Begin Again

| Chapter Twenty-Nine |

"Wait," she breathed, holding up her hand when he tried to move closer. "I need to shower first."

"I'll take it with you," he rasped, not missing a beat. Her sultry smile was all the confirmation he needed that it was okay.

All Ruth had to do was turn that tantalizing body of hers around, bend over to remove her shoes, and she had the man in the palm of her hand like putty. She didn't even notice him remove his own shoes when he hastily picked her up and took her to the bathroom.

"Raff!" She squealed, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He threw her a dark look as he closed the bathroom door behind them. "You knew what you were doing."

Raffo turned the water to his walk-in shower on scolding, Ruth's favorite temperature, before making his way to the sink. He sat her down on his marble counter top and silently looked down into her eyes, asking. She nodded, her breath hitching in her throat as he pressed his lips to hers again briefly. His fingers tugged at the hem of her shirt and she allowed him to pull it up and over her head.

He swore lowly, his gaze hungrily eating her up and setting her soul aflame. Her messy curls teased the swell of her full breasts and enhanced the protruding flesh above the material. His fingers drifted over the back of her body, easily finding the clasp and relieving the restriction of the bra so she could breathe again. The material joined the crumpled shirt on the floor.

Raffo took a second to catch his breath as his eyes roamed and marveled over her. An awe-filled glaze of lust ghosted over the rim of brown in his eyes and Ruth intoxicatingly grew dizzy from such a look. She wanted him to look at her like that forever. "I almost forgot how fucking perfect you are," he finally whispered, his gaze trailing back to her face.

A corner of her lip quirked up as she rolled the other corner between her teeth shyly. His eyes darkened at the action and he was suddenly all around her. His cologne flooded her senses, his hands pulling at articles of clothing until they were both naked, and his hands thoughtfully traced his fingertips along the most intimate parts of her. He pressed his eager lips to hers as she widened her legs for him, inviting him to her.

Raffo gripped her legs and pulled them around his waist with a sharp tug. He swallowed her soft whimpers and cupped her plump ass in his large hands to lift her off the sink. The sweetness of honey drew a breathy moan from her, and the feel of his muscled waist against her exposed flesh made her even wetter with need.

He pressed her body against the wall as soon as they made it into his shower. His fingers skimmed her thick thighs and traveled slowly over the dips in her hips, the skin of her sides, until they dove into her now damp curls. All it took was a clench and a tug and Ruth was ready to get dicked down in the shower.

But the fucking tease had other ideas as he removed his mouth from hers and plopped her back onto her feet. She swayed on them—hot, bothered, and irritated.

"Hey!" she protested, crossing her arms. "I wasn't done!"

Raffo's swollen lips twisted into an amused smirk as he grabbed his soap, scrubbed it along his tantalizing body with a blue loofah, and then moved under the hot water. All with Ruth impatiently huffing and puffing. "You're the one who said you wanted to shower first. So, that's what I'm doing," he said wryly.

Ruth glared at him hotly. It took every ounce of willpower not to shamelessly check out that sexy body of his that glistened deliciously. No way would she watch that water slither down the front of his carved chest and kiss him in all the ways and places she wanted to herself. Her tongue ached just imagining it.

"Raff!" Would it be childish of her to stomp her foot?

"Ruth," he whined back playfully. She wrinkled her nose at that.