Fractured Sky (Tattered & Torn #5)(66)

Ramsey chuckled. “I don’t think a few bubbles are going to challenge my manhood.”

They definitely weren’t. I swallowed hard as I lowered myself to the tile floor next to the bathtub. I swiped a finger through the foam. “I’m a fan of bubbles.”

He arched a brow. “You want in here with me?”

There was hope in those dark eyes, but panic seared through me. He reached up and brushed the hair away from my face. “Hey, you don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for.”

There was no judgment, no pressure, simply kindness and understanding. But I wanted more. I lifted my gaze to his. “Can I touch you?”

His eyes flared, a dark heat pooling there. “You touch whatever you damn well please.”

My mouth curved. I reached out, going for the hair that my fingers had been itching to touch for years. I found the end of the leather cord and pulled. It came free with just that one tug, Ramsey’s dark hair skimming the tops of his shoulders.

I sifted my fingers through the strands. So damn soft, but thick and strong, too. That juxtaposition was so like the man: hard but gentle. Fierce yet kind.

I wanted more. Wanted to know what every part of him felt like under my fingertips. I moved lower, my hand stilling just before I reached his chest. With a deep breath, I closed the distance. It was a riot of sensation, the prickle of chest hair, the smooth skin beneath, and the hard muscle below that.

I lost myself in exploring, tracing invisible designs and mapping the curves of his body with my fingers. My hand dipped lower, circling a nipple.

Ramsey sucked in a sharp breath, and I froze, my gaze flying to his face. “Did I hurt you?”

“Shiloh, your hands on me? Best kind of pain I’ve ever felt.”

Heat like liquid gold pooled somewhere deep. “Why don’t you ever call me Shy? Everyone else does.”

He reached out, his rough thumb skating across my cheek. “I don’t feel like Shy fits you. It’s not who you are to me.”

Shy had always felt a little like an attack on my character after the kidnapping, on how I was dealing. “I like that you call me Shiloh.” The sound of my full name from his mouth was deep and grounded but also free—everything I wanted to be.

“Good.” Ramsey leaned forward, pausing in question. I closed the distance, and his mouth took mine in a long, slow kiss. His tongue stroked, pulling me forward and closer to him.

My hand dipped beneath the water, dancing over the ridges of his abdomen. I pulled my mouth away from Ramsey’s, not because I didn’t love the feel of his lips on mine but because I wanted to see his face. Wanted to know how my touch affected him.

As my hand moved lower, those onyx eyes burned.

My fingers wrapped around his shaft, and air hissed through Ramsey’s teeth. The skin was so smooth, almost delicate. But he was rock-hard beneath that silk.

I didn’t look away. “Tell me what to do.”

Ramsey swallowed. “Firm grip. You won’t hurt me.”

I tightened my hold on him a fraction, and he let out a humming noise.

“Move your hand up and down.”

I started the motion. It was awkward at first, but I watched Ramsey’s face, paying attention to each change in his expression and every hitch of his breath. He didn’t have to say a word, and I slowly found what felt good for him. And each stroke of my hand brought with it a surge in my confidence.

Knowing that I turned him on? It had me pressing my thighs together to relieve the ache building there.

“Shiloh,” Ramsey whispered as I moved my hand faster.

That golden skin pulled tight across his muscles as I continued stroking. His head tipped back, his hips pushing into my hand. With a grunt and shudder, release flowed through him, and I’d never felt more powerful.

Ramsey’s eyes fluttered open. “Best damn bath I’ve ever taken in my life.”





32





RAMSEY





Wrapping the towel around my hips, I didn’t miss the way Shiloh’s gaze trailed over me. I wanted to touch her more than anything I’d ever wanted in my life. But I would never push. I couldn’t bear it if I were the source of her fear. It had to happen in her timeframe.

I pulled the terrycloth taut and folded it over. “Stay with me tonight?”

The words were out before I could stop them. I watched for any sense of hesitancy on her face. Her fingers grasped the tie of her robe tightly, but she nodded. “I need to take a shower first.”

Those everyday words were almost painful to hear. I would’ve given anything to step inside those shower walls with Shiloh and run my hands over that smooth, tanned skin. To feel the weight of her breasts in my palms and grip her hips as I— I gave my head a tiny shake, trying to clear the torturous images from my mind.

“I’ll be in my room.” I hurried from the bathroom like my ass was on fire. Too much temptation.

I closed the door behind me and sucked in air. Silence greeted me. I could picture Shiloh on the other side of that door, unmoving, both of us trying desperately to right ourselves after our encounter.

Kai’s deep snores sounded from the living room, and it had my lips twitching. Leave it to my dog to bring me back to Earth.

I headed down the hall and into the secondary room. Moving to the dresser, I pulled out a pair of flannel sleep pants. I didn’t typically bother with them, but since coming to stay in the guest cabin with Shiloh, I’d been donning them.