Chapter 35 "Arms up," I tell Camille, my eyes scanning her face carefully to make sure she's still okay with me taking a shower with her. "I had a fever, but my arms still work. I can take my shirt off." I raise my eyebrows. "Arms up," I repeat. We stand in front of the shower as the water heats up. Camille rolls her eyes at me, but she does as she's told. Slowly, she lifts her arms above her head and keeps them there. I swallow, trying to keep my desire for her in check. My offer to shower with her was strictly aboveboard. I have no plans to try anything, but the sight in front of me is so beautiful that it's hard not to look. I grab the hem of her tank top and begin to coax it up her body. Our eyes stay locked as I lift the fabric up inch by inch. The only time we stop looking at one another is when I have to pull the fabric over her head to remove it. She takes a shaky breath in as she stands in front of me in nothing but a pair of underwear. I fight the urge to let my gaze drop, to take in the sight of her perfect body and commit it to memory. Instead, I ball up the fabric of her tank top and toss it to the floor. Keeping my gaze on hers, I hook my fingers into the sides of my briefs and pull the fabric down my thighs. I step out of them and kick them to the side. Camille's eyes stay locked on mine for only a moment before she looks down. It takes everything in me to stay in control when her tongue peeks out to wet her lips. I clear my throat. Her eyes go wide and find mine once again. Busted. I cock my head to the side and smile. "Like what you see, princess?" Her cheeks begin to turn pink. I fucking love it. "I was just..." Her words drift off as her eyebrows furrow together on her forehead. "You can look all you want," I tell her, trying to ignore the ache of my cock. I'm hard, something she obviously knows after her little peek a moment ago. "You can see what you do to me without even touching me." She sucks in a deep breath. I laugh, loving how reactive she is. Maybe she was good at hiding her desire before, but right now, she's terrible at it. Slowly, I grab the fabric of her underwear on either side of her hips and begin to coax them off her as well. I kneel down, making sure she stays steady on her feet as she steps out of one side and then the other. I look up at her, wanting to meet her eyes so I'm not tempted to look anywhere else. Camille smiles, and it's the most beautiful sight in the world. I want to bottle up her smiles and remember them forever. "I didn't think I'd have you on your knees for me, but I have to admit, I don't hate the sight of it. It's hot." More blood goes straight to my cock at her words. How is she so sexy when she isn't even trying to be? A corner of my lip lifts as I stand up and bring my face closer to hers. "Princess, I'll get on my knees for you anytime you want me to. All you have to do is ask." "Be careful what you promise me, Ryker," she responds, her mouth so close that her lips almost move against mine. "I might just have to ask you." I smile and lean in close to her, our lips now barely brushing against each other's. "Good." I press a kiss to her lips, making sure to keep it chaste. There's nothing I want more than to have a shower make-out session with her, but I want to keep my word and prove to her that I'm really just trying to take care of her. Her naked body presses against mine for a moment as we savor the feeling of the other's lips. Once steam starts to float over the shower door and fill the bathroom, I pull away and open the door. "Ladies first," I say with a smirk. She shakes her head at me, a matching smile on her lips as she steps inside. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the ꜰindηovel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I follow after her, pulling the shower door closed once we're both inside. "Is the water okay?" I ask, holding my hand under the stream to check the temperature. Camille nods. "It's perfect." I bite my tongue, wanting to tell her that she's perfect, but I keep the thought to myself. When I took care of her last night, I fully expected her to pretend that nothing ever happened this morning. That's what she's always done. I was so used to being someone she regretted or, even worse, someone she forgot about. So, when she asked me to stay, it was everything I wanted to hear but the last thing I was expecting. I don't want to risk her closing off again by being too much too fast. So I don't tell her that she's perfect. I keep my jaw locked tight. Even though I don't say them out loud, it doesn't stop the words from being the truth. Now that I'm not fighting how I feel about her, it's a lot easier to realize that in between the arguments and the insults, I might have developed real feelings for her. I don't know what that means, and honestly, I'm trying not to think about it too hard. I'm focusing on today. If that's all she'll give me right now, then that's what I'll take. "What are you thinking about?" Camille asks, her voice interrupting me from my thoughts. "You." The answer comes out easily. I smile, watching her as she steps underneath the water and tilts her head back to get the long strands of her hair wet. "I'd ask for you to tell me more, but I know you won't." I shrug, reaching over her shoulder to grab a shampoo bottle from the built-in shelf behind her. "You're right. I can't tell you every thought of mine when it comes to you. You'll have to earn those." I squeeze the liquid into my hand. It smells clean, a little floral mixed with a fruity scent. "And how do I do that?" Camille asks. I swear she steals a piece of my heart when she attempts to hide her smile by pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. Biting her lip does nothing to hide the beautiful upward curve of her mouth, and I realize I might become obsessed with finding different ways to make her smile. I rub my hands together, getting the shampoo nice and sudsy before lathering her hair in it. "Guess you'll have to get creative," I respond, giving her a smirk when she narrows her