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Oh, my God.

There he was.

He was standing a few inches away from me, on the dry side of the shower. He smelled like smoke, almost like he’d been bathing in it, the element seeming so woodsy and natural as it emanated from his skin.

Of course, smoke smelled good on him.

Nicholas wasn’t saying anything now as he stared at me, taking in my naked frame with a hungry gaze. It reminded me of our bathroom encounter, an imbalance between us that made me crave him even more, my nakedness in contrast to him being fully clothed, my assumed submission in contrast to him taking control as soon as he walked into the room.

“I wasn’t—I didn’t need anything—” I awkwardly started the conversation, unable to even look him right in the eye. I knew he must’ve heard me calling out for him, my broken cries probably echoing throughout the whole house.

“Are you saying you don’t want me?” Nicholas asked, one of his palms cupping the side of my face, forcing us to make eye contact. “That you were calling out for me for no reason?”

“I wasn’t?—”

“Don’t. Don’t do that.” Nicholas shook his head. “Just tell me the truth, Parker.”

He took a step closer to me, still divided by the shower itself. “Do. You. Want. Me?”

“Yes… I want you,” I admitted, my voice low. “I… I want you, Nicholas?—”

“Then, that’s all you had to say.”

6

NICHOLAS

I felt like I was in a fever dream.

I’d only gotten home a few minutes ago, the sun coming up behind me as I pulled into the driveway. I’d assumed that Parker would still be asleep, unconcerned and unbothered with thoughts about our hook up at the bar. It made me nervous, walking into a situation where I didn’t have all the information, where Parker would’ve definitely had the upper hand.

But I knew that if I was ever going to nip this in the bud, I needed to confront it head on.

There was no getting around Parker running through my head, which meant that it was time to cut things off at the source. Even if it resulted in a rather painful rejection, it was better than driving myself crazy thinking about touching him again, having him on his knees again, when there was still a chance that Parker may have wanted to keep things platonic between us.

Imagine my surprise when I heard Parker calling out my name.

It happened as soon as I stepped into the house. At first, I wondered if he’d left the TV on, if there was some kind of muffled video playing on his phone. But when I heard him say my name for a second time, desire dripping off every letter, it sent sparks straight through me. I couldn’t stop myself from heading to the bathroom, from walking through the steam and getting a good look at him, drinking in every part of him.

Parker.

My Parker.

That usual tinge of possessiveness flowed through me now, too. I wanted to own every part of him. I wanted to take him into my arms and make him say my name like that again, this time between the sheets, my hands eagerly exploring every bit of his skin.

Instead, I was going to settle for meeting him where he was, specks of water flying onto me as I stood on the other side of the shower. Once he told me that he wanted me, I hastily made quick work of my clothes, letting them fall to the floor as my gaze remained locked on Parker’s. When I was fully naked, I stepped into the shower, pressing my chest against him, not stopping until his back was resting against the wall.

“You smell like smoke,” Parker whispered as he looked up at me. “Is that how you always smell? After one of your shifts?”

“Only if there’s been a fire,” I murmured back as I ran one of my hands through his wet hair. “Otherwise, I think I tend to smell pretty good.”

“The smoke smells good, too,” he replied. “It smells like…”

“Like what?”

“Like it belongs on you.” He smiled after he spoke. “Like it’s some kind of cologne that nature picked out just for you.”

“Thanks for the compliment, I think.” I lightly chuckled, taking his face into my hands before pressing a kiss against his lips. Despite our casual conversation, the kiss was laced with urgency, my tongue sliding into his mouth, exploring it like I was down to my last breath. He kissed me back with the same sense of urgency, like he was desperate for oxygen, and he wanted us to share that same breath between us until neither of us had anything left in our lungs.