The Chase (Fast Track #4)(39)
Author: Erin McCarthy

He made a face. “Cold.”

Which made her laugh even harder. Pulling her T-shirt down as far as it would go, attempting to cover her bare butt, Kendall started gathering the fries and sandwich guts, brushing them off the bed and onto the tray.

“Worry about that later,” he told her. “Let’s go wash the stickiness off in the shower.”

While the thought of him wet and soapy held a great deal of appeal, Kendall was also very logical. “If we finish the job now we won’t get sticky all over again.” She held up a smushed tomato slice to prove it. “Dang, what happened to your sandwich? It’s all over the place.”

“I think I stuck my knee in it.” Evan held up his leg and sure enough, there was a slimey sheen on it.

They both laughed, and Kendall felt something inflating inside her—pure happiness. When Evan reached for her and wrapped her in his arms for a tender kiss, it felt normal and right and sweet.

“Come to the shower. This mess is as cleaned up as it’s going to be.”

When Kendall smiled and gave in to him, taking his hand and pulling him towards the bathroom, Evan refused to label the feelings that were rattling around inside him. Or maybe more like they were crawling up his throat, threatening to burst out of his mouth.

He hadn’t intended to tell Kendall about buying a ring, meaning to propose to her all those years ago, but it had just popped out, and the look on her face . . . well, he was glad he had. He’d seen her eyes melt, seen a glimmer of that love she had worn so blatantly for him when they were young. It had been intensely satisfying, and arousing.

Which is why they’d wound up having killer sex on top of their dinner five seconds later.

When they got in the bathroom and he saw the soaking tub, Evan changed his mind. “Hey, let’s take a bath. I’m sure they have bubble crap and stuff. We can just relax and soak.”

Kendall looked sleepy and satisfied. She actually made a low sigh of approval, like she thought the idea was delicious. “Sounds good.” Turning to the counter, she added, “And yes, they have bubble crap here. Though I think they’re called bath beads.”

“Whatever.” Evan leaned over and started up the water, holding his fingers under it until the temperature was just right. “Hand me some.”

“Here.” She gave him the bottle of beads, then said, “And then you need to step out for a second.”

“Why?”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“You can take a leak in front of me.”

“Actually, I can’t.”

Evan dumped half the bottle of beads into the large tub and pondered the mysteries of women. He was fairly certain he’d piss in front of anyone. But he wasn’t going to argue. “Alright. Don’t let the water overflow.”

“How long do you think it’s going to take me?”

“I don’t know! First you use the toilet, then you wash your hands, then you decide to brush your teeth, then tweeze your eyebrows, then inspect your face because you’re sure you have a zit starting, then put lotion on your feet . . . and the next thing you know there’s water on the floor and I’ve died of boredom in the other room.”

“It sounds like this has happened to you before.”

Maybe once or twice. “I know women.”

Kendall put her hand on his chest. “Out of the bathroom. And don’t you dare fall asleep and leave me alone in this warm tub with nothing to do.”

That sounded intriguing. “I’m sure you could find something to do.”

“Playing with a friend is always better.” As she spoke, her tongue came out and slid from one corner of her lip to the other.

Evan felt a jolt of lust. “Good call. Hurry.”

Then he let the bathroom and paced back and forth with an erection. Deciding that wasn’t helping the situation, he grabbed his phone off the desk and checked it. Three missed calls from Eve, plus two texts saying he needed to call her immediately.

Not.

Reality could wait just a few more hours. Right now, he was enjoying all this time with Kendall. It wasn’t likely he’d get to do this again anytime soon. If ever.

Which really sucked when he thought about it.

“You can come in,” she called, the door popping open.

Thank God. She was saving him from getting morose.

When he strolled—okay, maybe rushed—into the bathroom, Kendall was already in the tub, bubbles up to her chin. He was a little disappointed he couldn’t see a single part of her body. Even her hands on the sides of the tub were loaded with suds.

“I think you might have been a little heavy-handed with the bath beads,” she told him.

Considering that when she shifted, she had a bubble beard, he had to agree with her. “There weren’t directions.”

“Actually, there were. You just didn’t read them. It said to add three beads. How many did you use?”

Evan stuck his foot into the tub, hoping he wasn’t going to step on Kendall. “I didn’t count.” But probably more like twenty.

She smiled. “Just barrel in and hope it works out. That’s you.”

“It’s worked for me so far. For the most part.” Evan sat down and reached for her. “Lean against me. I don’t want to be on this end and you’re on that end.”

After a bit of readjusting and water sloshing and bubble spreading, Evan settled back in the tub, Kendall between his legs, leaning on his chest. “Perfect.”

It was. He closed his eyes and let the warm water seep over his tired muscles. Kendall fit perfectly against him, and he wrapped his arms around her middle, wanting to touch her bare skin, feel her everywhere he could. Being naked with her in a way that wasn’t sexual was intimate, soothing.

“So what did the ring look like?” she asked, the curve of her bottom brushing his leg when she shifted.

“Hmm?” He wished he had a bottle of beer in his hand, but other than that, this was fantastic.

“The ring you got to propose with. My engagement ring. What did it look like?”

Interesting that she would ask that. Evan rubbed his thumbs over her stomach. “I don’t know. It was a diamond. A square diamond.”

She made a sound of disgust. “That’s not a description. What was the band? Gold? Platinum?”

“Well.” Evan nibbled at her ear to buy himself time. He wasn’t about to confess that he didn’t exactly remember what it looked like. He had shoved it into a box in a drawer ten years ago and hadn’t looked at it since. “It was silver. Is that platinum?”