Chaos Theory (Nerds of Paradise #2)(76)

The Clutterbuck home consisted of two buildings that had been renovated into a single dwelling, which meant that the path from the front door to Melody’s suite was convoluted. They headed up a staircase, across the hallway that connected the two buildings, then down another flight of stairs to what had once been a modest, two-bedroom apartment.

“This is interesting,” Will commented as they crossed into Melody’s own space. She’d decorated in shades of green and purple and brown, meant to imitate the colors of a Japanese beetle. “How big is this place?”

“Calliope and I basically have our own apartments, which are connected to Mom and Dad’s space. Calliope’s is upstairs.”

She didn’t feel much like explaining. Instead, she tugged Will into her bathroom and started attacking the buttons of his shirt.

“Your bathroom is huge,” he said, going for the buttons on her shirt.

“It used to be a kitchen and bathroom, but when we were renovating, I had the two rooms squashed together.” Before he could say anything, she continued with, “Just like we’re going to be squashed together in a second.”

That was all she needed to say. Will finished with her buttons, then tugged her shirt down her arms, letting it drop to the floor. He shrugged out of his own shirt, then the two of them came together in a searing kiss. Even with his burn, his hands seemed to be everywhere, tracing her curves and tugging at the hem of the t-shirt she wore under the button-down. Not that she was behaving like a shy daisy herself. She yanked his t-shirt out of the waist of his pants and slid her hands over the hard muscles of his abdomen. Whether it was several days in the wilderness or good habits before that, Will was lean and hot.

“We should probably be a little more organized about this,” Will panted several seconds later.

“Who needs organization?” Melody giggled low in her throat.

“Shower.”

Whether it was a question or a statement, Melody took it as a call to action. She slipped out of his arms, heading to the walk-in shower she loved so much. She reached in to turn on the hot water, then set about the serious task of undressing as it warmed up.

Will had the same idea. They were like two kids shedding snowsuits, eager to move on to the next game. Melody shimmied out of her t-shirt and tossed it and her bra aside before bending to deal with the complication of boot laces. By the time she kicked her boots into a corner of the bathroom and stood, Will was down to his undies. He stopped to drink in the sight of her.

“I am never going to get tired of looking at you naked,” he said.

Melody chuckled at the raw truth of his statement. “Oh, really?” She fiddled with the fastenings of her trousers, undid them, and shucked them and her panties so Will could get the full picture.

“Never,” he repeated in a lower voice. He dropped his own underwear, his penis surging up in appreciation as he did, and stalked his way over to her.

Melody laughed as he backed her into the warm, steamy, glass wall of the shower. He pressed right into her, his mouth covering and devouring hers as his hands stroked from her hips to her breasts. He squeezed her breasts just enough to elicit a gasp from her, then raked his thumbs over her nipples.

That alone was divine, but when he trailed his lips over her neck and collarbone, closing his mouth over one nipple and flicking it with his tongue, her legs nearly gave out on her. She wanted to give him words of encouragement about how good that felt, but all she could manage was a tight moan.

A tight moan that turned into a hungry gasp as his hand slid between her legs. He hit the perfect spot right out of the gate—his fingers sinking into her wetness while his thumb pressed her buzzer—and for a minute she really did lose the power to stand. If not for the way he held her pressed against the glass of the shower, they both would have collapsed. The whole thing was so sudden, so sensual, and so badly longed for that with a few more clever brushes of his thumb against her clit, she came. It wasn’t long or earth-shattering, but it was enough to scream out, “Let the games begin.”

“Did you just come?” he asked, a victorious grin spreading across his face as he straightened. He pulled her into a closer embrace.

“Yeah, I might have a little,” she answered, breathless.

“I barely got started.”

Steam from the shower curled around them. Melody blinked slowly and bit her lip. “Clementine, you got started two days ago. I’ve been working on that climax since then.”

He slid his hand down her side, teasing her already over-sensitive flesh. “Got any more where that came from?”

“Tons.”

Their mouths met in another punishing kiss. She never would have pegged Will to be super aggressive at sex, but she wasn’t complaining. He seemed to know what he wanted, caressing and exploring her curves even as his tongue did very naughty things with hers. They paused long enough to adjust the temperature in the shower to comfortable levels, then stepped in and continued their sensual explorations under the spray.

And it was great…at first. Water made everything slick, and slick was good when it came to touching every possible part of each other. Melody became particularly enamored of Will’s backside, which felt really good soaking wet. It was when things started to get more serious that the flaw in the plan became apparent.

Will lifted her and wedged her against the tile wall, positioning himself so that he could slide inside of her. And for one moan-worthy moment, he filled her. Then he lost his footing. Not only did he slip right out of her, his feet whooshed out from under him. If not for some quick thinking and the leverage of his hands pressed against the wall as his feet hit the opposite side of the shower, they both would have fallen hard.