as if he’d never been sick. Without Carlise, he would’ve been in a lot worse shape, he had no doubt. But now he was more than ready to do something physical . . . something that didn’t include getting naked and indulging in a marathon sex session with his gorgeous houseguest.
Damn it. There he went again. He had to get himself together. When it was his turn in the shower, he’d masturbate. That should take the edge off.
Deep down, Chappy knew he was fooling himself. Yes, jacking off might make him feel better in the short run, but as soon as he laid eyes on Carlise, his cock would be raring to go again.
Sighing, he did his best to concentrate on getting the coffee made. He was just as ready to have a cup of joe as Carlise. He leaned against the kitchen counter and listened to the water in the bathroom shut off as the coffee percolated. He tortured himself by imagining Carlise running a towel over her wet body, bending over to put on her underwear, reaching behind her back to fasten her bra.
God! His mind literally wouldn’t give him a break! Wouldn’t stop thinking about how luscious Carlise would look spread out on his sheets. Naked.
By the time she opened the bathroom door, Chappy was so hard, he was surprised he hadn’t come in his pants. Carlise smiled at him, and it was all Chappy could do to say, “Coffee’s ready. I’ll be out soon,” before brushing past her toward the bathroom. The scent of his soap on her skin, the sight of her long hair making her shirt wet, made a burst of precome leak out of his dick. He barely got the door shut before he was stripping off his clothes and heading for the shower.
The water hadn’t had time to completely warm back up yet, but that was fine. A cold shower would probably do him some good. He’d been abrupt with her, and he knew that, but he hadn’t wanted Carlise to see his hard-on. It was either be a little short or potentially make that beautiful blue gaze turn fearful. The latter wasn’t acceptable.
Chappy took hold of his cock the second he stepped under the water, hissing in pleasure as he began to stroke himself. It didn’t take long. He didn’t even have a chance to pour soap in his hand to help him jack off. He’d barely taken hold of his balls with one hand and squeezed his cock with the other before he was coming. Hard.
White ropes of come hit the plastic wall of the shower, and Chappy could picture how Carlise would look with his release on her tits. She’d smile at him and rub his ejaculate into her skin . . .
Shit. His cock twitched again, and another spurt of come coated his hand. The water at his back was lukewarm, and Chappy turned and let it hit his face, forcing himself to think about all the things he needed to do today.
After a minute or so, he was able to grab the soap and clean himself up. Although using the washcloth on his cock was almost painful. His balls were still sensitive as he washed between his legs, and he let out a small chuckle. The fact that he thought he’d feel better once he’d masturbated was almost hilarious. He didn’t feel better. He felt even more wired.
He needed Carlise Edwards in a way that continually shocked him. And not just for sex. He needed her smiles. Her calmness. Her caring nature. The woman had gotten so far under his skin, so fast, that he should’ve been terrified. But instead, all he felt was an anxiety that he wouldn’t be able to convince her to give him a shot.
Then he thought about the look on her face when he’d suggested charging her phone. She’d been . . . nervous? Scared? Of what, he wasn’t totally sure, but Chappy didn’t like it. If anyone dared put a hand on her ever again, they’d regret it. She might not know it, but she had a ready champion. He hadn’t spent all those years in the military without learning how to take down an enemy.
The water went from lukewarm to freezing in a heartbeat, but Chappy stood under the spray for a moment longer, hoping against hope that it would help his cock behave once he got dressed and went back out into the cabin. He wanted Carlise in his bed, under him, wanted to be inside her, but he wanted her to trust him, to feel safe, even more.
And if she never got to the point where she was comfortable making love with him, he’d respect that. Respect her. He’d still protect her. Let her go if that was what she wanted. It might kill him, but he’d do it. He’d never take more than she was willing to give.
In a lot of ways, she was like Baxter. Wanting to be loved. Wanting desperately to be safe. But unable to fully trust those who were willing to help.
Yet.
He’d give Carlise space and time. He’d let her see that she could trust him with her secrets, her body, her everything. And once she opened up, let him know what she was running from, he’d get with JJ, Cal, and Bob to take care of the threat.
Then it was only a matter of convincing her to move to Newton. With him.
Chappy snorted. Right. He had a feeling nothing about Carlise would be easy. But she’d be worth the fight. He knew that without a doubt.