Free The Bachelor's Perfect Proposal (Bliss Series Book 2) by Michelle Jo Quinn Page B

bathroom.
    From my vantage point atop the marble vanity, I watched as Levi uncorked bottles and poured liquids into the hot water. I admired how his muscles stretched and flexed under his wet white t-shirt. His running shorts grabbed onto his buttocks too, and when he bent over to test the water, I delighted in my view.
    “Bath’s ready.” Levi kissed the edge of my right collarbone, peeking out from under my champagne-colored blouse. He thumbed the pearls against the skin of my neck. “Can we leave these on?”
    I smiled, shyly, blushed and nodded. Levi took that as a cue to undress me, one button at a time, one stocking at a time. A zip undone. A clasp unsnapped. Each moment created a mounting desire, a fire in my belly. Every movement was punctuated with a kiss, a caress. A touch. A shiver. A spark.
    He guided me to the tub, large enough to fit us both. It faced an expansive window, which opened up to the glorious view of the Golden Gate Bridge at dusk after the rain. He added the melodic voice of a man and his guitar to the sound system. With the light lowered, Levi lit several candles in the room. The water with its concoction of essential oils, bath salts and bubbles was something the doctor ordered, after a long trip home. I dipped my feet in one at a time, letting my body adjust to the temperature.
    Once I was covered in bubbles, Levi stepped back, admiration and desire in his eyes, and peeled off his clothes. Taking his time, he delighted in the little gasps that made their way out of my mouth. He kissed my forehead, letting his lips linger before I moved forward and made room for him behind me.
    I leaned my head against him, and lifted our hands together from the bubbles and the water, and intertwined our fingers. “Why didn’t you run indoors? Didn’t you check the weather before you left?”
    He sighed. The warmth of his breath tickled my skin. “I can’t trust the weather reports these days. Can’t even trust the skies.”
    “Hmmm...” His lips made their way behind my ear, nibbling at the sensitive spot, and stroking the skin underneath my pearl necklace. My eyes rolled to the back of my head. This man could make my toes curl with the simplest of touches.
    How could I have thought that our relationship was in danger before I left?
    “I’m happy you’re back. I was going crazy without you. That’s why I went for a run outside. To get some fresh air, make me think better.”
    “Did it work?”
    Levi massaged the ache on my shoulders, created by hours of lugging my bags and pulling on my suitcase, and sleeping on pillows that hadn’t belonged to me, and hadn’t smelled of his scent.
    “All I know is that the rain isn’t too bad. It is somewhat an omen of good things to come.”
    “And Mother Nature isn’t quite a bitch,” I added.
    “Yes, that too.” He chuckled at a joke I had a feeling I wasn’t privy to, but I didn’t mind. We could laugh about it later. “What kind of good things are you expecting?”
    I ran my hands on his legs, lightly scraping my nails on his warm skin, earning a small growl of appreciation from Levi. He reciprocated by ghosting his fingers over my shoulders, down my chest, until his hands disappeared beyond the bubbles.
    “For instance, it rained the first time I met you,” he spoke against the side of my cheek. I turned my head to meet his lips.
    “Did it?” I managed to mutter against his mouth.
    “Yes.”
    “Remind me again?” I asked, but my heart wasn’t completely in it. I could only think of what he was doing to me with his hands and lips, and how my body responded.
    “Later,” Levi said, as he helped me turn around to face him, my legs astride his. Lifting the pearls off my neck with his thumb, he found the pulse on my neck and licked it, and my head lolled back to give him more access.
    In a tone that made me lose all my inhibitions, Levi whispered, “I promise.”

La Déesee de l’Amour
    LEVI

    I trailed my fingers over the contours of her