Page 145 of Lost & Found

“Let’s get you cleaned up, princess.”

My mind was mush as he kissed me on the lips and then picked me up. Carrying me into the bathroom, I snuggled against him. I couldn’t get the grin off my face. Pasha and me. We fucked. Using the bathroom hurt like hell. But even that couldn’t stop the high I felt.

It was good—no, mind-blowing. It was everything he said it could be, and more. And for once, I didn’t care about anyone back home having a problem with it.

“You’ve got to stop doing these kinds of things to me,” I murmured as he scooped me up and set my feet on the floor in front of the shower.

With one arm around my waist holding me, he turned the water on and adjusted the temperature before gesturing for me to get in.

“What things?” He smirked.

“Exhausting me and making me sore.” I yawned, suddenly more sleepy than I’d ever been. I wobbled a bit, and he was right behind me, bracing my body with his. We stepped into the shower. “And where is the apology for the state of my pussy?”

He shook his head and shrugged. “You said to ruin you. I should probably warn you, too. I’ve only just begun. In fact, if you give me another five minutes, I’ll push you against this wall and take you again.”

I smacked the lion on his chest. He growled and clasped both my hands in one of his. His other hand found one of my nipples and he tweaked it. I moaned embarrassingly loud. He nipped my bottom lip.

“I’m noticing a pattern here. One of aggression. That definitely runs in the family.”

“I am not aggressive,” I fumed.

“Let’s see, you smacked me earlier, twice actually. Then you choked me and now you’re assaulting me. You do realize you have fists formed, right? I’d prefer if you didn’t use them on me.”

I laughed, not realizing I literally had balled my hands into fists.

“But I will say, the choking was hot,” he added.

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t choke you. Quit exaggerating.”

“I’m not.”

“Liar. Not once did I wrap my hands around your throat.”

“Okay. I’ll give you that, but it doesn’t negate the facts. You leaned down on my neck for balance,” he leaned in and kissed me before adding, “while you fucked my cock like a goddamn pro, cutting my oxygen clean off—” He nibbled my lips.

“Pasha,” I exclaimed, feeling shocked by his words. Had I really done that? “A pro, you say?” I wiggled my eyebrows, loving the sound of his laughter.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” he teased, lathering up a washcloth and washing my body. “It’ll be our little secret.”

Standing there with him beneath the warm spray, I realized how truly special he was. His hands moved slowly over my shoulders as he worked the soap into my tired body. His touch was everything.

I tilted my head back, listening to the steady cadence of his voice. I’d always loved the calm timbre of it. The way it could shift so effortlessly—from playful teasing to something deeper, something that curled low in my stomach. And when he grew emotional, his accent slipped through more heavily, wrapping around his words like velvet.

Every part of him called to me. I looked up through damp lashes. That familiar glint was still there in his eyes, even now, softened by the steam curling around us.

“Thank you,” I choked out.

Emotion rushed up before I could stop it, and my eyes burned. I lifted my hand to his face, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw, memorizing the feel of him beneath my touch.

“For what?”

“For allowing me space to be vulnerable.” My thumb brushed along his cheek. “For the intimacy I feel with you.”

The words hung between us for a moment.

“You feel it, too?” he asked quickly. “It’s not just me?”

The look on his face stopped my heart for a second. It was a mixture of relief, excitement, and hope. I nodded my head, unable to form words. We had a natural connection. It was easy to be me with him. We may have agreed to pretend on this trip, but the reality was, I wasn’t. I don’t know what that meant for us in the long run, but for the moment, it was enough.