Lifebound by Leigh Daley Page A

him so fast, as if she were already his. The woman in her just wanted to throw herself at him, but the lamia in her knew what would happen if she did.
    That’s why she’d called his bluff. Josh had to learn for himself the impossibility of their situation.
    At least that’s what she told herself.
    “Feels good, doesn’t it,” he said.
    She settled deeper in the water and nodded. Then she looked down past the bubbles where he stood firmly at attention. “Is the water that warm?” she asked lightly.
    “It’s pretty warm, but you’ve definitely made it warmer.”
    She laughed, but as the heat of the water lapped at the tender flesh between her legs she felt a heat wave of her own. He grinned and rested his arms on the sides of the huge tub. The tattoo, she realized, was of an EKG heart monitor. The lines began just over his heart and circled around his left bicep.
    She wanted to ask him about it, but he closed his eyes and leaned back with a deep breath. “Relax. We’re just going to relax.”
    He shifted in the water and his leg brushed hers for the briefest instant, sending a zing of energy through her. This was going to be harder than she thought. But she ignored the zing that ricocheted inside her and leaned back against the curve of the tub. The water rose to just beneath her breasts, so she pulled her hair over her head to keep it as dry as possible. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
    A swirl of moving water laved her chest with its flowing warmth. She opened her eyes. Josh had sat up and pulled out a red rose from a vase at the edge of the tub.
    “I’ve got an idea,” he said mischievously. “Just lean back and relax.”
    She gave him the most censorious look she could muster considering the sexy smile on his face and the excitement that flashed in his eyes—those unbearably blue eyes.
    Careful not to touch her in any other way, Josh reached out with that deep red rose blossom and stroked her cheek with the petals. The scent wafted over her in a wave of heady fragrance. He traced her lips and let the bloom drift down her chin and onto her throat where he let it rest a few seconds at the hollow. The scent followed his movements.
    “See? I don’t have to touch you to touch you. How does it feel?”
    Adriana just nodded. It felt incredible.
    The petals were soft and smooth as he stroked across her chest to her other shoulder, then traced little figure eights in the center of her breastbone. Her breath quickened as he began to draw circles around her breast, allowing the flower to keep constant contact with her skin as he spiraled slowly around the soft mound.
    Her skin felt as if it were waking up, as if she’d been frozen all her life until his touch. The tingle that followed that soft rosebud had nothing to do with energy. Her body felt starved and Josh was feeding it. The water splashed and surged around her as she arched more of her body out of the water into his reach.
    Every dreamy circle brought the rosebud closer in, tightening its path to the apex of her breast. Her nipple began to harden in anticipation. At last, the tender bud spiraled in to caress the tender point, and she gasped as a burst of ecstasy ran straight from one nipple to the other and then in a V directly to the hardened bud between her thighs.
    “How’s that?” His voice was soft, yet husky. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever heard.
    “There’s no way we can do this,” she whispered. “All I want is your hands on me, right now.”
    “Oh, we can do this,” he said. “It’s just going to take creativity.”
    The water in the tub surged around her again as he stood, still hard.
    “How well does clothing protect you?” he asked as he stepped out.
    “Not very well.” She still couldn’t trust herself to stand up. “It only delays the contact for a few seconds.”
    “Then we have a few seconds.” He pulled a thick bathsheet from the neat stack on the shelf beside the tub. “Come here.”
    She rose and he