Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
We still took our time though, washing each other and letting the anticipation build. Finally, he asked me, “Want to move this to dry land?”
“After you.” That was accompanied by a sweeping hand gesture, and when he climbed out of the tub I made a point of checking out his cute ass.
We both toweled off, and I took a dry bath towel with us to the bedroom and spread it out on top of the duvet. “Looks like you’re planning to get messy. I approve.” He sounded amused.
“Oh, I am. Get comfy, and I’ll be right back.”
My luggage was still in the foyer, and I dug through it and found a delicate pair of underwear, made of red silk and lace. After I put them on, I grabbed my phone and toiletry kit and returned to the bedroom.
Malcolm was reclining on his side on the bed, with his hand propping up his head. He’d put on his glasses and pulled his hair into a messy ponytail, and when I came into the room, he murmured, “Damn, that’s sexy. I’ve never seen you in anything like that.”
“I’m usually a T-shirt and jeans kind of guy, but sometimes I like to let this part of me come out to play.” I unpacked a few things onto the nightstand and held up a bottle of oil. “I bought us this yesterday, so I could give you a massage.”
“Are you sure you want to do that much work? Your day’s been just as long as mine.”
“I’ve been looking forward to it. I even made us a playlist.”
I pulled it up on my phone and climbed onto the bed as a soft ballad began to play. Malcolm smiled at me and asked, “Are they all songs I’ve written?”
“You wrote that?” He nodded, and I said, “You really get around. I had no idea you’d worked with her. And no, the goal definitely wasn’t Malcolm Sterling’s greatest hits. I just chose pretty, slower-tempo songs that I like. Now please roll onto your belly for me, and promise to tell me if I do anything that doesn’t feel good.”
He put his glasses on the nightstand before doing as I asked, and I straddled his hips and squirted some oil onto my palm. After I rubbed my hands together to warm it up, I went to work on his shoulders and upper back.
“That feels incredible,” he murmured, as he shifted and rested his chin on his bent arms. “You must have taken a class at some point.”
“Not exactly. When I was twenty-two, I dated a professional masseuse, and he taught me some techniques.” I dispensed a bit more oil and ran my hands along his upper arms as I continued, “I realized recently that who I am now is basically a compilation of every person I ever cared about. I was only with that guy for three months, but I learned this. A boyfriend before that took me skiing for the first time. When I was twenty-five, one of my roommates showed me my first Tim Burton film, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. My best friend in college, who was from Bangkok, taught me to appreciate Thai food. She and I lost touch years ago, but it’s still my very favorite cuisine.”
“What did your last boyfriend teach you?”
My hands stilled for a moment. He didn’t know he was asking about his son, but to me it was startling. I resumed the massage and answered the question honestly. “He taught me not to be so trusting, and to be careful who I give my heart to.”
“That’s it? There was nothing positive that came of that relationship?”
I thought about it and said, “He taught me how to play racquetball. I guess that’s something. He also introduced me to a great Burmese restaurant in the city. Let’s see, what else…”
I slid down a bit and went to work on his lower back as I said, “He taught me how to brew a perfect cup of espresso. His method requires a very expensive machine though, so I don’t know how often I’ll actually use that skill. There might be some other stuff too, but that’s all I can think of right now.”
“I would ask what you’ve learned from me, but it’s only been a week, so I don’t expect you to have an answer.”
“I have so many answers to that, Mal. For starters, you taught me to appreciate music on a whole new level. And you reignited my love of writing and taught me to enjoy the process, instead of focusing on the end result. Do you know how huge that is? I’d totally given up, but you gave me the encouragement I needed, and a safe space to try again. You opened the floodgates and made the words start flowing, for the first time in a decade. There are so many stories, characters, and ideas bouncing around in my head now, and you reminded me why I love writing.”