*Trisha*

Paul really is like an old man sometimes. He's 45 which I guess is considered middle aged, but I swear he is an eighty-year-old trapped in a sexy bodyguard's body. Like today for instance. During breakfast with James, I texted him for an update on Julia to put James's mind at ease. You know when he decided to return the text? Two in the afternoon!

Casey is taking Maggie for a long run so I'm with James. We just finished a great workout downstairs, and James did his PT as well. He's determined to get better. I love that about James. He's not a quitter. I mean, just look at the man's body! Every single muscle of James is defined perfectly. I know this because I am currently taking a shower with the man. We've done this once before. But now, it all feels so different.

At first, we both behave. Like the last time, James is suddenly very cautious about showering with me. It's almost like he won't let himself be with anyone but Julia. He has sex with his Barbie Doll ex Lindsay, what's so different about being naked with me?

Once he starts talking he loosens up. James is very easy to talk to. He makes you feel so comfortable around him. I get how him and Julia became best friends in such a short amount of time.

  I try not to pay attention to the noticeable hard on James is sporting or the way his eyes darkened the minute he saw me naked. And God am I craving him right now. I think about him all the time. What it would feel like to be with him. With that body of his against mine. I'm already very aware he is a fantastic kisser. What else is he fantastic at? 

Yet James keeps his distance.

 He really is trying to take things slow. Being in a shower with me certainly isn't taking things slow, is it?

And I can't be mad that he isn't making a move on me, this is James. You just can't get mad at James. He's trying to do right by...well...everyone.

So I thought...

After I rinse my hair, I glance up to see him smiling down at me. The smile fades and his eyes become so intense. This hungry stare ready to devour me. In an instant, any calm, cool demeanor I once had vanishes from existence.

Trisha, come to your senses. The man wants to go slow. I quickly pick up the bar of soap and wash my shoulders again... trying to not look so damn desperate over here. 

But I know what I want. I want James.

*****

*James*

I'm trying really hard to take things slow here, but this IS Trisha Banks we're talking about, and I'm not really known to be one to take things slow. This is killing me. The way she looks right now, lathering herself up with the soap. Her eyes are looking away, but I can tell she is thinking the same thing as me right now. 

I close my eyes and dip my head back in the hot water. Nate's ridiculous shower has a million showerheads, and it stays nice and steamy in here which isn't helping things. I feel Trisha's hands on my chest, lathering me up with the soap. I open my eyes and look down at her hands feeling each and every muscle on display. She doesn't look up at me but does take a step closer to wash my shoulders. My breath hitches and quickens when my arousal touches her stomach.

"Trish.... You're playing with fire." I put my hands on her hips.

"Am I? I'm not gonna have sex with you if that's what you think is gonna happen. We're taking it slow, remember? I'm merely washing your body." Her soapy hand slides down lower and she washes me. I swallow hard and unintentionally twitch in her hand. I stare down at what she's doing, and my chest is slightly heaving as I breathe heavier.

"Jesus Christ, Gallo. How the hell do you walk around with this thing?" She teases. She's got me in the palm of her hand, literally, and I'm now aching for her.  What the hell is she thinking?  I'm pretty sure this isn't going slow. She puts the soap down on the ledge and her lips touch my neck.

Trisha kisses my neck and pulls at me, making my pulse quicken. Holy hell.

"Trish.."

"James..?" She says like a question. Different than how Julia says it. I guess that's a good thing. If she said it the same way Julia does, I'd be thinking about Julia right now.

Wait. I AM thinking about Julia now. Damnit!

Trisha's body is pressed up against mine, making it very hard for me to focus on this just being an innocent shower now. I drop my forehead to her shoulder and squeeze my grip on her hips as she kisses my neck.

"Trish." I groan when she picks up the pace. "Christ. I forfeit. You win." I close my eyes and lean against the shower wall. Trisha has no intentions of stopping even though she won the game. There's no taking things slow now. She continues to kiss my neck and shoulder and then kisses down my chest, down my abs, Fuck. Is she serious right now? She looks up at me and gives me a smirk. Yep. Game Over.

"Is this fine?" She is down on her knees right in front of me asking me if this is fine?? I look down at her and swallow hard again before nodding.

"That's.... That's a real stupid question, Banks." I keep my eyes on her and can barely catch my breath when she parts her lips and grazes my tip. Holy crap, this is really happening. We haven't even technically made out for longer than five minutes yet she's kissing my dick and teasing me with those lips.

"Don't start something you can't finish." I mutter. Both her hands are stroking me and she's kissing up and down my shaft, driving me crazy.

"I always finish what I start, James." She takes me in her mouth, making me gasp, and pulls me all the way in before slowly backing out. I touch the back of her throat, and it doesn't even bother her. I feel the aching sensation so strong I can't help putting a hand on the back of her head to push her in again. Trisha lets me. She lets me tick my hips into her more. She's ok with this? Seriously? Most woman have a hard time with.... well... this.... me.  But Trisha pulls me in, letting me know thrusting into her is ok. She lets me move faster. And I do. I'm fucking her face and she's letting me. Again, not many women enjoy this. Whether or not Trish actually enjoys it, she's letting me. She is encouraging it.

