Chapter 0078

He moved behind me then, pressing close as he patted down my back and sides. Goddess, it had been too long since I had been touched so intimately. Far too long; I felt like a mare in heat.

I shuddered at the feeling of his hands on me, my face growing warm despite myself. Noah seemed to take no notice as he continued his search, finally moving around to my front again to pat down my abdomen and bare legs.

By the time he had me turn in a full circle, I felt oddly breathless, my body thrumming with tension and, no matter how much I tried to deny it… desire. As his hands smoothed along the curves of my waist, I found myself leaning into his touch instinctively. Maybe he felt the same spark, because Noah’s hands stilled momentarily, his gaze locked intensely on my face. A soft smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, and he took a step back.

“Take off your robe.”

I felt my cheeks instantly redden beneath his heated gaze. “What?” I hissed.

“You heard me,” he said, his voice dropping to a husky level. “I want to be thorough.”

I swallowed, unsure of what to say or do. I was nude beneath my robe, save for my panties. No bra. And right now, in the cool air of the bathroom and with the lingering sensation of his hands on me, my nipples were hard and my skin raised with goosebumps.

But I complied. My hands moved of their own accord, trembling slightly as I carefully untied the sash on my robe and let it fall open, exposing my breasts.

Noah wordlessly took a step forward, reaching out to brush along my shoulders and push the robe away. I shuddered, and the robe fell in a silky pool at my feet, leaving me standing mostly nude before him.

His hands slowly worked down my body, running over my bare breasts and belly. In that moment, I felt a warmth radiate outward from my lower stomach—no, even lower than that; my hips began to move forward toward his, aching with a yearning so deep I thought I might go mad.

He’s still my husband, I thought. And I wanted him. Goddess, no matter how angry he made me, I wanted him. I wanted him to take me right there, bent over the bathroom sink. I wanted to feel his lips trailing across the sensitive skin of my neck.

And for a moment, I thought he might. He raised one finger and moved it in a circular motion, silently ordering me to turn around. I didn’t hesitate, feeling myself bite my lower lip to stifle any sound as I felt his hands run down the small of my back, over the lace of my panties, across my behind, and down toward my thighs.

In those moments, the air between us crackled with energy, his hands creating static shocks as they roved my body. All I could think about was how lonely I was, how much I craved his touch, missed his embrace, and ached for the comfort and warmth of his affection—an affection I perhaps had never truly had.

But then, as quickly as the tension had mounted, it dissipated. Noah blinked hard and took a hasty step back, putting distance between our bodies once more as the moment shattered.

He cleared his throat roughly, averting his gaze as he seemed to collect himself. When he finally looked at me again, an unreadable expression flickered through his green eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured gruffly. “That was out of line. I got carried away.”

With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving me standing alone in nothing but my panties.