He looked up from his seat on the side of the tub. “That’ll work. Now get naked. Tub’s filling. Sorry I don’t have bubble bath.”

She laughed and turned to enter his bedroom, drawing her top over her head. “I don’t need bubble bath.”

She came back a minute or so later and she was beautifully bare. He couldn’t help but take a minute to stare. Her body was a goddamned work of art. She was tall, with stunning long legs, her hair styled in short blonde spikes. She was a natural blonde, so the small tuft of hair at her sex was golden, making him go hard just thinking of touching her there, of licking her and relaxing her even more. Tonight she wore some kind of black sparkling earrings that only made the china-doll look of her face more prominent.

He could stare for hours at this amazing woman standing naked in his bathroom. But he wanted her warm and relaxed, so he held out his hand and guided her into the tub, grateful he’d selected a condo that had an oversized tub with the whirlpool jets. He often had his own sore muscles to deal with after a game, and while they had the whirlpools in the locker room, those aching muscles tended to stay that way, so he wanted his own tub. He was a pretty big guy, so a bathtub like this had been on his must list.

“This tub rocks, Trick,” she said, settling into the water up to her neck. “And jets, too? I might never leave.”

He turned on the jets and the water bubbled up all around her.

Stella leaned back and closed her eyes. “Oh, yeah. That’s it, Trick. Never leaving. Go over to my apartment and move my stuff in here.”

He laughed, but the thought of her staying here appealed. Seeing her makeup and things on his counter, her underwear and bras in some of his drawers? Yeah, he kind of liked the idea. He’d lived alone for a long time now, and had enjoyed his life as a bachelor. There had never been a woman who had ever tipped his radar in the way Stella had. She challenged him, wasn’t a clinger, and he couldn’t deny the chemistry they had.

But was that enough to want a long-term relationship? Hell, she didn’t want any kind of relationship.

“Trick. Trick.”

He looked over to see her watching him. “Yeah?”

“Are you intending to be my bathtub bodyguard all night or are you going to get naked and get in here with me?”

He liked the sound of that. With a curve to his lips, he drew his shirt over his head and popped the button on his pants.

“Now this is bath-time entertainment.” She leaned back in the tub and looked up at him.

Her nipples reacted to the cooler air by puckering, giving him his own version of bath-time entertainment.

She raised her knees and wrapped her arms around them, making room for him. It didn’t take long for him to shed the rest of his clothes. Or to get hard.

“I like the looks of that,” Stella said, eyeing his cock.

He slid into the tub, facing her, then drew her close. She wrapped her legs around his hips, sliding her sweet, hot pussy along his dick. He could so easily slip into her, fuck her like this in the warm tub. But that would be careless, and he wasn’t a careless man.

But he could do something to relax her even more. He skimmed his fingers along her back, just rubbing her skin at first, then pressing in more, testing each muscle, using some strength to massage where she was tight.

She laid her head against his chest and he felt her entire body go lax.

“Mmm. That feels good.”

Exactly where he wanted her, floating along on a cloud of boneless nirvana. He mapped her body inch by inch, dissolving her tension, enjoying the way she undulated against him, even if it cost him every ounce of his self-control.

“You keep touching me like that, we’re going to have a problem,” she murmured against his shoulder.

“Yeah?” He kissed the side of her neck and let his hands do a slow slide down her back. “What kind of problem?”

She rocked against his dick again. “That kind of problem.”

He closed his eyes and let the sensation wash over him. It was torture and bliss coupled together, but he had patience and could wait. Right now this was about her.

He used his feet to push himself back against the tub, taking her with him, then turned her around so her back was against his chest. Steam rose off their bodies, enveloping them in a cocoon of heat. Desire sizzled around him as he cupped Stella’s breasts under the water, the soft feel of her in his hands making his balls tighten. Her breath caught, her nipples hardening as he teased them with his fingers, knowing just how and where to touch her to evoke those moans he loved to hear.

She arched her back. “Trick. Where are you going with this?”