Trisha gives me the best fucking shower of my whole damn life and when I can't handle any more, she lets me finish down her throat like it's no big deal. I'm literally out of breath and panting from what she just did. My jaw is slack, and I have a dumbfounded look on my face as she stands back up and gives me a wink before talking again.

"I win."

"Jesus Christ." I huff. "You can give me a shower any day."

*****

*Trisha*

Ok, so I'm falling for James Gallo. I'm falling for him and for once in my life, I'm nervous. We have both been so tied up with Nate and Julia and we both understand each other so well.  But there is no way in hell Nate OR Julia can ever find out. Not yet. Not now.

After I got James off, he went ahead and did the same for me. Right in Nate's shower. It was amazing. It felt so good. James clearly knows what he's doing. No brain damaged in that department.

 But now we sit here on the couch, completely clothed, in awkward silence.

"We can't tell Nate or Julia this." I break the silence and turn to face James.

"What is 'this'?" He raises a brow and smirks.

"What do you want 'this' to be?" I ask. I want to be on the same page here.

"Well..... I want this to be something. But...didn't you have a thing for that Noah guy?"

Noah. In London. I kind of forgotten about him. I mean, we text all the time...but..shit.

"I don't know what I have for anyone anymore." I slouch down on the couch with a loud sigh and cross my arms over my chest.

"I'm always going to love Julia." James almost pouts.

"I know. Just like I'm always going to love Nate."

"And we both need to move on...." James continues in an enticing manner like he is trying to convince me AND himself.

"We really do." I nod in agreement.

"So, what if we try it out? You and me? We were friends first and if it doesn't work out, we can still be friends later. I'm friends with ALL my exes." James says with confidence. 

"I'm sure you are, hotstuff."  His exes would be complete idiots to not want to be friends with James. To lose out on THAT package he has...

"But I'm serious Trish. I want to try to go slow. That back there? That wasn't going slow."

I blush a little thinking back to our little shower of oral sex a half hour ago and smile. "Sure did feel good though."

"God yes." He whispers and leans in for a kiss. I close my eyes and let the fireworks consume me. I can't seem to get enough of how James makes me feel. Our kiss quickly escalates now after the foreplay from earlier and my hollowness aches to be filled. Before we know it, James pulls me up to straddle his lap and his hands are pulling my ass in, grinding me against the bulge growing in his pants. With me wearing thin leggings and James in thin running pants, the fabric is barely getting in the way from the sensation against my core. I gasp when James ticks his hips right against my nerve, sending a shockwave through my body. I break the kiss and gaze at him while moving against his hard length.

"This isn't going slow..." I whisper before attaching my lips to his neck. I bite gently in a teasing way but quickly learned something new. James likes a little pain with his pleasure. He drops his head to the side and groans while squeezing my ass harder. Ok, being with James could be a LOT of fun! I pull the collar of his shirt a little for more access and bite closer to his shoulder before attaching my lips to sooth.

"Christ. Trisha, you do that again I'm taking you right here on this couch." He laughs and I swear this is so something Nate would say. Stop thinking about NATE!

"Casey could come back any moment, Mr. 'I want to take things slow'." I say with lust filled eyes, still moving my hips against his lap. "You're kinda.... into things, aren't you James Gallo?"

"I'm into anything and everything." James crashes his mouth against mine and things get heated really fast.

 He's into anything and everything...well I'll be... so am I.

******

*James*

We had no choice but to stop the heated encounter on the couch when we heard the buzz of the elevator letting us know Casey was on her way up. Trying to act normal after that was pretty damn difficult but we managed.  

Paul didn't text Trisha back until later in the afternoon and it didn't sound good. Julia had a great start to the day but then went downhill quickly. I can tell Trisha is trying to protect me a little because she was very nonchalant and downplayed it. I didn't see the messages between her and Paul, but I can tell she is trying to make sure I don't stress out over it. But the look both Trisha and Casey shared while getting text messages makes me think something is up.

"What?" I eye them both while Trisha helps me with a snack at the table.

"Nothing, why?" Casey is like Julia. An awful liar. Nothing my ass. I cock my head to the side right as Paul and Jonah come home...without Nate.

"He's going to stay a little while longer until she is calmer." Jonah announces and Paul grumbles something before plopping down on the couch tiredly. "Case, we need to do some research on how to get a proxy for Nate."

"A proxy? What's that?" I ask now, dropping the grape on the floor which Maggie scoops right up.  Part of my PT is trying to grasp small objects. Grapes being pretty hard for me.

"It's a document through the court system that assigns a person to be legally authorized to make medical decisions for someone else when they can't do it themselves. Julia can't make big decisions herself. Someone needs to advocate for her."

Something must have happened. No one wants to tell me. No one wants to stress me out. But not knowing is stressing me out just as bad.

*****