“Sorry,” he muttered.
“Don’t be,” she answered, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding on just as hard.
She climbed onto his lap, straddling his waist until the full, hard length of him nestled against her. The sensation, with all her nerves already on high alert, had her throwing her head back with a moan.
“Shh,” Elliot said, quietly laughing.
Lena slapped her hand over her mouth, initially to keep her laugh from erupting, but when Elliot shifted, rocking against her again, she was glad of the barrier to keep another moan from escaping. She put a hand on his chest to keep him from doing it again.
“Hang on,” she said, her breath ragged.
She climbed off Elliot and tiptoed toward the bedroom door. She peeked inside. Tyler was still sound asleep, curled up around one of the pillows.
The heat at her back let her know Elliot had come up behind her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and peered in over her head.
“Cute when they’re asleep, aren’t they?”
Lena leaned back against him so she could tilt her head up and see him.
“I mean, he’s cute when he’s awake, too,” he added.
Lena decided to give him a break, though it was tempting to let him sweat that one out for a minute.
“Yeah, he’s cute when he’s awake, but when he’s asleep…” She turned back to look at her son. “When he’s asleep, I can still see the baby he used to be.” She shook her head. “He’s growing up so fast.”
Elliot wrapped his other arm around her waist and drew her more firmly to him, resting his cheek on her hair. Standing there, looking at her sleeping son with Elliot’s arms wrapped around her, made Lena’s heart skip a few beats. But having him so close made her remember a few other things, too.
He wasn’t quite as happy in certain areas as he’d been a few moments before. But that was something she could fix. She quietly closed the door and then turned and took Elliot’s hand. She tried to draw him back to the living room, but instead he led her into the bathroom.
“What are we doing in here?” she asked, her voice suspicious the closer they got to the tub.
“It’s a shame to let all that water go to waste,” Elliot said. Lena had never seen such a large tub in a hotel room before. It could easily fit several people.
She shook her head, panic starting to eat its way through her gut. “It’ll be cold now.”
Elliot dipped a hand in it. “Still lukewarm, which will feel good with how humid it is right now. Like taking a dip in the cool ocean.”
“Elliot,” she said, her voice trembling.
“You want to get over your fear of water, right?”
She stared at the full tub, her heart starting to pound so hard she was sure he’d hear it. But she nodded.
“If you can stand in the ocean, you can do this.”
She shook her head at that. “That was just my legs getting wet. This is…everything, my whole body under the water.”
“You can do this,” he said, putting a hand under her chin to draw her attention back to him. “You’re starting slow. A very small body of water. With something to distract you from the fact that you’ll be in it.”
“Distract me? Like what?”
He yanked off his shirt, and her mouth dropped open with a gasp. His shorts were next, giving her hardly any time to process all the deliciousness in front of her before he was suddenly very, very nude.
“Oh,” she said faintly.
He climbed into the tub. “Ooo,” he said with a little shiver. “It’s a little colder than I thought.”
She could tell. The moment he’d slid into the water, his nipples had pebbled. She licked her lips, wanting it to be his body she was tasting.
He pulled the plug and let some of the water drain while he started running the hot water again. “Better,” he said, scooping up a handful of water and splashing it down his chest.
Lena’s eyes stayed glued to the dripping wet god kneeling in the tub before her. She barely even noticed the water he was in. Then again, that was because she wasn’t in it. Yet. She shivered, but she wasn’t sure if it was from the thought of getting into the water or the thought of running her hands along every hard inch of Elliot. She glanced down and saw just how hard every inch of him was.
He held his hand out to her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She stared at that hand and wanted to take it. She wanted to strip down and join him, rub her body over every bit of his wet nakedness. The water wasn’t that deep. She knew nothing would happen to her, especially with Elliot there. But her fear wasn’t logical. She was caught in a weird loop of terror and desire. One more glance at Elliot and she knew desire would win. But it wasn’t going to be an easy battle.
“One step at a time, Len,” he said. “Take off your shirt.”
Her gaze shot to his, and he gave her that lazy smile that sent a fine tremor running through her body. If she could focus on him, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. She pulled her shirt off and dropped it to the floor.
“Skirt next.”
She didn’t hesitate, dropping her skirt so she stood before him in her white lace bra and panties. She’d worn something nice—just in case.
Elliot’s breathing sped up. He must like what he’s seeing.
“Bra,” he demanded.
Lena let her own smile spread across her lips as she reached up to unclasp her bra. Elliot bit his bottom lip, and the sight was so unexpectedly sensual Lena gasped. She dropped her bra and lost her panties before he told her to do it, slowly sliding them off while Elliot’s gaze raked over her. She let her hands trail back up her waist, then cupped her breasts, her head falling back with a sigh when her palms brushed across her tight nipples.
Elliot sucked his breath in with a hiss, and Lena looked back at him. His skin was flushed from the heat of the water, his chest heaving at the sight of her caressing her own breasts.
“Come here,” he said, his voice deep and husky.
She took his hand, and a deep breath, and stepped into the tub. The water reached to her upper thighs. Suddenly, her trembling limbs had nothing to do with Elliot.
He didn’t give her any time to think about it. The moment she stepped into the water, he grasped her around the waist, his lips skimming over the soft skin of her belly. His tongue dipped into her navel, and Lena’s back bowed, pressing her body to his tantalizing mouth. His hands slipped down to her hips while his lips continued their journey south.
The warm water caressing her bare skin created an intoxicating sensation. Elliot’s hands felt like silk stroking her beneath the surface. She still wasn’t thrilled about there being quite so much water surrounding her, but she was definitely starting to see the merits. He ran his hands up the back of her legs, spreading them a little so he could reach what he wanted.
His tongue darted out, flicking the tight little bundle of pulsating nerves. Her knees buckled, coming to rest on his shoulders. He leaned back against the tub, helping her to settle over him. He licked along her outer folds, and a fine tremor ran through her body. Her hands threaded through his hair, and he redoubled his efforts. She gasped, her body rocking against him, trying to bring him deeper. His hands massaged her ass, using his grip to help move her over his mouth.
The warm pressure built inside her, her nails digging into his scalp. Her legs gave out, and she slid slowly into the water. He kept his arms around her, holding her close until she was settled against him. His mouth met hers, and she could taste herself on his lips. His hand fumbled for something along the edge of the tub.
Lena barely registered the sound of the condom packet ripping open. She kept their lips fused together. His hands reached between them while he rolled the condom on, and he guided himself to her opening. She straddled him more fully, he turned them so her back rested against the side of the tub, and plunged inside her in one stroke.