eyes at me. "Now, turn around." She watches me for a few seconds before playfully rolling her eyes at me. She does as she's told and turns around. I take a step closer to her, my front now pressing to her back. Even over the sound of the running water, I can hear her little gasp when the tip of my cock rubs against her lower back. Fuck, I want her so badly. I take a deep breath, trying to push away the dirty thoughts infiltrating my mind. Instead, I focus on lathering the shampoo into her hair and making sure I do a good job of shampooing it. My fingertips press into her scalp as I massage her head, wanting to help her relax after a full day of being sick. She lets out a moan when I dig my fingertips into the base of her neck in an attempt to ease some of the tension. I'm sure she hears my sharp inhale at the sound of her moan. I'm trying my best to keep this tame, but hearing her moan as she stands naked in front of me is doing very dirty things to me. Camille takes a step back, pressing her ass even harder up against my very obvious erection. "Cami," I grit out, my entire body tense with the desire I have for her. "What?" she asks innocently. She moves her hips, swaying them in a motion that drives me fucking crazy. My hands leave her hair and find her waist, stopping her from being able to move. "You said this was just a shower. I'm trying to wash your hair," I tell her, my words coming out far more controlled than how I feel. All I want to do is turn her around, pin her against the tile, and slide inside her for the first time in months. God, I'm fucking desperate for it. Camille tries to move, but I keep my grip on her tight. I can't have her moving her ass against my cock again. If she does, I won't be able to hold myself back. It's taking everything in me right now to not lose control and do all the things I've imagined doing to her since New Year's. "Then wash my hair," Camille taunts, trying to keep her voice innocent but failing. "I'm trying." I move my hands from her hips, allowing them to hover over the spot for a moment as I make sure she isn't going to go right back to teasing me. Instead of rubbing her ass against me again, she turns around and dips her head underneath the stream of water. She rinses the shampoo out of her hair while keeping her eyes locked on me the entire time. "Can I tell you what I'm thinking about?" she asks, lifting her arms and running her fingers through her hair as she continues to work the shampoo out of it. "Always." One of her hands slips from her hair and drifts down her neck. She creates a sudsy trail with her movements. "I'm thinking that I wish I hadn't told you this was just a shower. Now that I see you...I'm thinking about how much I want you." Her words are said quietly, her eyes looking downward for a moment as if she's nervous to even say them out loud. I clench my jaw and close my eyes, trying to keep my desire in check. "You can't say things like that," I rasp. I meet her stare again as her hand continues to roam her body. I can't help it; I pull my gaze from her beautiful aquamarine eyes and follow the path of her hand. Her fingers drift over her collarbone, continuing to move lower. "Why?" she asks, her fingers drifting over her breast. All I can think about is how I want to replace her fingers with my own-or even with my mouth. "Because I really fucking want you," I confess. I palm my cock for a moment, trying to give myself some sort of relief. "But you were just sick. You need to take a warm shower and then get back in bed and rest. And everything I'm thinking right now does not involve you resting." She twists her body slightly, allowing the water to run over the other side of her body and hair. "I'm feeling much better." I groan. "You might be feeling better, but you still need rest." "What if I don't want to rest right now?" Another groan escapes my lips. "You're killing me, princess. I want to keep my word, but you're making that very hard to do." "That seems like a waste of a perfectly good shower." She playfully bites her lip, and it crumbles the little resolve I have left. I'm used to her smart mouth arguing with me at every turn. I just never expected to be arguing with her about how we shouldn't give in to the sexual tension between us right now-and for her to be the one wanting to go further while I'm trying to keep it on the tame side. "Cami." Her name comes out like a warning. Even if she thinks she's feeling better, I don't want to push her too far. Not yet. Not before she's had time to recover from being sick. "I love it when you call me that." It's another confession from her that's said quietly. I love that she's letting me into her head a bit and telling me what's running through that beautiful mind of hers. I've spent so long trying to get past her walls that I'm still trying to wrap my head around her being open with me. "Cami," I repeat, saying it low but sweet. "Turn around so I can put the conditioner in your hair." She shakes her head. "At least kiss me, Ryker. I promise I'm feeling up to that." Her eyes search mine, waiting for me to respond. I don't, at first. All I do is take her in. Her wet, dark eyelashes clump together. It makes her eyes look even lighter, and I can't help but think I've never seen eyes as beautiful as hers. "Kiss me like you never want to let go," Camille adds. My resolve snaps. Unable to go another second without touching her, I take a step closer and grab her by the hips once again. I fuse my mouth to hers as the water hits both of us in the face. It doesn't stop me from deepening the kiss, and it doesn't stop her from letting me. Her mouth opens eagerly for me. There's still leftover shampoo in her hair, but she doesn't seem to care, and neither do I. All I care about is kissing her the way I've been thinking about since the moment I left her room weeks ago. Fuck, I've been thinking about kissing her far longer than that. From the moment I found my bed empty that New Year's Day, I've thought about kissing her again. Now that I have the chance, I never want to stop.