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Sterling steps closer, so close I can feel the heat emitting off his body, but he doesn’t touch me. He’s a lingering presence radiating safety.

And if it wasn’t for the way my mind and body reacts to unwanted stimuli, stealing all my attention, I’d want to lean into the comfort he’s offering.

“What do you need from me?” he asks.

My hands grip the edge of my waistband, but I hesitate, suddenly very aware of Sterling’s eyes on my naked chest and the close proximity of his strong, hard body. This man I am incredibly drawn to, is standing in my bathroom, watching me undress and I… I just want a fucking shower.

“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully.

“I can wait outside.”

My mind flashes back to the woods. To the howling that didn’t belong. To the cracking branches beneath footsteps too large to be human. But mostly it hangs onto the knowledge that someone came onto my farm and that they could still be here.

For that and so many other reasons, I don’t want to be alone.

“No.” I pull off my trousers, kicking them to the side. “Stay. If you want?”

The air stills, neither of us breathing as I meet Sterling’s eyes. He doesn’t look anywhere but at my face, which is suddenly hot and flustered at the realisation that I’m standing naked, save for the mud, in front of him.

I’ve skinny dipped with Kieran before and I’m not self-conscious of my body, but this is significantly different to swimming naked with a friend. This is Sterling. The man I’m hopelessly falling for.

“I want,” Sterling replies, voice rough.

I climb into the shower, clenching my jaw tightly as cold water hits me. Pouring soap onto a washcloth, I work to remove all the mud from my torso, my feet and my face. Then I wash my hair.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sterling move until he’s at the open end of the shower.

“Can I help you?” he asks. “There’s still some on your back.”

Closing my eyes, I nod, then reach behind me and hand him the cloth, all while hoping he won’t be too gentle and that I won’t have the urge to pull away the moment he touches me.

Sterling starts at the top of my spine, moving the cloth in firm, sure circular movements and I hum under my breath at just how good it feels. I don’t think anyone has washed my back before.

My cock starts to thicken as he moves lower, trailing the cloth along my spine, to each side of my ribs and then to my lower back, where he pauses. I drop my head, chin to chest and that’s when I feel the shift. Sterling’s chest hits my back – at some point, he must have removed his shirt. His skin is warm, and it’s a strange contrast to the chill settling beneath my skin.

“All done,” he whispers, so close his breath brushes my ear. A full body shiver races over me, but it’s not the cold. It’s not fear or panic. It’s all him. Sterling reaches to my front and hands me the cloth. I take it from him, our fingers briefly connecting and I feel it again, that double thud in my chest, as though I have two hearts beating inside me.

“Thank you.” My voice is raspy as I drape the cloth over the tap and then switch off the water. But I can’t bring myself to move. I should be cold – I was in the shower way longer than I would usually be and my house isn’t exactly warm either. But I’m not. In fact, I’m boiling up inside, heat rushing to every one of my extremities.

Sterling shuffles behind me, inching closer.

“Time to get out.”

I nod. But I don’t move. I’m tired. Horny. Scared. A mess of emotions I don’t have the strength to manage right now. My mind is racing over the last few hours. I went for dinner at Kiernan’s place and came home to find all the fences cut; the sheep roaming free around the farm. Someone did that and then something chased me in the woods.

My body trembles and tears burn behind my eyes.

“Caspian.” Sterling says my name with an air of authority, as though it’s not simply my name. It’s an order. One I want to obey. Pulse racing, I turn slowly, my hip brushing his groin. His trousers are damp from the shower, and there’s an obvious erection straining the fabric. “You’re cold. I need to get you warm.”

“Okay,” I reply, my eyes locked on his. I want to hand over everything to him, let him take control so I can have two minutes where the weight of the world isn’t resting on my shoulders. I shouldn’t though. I should thank him and send him on his way. I should fix the fences and work out what the fuck is going on around here. And I should do it all without burdening the man in front of me. The one who smells so fucking good and who is standing half naked in my shower.

My shoulders slump at the thought of it all and I’m about to thank him and send him on his way when his arms find my hips and he lifts me, much like he had earlier.

I gasp, my hands flinging out to grip the back of his neck as he steps out of the shower.

The jostling as he uses one hand to wrap a towel around me and then carries me down the hallway, has me keenly aware that my hard cock is rubbing against his bare stomach. There’s a thin layer of hair on his skin, and the friction of it against my smooth cock forces me to bite back a groan. Sterling’s hold on my lower back tightens, trapping my erection even closer to him.

“Um, Sterling? You can put me down.” I squirm in his hold and he stops, dips his head and brings his nose to my neck, breathing deeply.