He opened the door to the shower. “After you.”

I walked in and inhaled the fragrant steam. Lavender. “My favorite fragrance,” I said. “How did you know?”

“I kind of got the message, since you always smell like lavender and you have a lavender plant on your nightstand.”

“You don’t seem like the kind of guy who has lavender essential oil lying around.”

“You got me.” He laughed. “Actually, I have lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus. They were gifts from Marjorie. She got into essential oils a year or so ago and was convinced that the three of us guys needed their healing properties. I admit this is the first time I’ve used them.”

I smiled. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to know they came to good use.” I inhaled again. “The next time you have a cold or any kind of congestion, try the eucalyptus and peppermint. They work wonders.”

“And what’s the lavender for?”

I inhaled again. “Relaxation. Pure, solid relaxation.”

God knew I needed that. Lavender had always been a favorite fragrance of mine, but the fact that it had relaxation properties made me love it even more. I hadn’t been able to relax much since Gina’s death.

Jonah walked under the other shower head and wet his hair down so it was slicked back. “Oh,” he groaned. “It feels great.”

It did feel great. He pulled a bottle of shampoo off the shelf and squeezed some into his palm, working it into a lather. Then he put it on his head and started soaping up. I reached forward and added my hands to his, massaging his scalp along with him.

“That feels amazing, Melanie.”

It felt amazing to me, too, just having my hands in his thick, wet hair. After we had lathered him up thoroughly, he turned around and rinsed his hair.

I grabbed the body wash from the shelf. I began soaping up his back, down to his strong hips, over his finely shaped butt.

He turned. “Time to get my chest.”

I lathered my hands once more and skated them over his beautiful chest and rock-hard abs, down into his pubic hair, where I soaped up his cock and balls.

He closed his eyes and then stepped back under the shower head and rinsed off.

“Your turn now,” he said.

“I had a shower this morning.”

“After that hot sex we had in the kitchen, you’re as dirty as I am. I’m going to wash you until you’re squeaky clean.”

I closed my eyes and smiled. “That sounds like heaven, to be honest.”

Together, we washed my hair as we had washed his, and then he cleansed my body, running his strong hands over every inch of my flesh.

I nearly melted. If I’d been any more relaxed, I would’ve swirled down the shower drain with the water.

When we were done, he grabbed some towels off the rack, shut off the shower, and we dried each other.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked.

“Maybe just some water or iced tea, if you have it.”

He pulled on a pair of boxers. “I do. I’ll be right back.”

I finished drying off and then wrapped the towel around me. I left the bathroom and looked around his bedroom. It was beautifully decorated but completely masculine. His king-size bed sported a brass headboard and footboard, and upon it sat a dark-brown satin comforter with pillow shams to match.

His chest and dresser were of a dark oak, complete with knots. So rustic. So Jonah. The floor was all hardwood, covered by a burgundy, hunter-green, and brown Oriental rug in an ornate design.

A door led to a giant walk-in closet, and I couldn’t help but peek in. A few rumpled shirts were strewn on the floor. He had missed the hamper that was only two feet away. I smiled. Typical man. I quickly deposited the errant shirts into the wooden hamper.

His shirts and pants were hung up neatly, jeans were folded nicely on the shelf, and his shoes were stacked on shelves, including oversize ones for several pairs of cowboy boots.

A throat cleared behind me.

I turned, embarrassed. I had been violating his personal space. I walked out of the closet. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For…nosing around your closet.” I looked around the room again. “This is a gorgeous bedroom.”

“It serves its purpose,” he said.

“How big is this house?”

“About three thousand square feet.”

I gasped.

“It’s a lot smaller than the house where Talon and Marj live. That’s the main house, where our parents lived. Where we lived when we were growing up.”

“So why don’t you live there?”

He shrugged. “I just wanted my own place. A place where I could escape. I wanted my own pool, where I could swim whenever I wanted, even in the dead of night, without anyone questioning me.”

“That’s right. You like your alone time. And you like the water.”

He nodded. “In fact, I could go for a swim now. Would you like to join me?”

“Is it warm enough?” Colorado Indian summers were typical, but I wasn’t sure whether it was hot enough to be dousing ourselves in water outdoors. We were nearing October.

“The pool’s heated, and if you get too cold, we can get into the hot tub instead.” He handed me a glass of iced tea.

I took the tea and sipped it—nice, crisp, and tannic under my tongue. I looked down at the towel that was still wrapped around me. “I don’t have a suit.”

“This is my private home. Who needs suits?” He grinned at me lasciviously.

My cheeks warmed, and I looked down. My chest was turning ruddy.

“No need to be embarrassed, Melanie. In case you forgot, I’ve seen you naked a time or two.”

I laughed softly. Why on Earth was I embarrassed? “We just took a shower. We’ll get all covered in chlorine.”

“Are you allergic to chlorine or something?”

“No. But it does dry out my skin.”

“Well, you know what the weirdest thing about my shower is?” he said.

“What’s that?”

“We can use it more than once a day.” He took my hand, squeezing it. “Come on. I want to show you my pool.”

“I can’t go out in the towel.”

He walked to his closet and brought out a silk robe. “You can wear this.”

He helped me into the black satiny garment. It was horribly large on me, but the fabric felt cool and soft against my skin. I inhaled. It smelled like Jonah. It smelled like heaven.