“Oh, don’t tempt me, Mia.”
I could see the mischief in her eyes seconds before she turned to dart away from me. I reached a hand out to pull her into my grasp, catching her easily.
“No!” she squealed as I dangled the paintbrush over her.
“Take it back.” I laughed.
She looked at the brush and squirmed in my grip. “Sam will attack you. He’ll defend me.”
I looked over at Sam, who was looking at us with upturned ears and a waggling tail.
“Yep, he looks ferocious.”
I thought about giving her a last chance, but now that I’d started the game, I really wanted to finish it. Taking my brush that was covered in a lovely shade of steel gray, I ran it down the length of her arm.
“No, Garrett!” she yelled, trying to get a hold of the brush.
My strength was no match for hers, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get me to let go of her.
Suddenly, my hand went slack around the brush as her hand found its way to the front of my shorts. She palmed me, rubbing her fingers up and down, and I grew harder with each touch. As her hand reached around to grip me properly, I let go of the brush, splashing paint all over my legs. Mia yelled in triumph. I’d been duped, and now, I was covered in paint while sporting a rock-hard boner.
“You’ll pay for that!”
She laughed and shouted as we both dove for control of the brush which had landed somewhere around my ankles. In the end, I was the victor and had Mia pinned to the ground. . Straddling her, I dangled the brush in the air above her while trying to decide the best punishment.
“Now, where shall I begin?”
“You’re seriously not going to paint me, are you?” She wiggled beneath me, still hoping to win back the brush.
“Keep squirming, baby. I like it. Yes, I think I am going to paint you…but not with a brush.”
I dropped the brush on the ground and reached for the tray of paint Mia had been using. I pulled it closer and dipped my index finger into the gray liquid. I lifted her shirt.
“Take it off,” I instructed.
A little less resistant now, she complied. With a flick of my fingers, I unsnapped the front of her bra, exposing her br**sts.
“You’re not going to paint on my boobs, are you?” She laughed.
I gave her a wolfish grin but said nothing. I wasn’t going to paint that specific area. I just enjoyed the view.
Her stomach sucked in as the cool paint made contact with her skin. I trailed my finger down to make a straight line. I got more paint and repeated this process until I spelled the word mine across her abdomen.
Her lips quirked up as her eyes raked over my creation. “Possessive much?”
“Fuck yes. I’d tattoo that on your ass if you’d let me.”
“I’m not sure my ass would be the best place. No one would ever see it but you, so it wouldn’t do much good.”
“Good point.” I grinned. “Let’s just get it tattooed across your forehead. I’m sure it won’t be weird.”
She snorted, which gave way to a full-out laughing attack. The sound was infectious, and I couldn’t help but join her.
“So, do I get to paint you?” she asked.
“Only if you stay half-naked.”
“Deal, but you have to lose your shirt, too.”
I let her up as I removed my shirt, and we switched positions. Her legs straddled my hips, and I groaned as her body made contact with the part of me that was aching for her. Her delicate fingers dipped into the paint, and she studied me as if she were looking at a canvas. She bent forward, and I felt her br**sts brush against my chest as she kissed a path down my body. She worked her way back up my stomach, tracing the lines of my abs with the back of her hand. She left traces of paint everywhere her hand touched. It was like a Mia roadmap.
Her eyes settled on my chest, and the paint made contact with my skin. I watched her trace the letters of her name over my heart. As soon as her finger lifted after the last curl of the A, I fisted my hands in her hair and devoured her in a fiery kiss. She instantly responded, moaning into my mouth, as our tongues moved together.
We couldn’t shed our clothes fast enough, uncaring of the wet paint covering our bodies. As we came together and my body moved in hers, the only thing I cared about was making sure she never left again.
Mia hadn’t needed to paint her name on my heart. She already owned it. She always had.
Chapter Twenty-One
~Garrett~
“Wake up,” Mia whispered in my ear.
Sleep gave way, and my eyes opened. I groaned, burying my head in the pillow.
Her faint laughter made me smile. Fingers made their way up my bare back, and I felt her lean over me.
“Hey, wake up.”
“No.” I yawned and reached around to pull her into my arms, so I could go back to sleep.
Soft lips touched mine, and I opened my eyes to find her smiling at me.
“Why are you awake? It’s the weekend. Weekends are made for sleeping,” I said. Giving her naked body an appreciative glance, I added, “And f**king.”
She gave me a slightly amused expression and rolled her eyes. “I’m hungry. You need to feed me.”
“Why is it my turn?” I grumbled.
“Because I made breakfast yesterday. It’s only fair. Plus, I suck at it.”
“Can’t get out of bed. Too warm.”
I pulled her closer and nuzzled my head against her shoulder. I didn’t want to leave this spot, even for food. We could order food eventually. I’d be perfectly happy being naked with Mia during the entire two days I had off. I couldn’t remember the last night I’d spent at my apartment. Every time I had gone back there to grab clothes, it’d felt small and confining. I’d race through my drawers, pulling out whatever my hands touched first, just so I could get out of there quickly.
“It’s summer. That’s a horrible excuse.”
“I just don’t want to.”
Her leg slid up mine. That got my attention.
I lifted my head and found her giving me her best rendition of the pouty face and I knew I was going to cave.
“Okay, fine! But we’re taking a shower first—a really long, sexy shower. Then, you’re making me coffee.”
She agreed, and I carried her from the bed into the bathroom where we spent much too long doing things other than washing.
I was a big fan of shared showers.
Leaving Mia to dry off in the bathroom, I went into the bedroom to find her lotion. I’d made a habit of always being around when she put it on, so I could take over, but I had no idea where she stored it when I wasn’t slathering it all over her body. She always pulled it out of some magical female hiding spot, and I had yet to figure out where that was.