Cold Showers

"What are you doing up?" I asked, making no movement to better cover myself with the towel. I shivered slightly, but still refrained from wrapping the linen around me. If she was going to open the bathroom door without knocking, then I was making no effort toward privacy either.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't taking another cold shower," she said simply. Even as she said it, I could feel the cold beads of water still sliding off my skin, still feel the slight vibration of my teeth.

After working a double shift at the bar, coming in at ten to open and leaving at one, a hot shower would be heaven for any sane bartender. After all, I had managed to cover myself with a jack coke, not to mention the sweat from the constant movement of a restaurant. My muscles ached from the day, then they sored from the hour long commute.

But growing up, hot water had been a commodity, a luxury, a birthday-treat. Cold showers were familiar to me, and even though we lived comfortably, I couldn't help but wince at the thought of unnecessary utility bills.

Avery had always argued with me. Not for finding cold showers familiar, but for my slight hesitation and guilt toward taking hot showers. If I had a dime for every time Avery had told me I 'deserved a hot shower,' I wouldn't feel guilty about taking hot showers. But I have no such magical dimes, and so the cycle continued: I kept on taking cold showers, and Avery kept on holding me tight under the covers while I shivered in our bed.

Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed her close the space between us, the distant creaking of the bathroom door escaping my notice entirely. What did not escape my notice, however, was her hand suddenly resting on my stomach.

Her fingertips were warm; I shivered at her touch. Even after two years of dating, I still felt a slight vulnerability standing naked in front of her.

I smiled weakly. "No cold showers here. Let's go to bed." I made a movement, intending to pull my towel around me when Avery's hand caught mine. She pulled me closer, and my stomach ached with a passion I was heavily familiar with.

She had to stand on her tip-toes to reach my ear, but her hot breath sent shivers racing across my back nonetheless.

"Why don't you let me show you how relaxing a hot shower can be?"

She said it with a tone of mixed innocence and seduction - something she knew drove me crazy. My eyes fluttered closed for a moment, imagination running free.

I found myself nodding. "Yes. Yes, you should definitely do that."

Avery smiled and reached her hand to the back of my neck, a familiar motion for when she wanted my lips close enough to kiss. And kiss we did, a simple I-missed-you-today kiss, followed by a playful nip at my bottom lip.

"Stay here," she whispered.

She pulled away, taking my towel with her and dropping it on the floor. She smirked, stepping fully-clothed into the shower and drawing the curtain behind her. Confused, and still very cold, I instinctively moved to follow her.

"I said stay there!" Avery reiterated, to which I rolled my eyes.

"Yes ma'am," I replied sarcastically, crossing my arms over my bare chest. She responded by tossing her shirt over the curtain, which was soon followed by the rest of her clothing.

The shower stuttered to life, handle squeaking as Avery adjusted the temperature to her own liking. I let my mind wander, picturing beads of water rolling over her gorgeous curves.

Again, lost in my own thoughts, I didn't notice Avery sticking her head out of the shower, eyes casually wondering my body before I returned to the present.

"Well?" she asked, as steam began to rise from the shower. "Are you coming or not?"

I sighed. I figured it was close to two-thirty in the morning at that point, but I was exhausted, and as enticing as shower-sex sounded, I still had to be at work by ten that morning. Then again, a quick fuck in the shower was sure to wipe me out enough to sleep soundly through the night.

I climbed back into the shower, flinching as the hot water hit my skin. It burned in that way that hurt to the point of feeling almost pleasant, but I still rolled my shoulders uncomfortably.

I had entered the shower closer to the showerhead, and Avery stood facing away from me. My gaze dropped to her spectacularly round ass, smiling to myself. I stepped toward her, not hesitating to squeeze both her cheeks firmly in my hands, resting my chin in the crook of her shoulder.

"As nice as that was," Avery said, almost instantly turning around and removing my hands, "this is about you."

I frowned, slightly confused. Avery generally let me take the lead in bed - or in this case, the shower. Even as she kissed me again, I felt the creeping vulnerability that came with a loss of control.

She could see my discomfort scrawled across my face, and rolled her eyes. "Just turn around," she said, to which I reluctantly obliged.

I let the hot water cascade down my head, rewetting my hair. When my skin had grow accustomed to the heat of the water, I let my eyes close.

The feeling of her hands, lathered in soap, gently coming to rest on my shoulders almost made me sigh in relief. She silently dug her palms into my shoulders, thumbs rubbing small circles on my neck. I groaned as she methodically worked the muscles of my shoulders, neck, and back.

I had forgotten just how hard my muscles were - one perk of the cold showers. The slight pain and pressure Avery gave to my shoulders rebounded into the satisfying sensation of my muscles finally relaxing.

After a particularly embarrassing moan, Avery chuckled and let her hands drop to my biceps, thumbs still moving in small circles.

Despite the innate lack of any definite sexual activity, I felt myself growing more heated by the second, just from Avery's hands running over me. Unconsciously, I let my own hand start rubbing an even more sensitive area.

It wasn't Avery stopping me that was surprising - I half expected her to anyways. It was when she took a step forward, pressing those gorgeous breasts into my back. and huskily whispered in my ear that made my eyes widen in shock.

"I didn't say you could touch yourself, did I?"

My head practically snapped up as I started from my blissful massage.

"Mhmm, what exactly did I say we were doing?"

I blanked for a moment, her one hand still wrapped around my wrist. the other still drawing distracting circles on my upper arm.

"You're helping me relax," I breathed out faintly.

"Exactly. I'm helping you relax. So-" two of her fingers quickly located my clit "-let me do that."

Any feeling of vulnerability left my body as Avery slowly began rubbing my clit. Her words warmed me more than the water did, and I realized I wasn't entirely opposed to Avery's commanding tone, or the hot water still sliding down my skin.

I gradually let my body relax and Avery continued her consistent attention at my clit. I watched the steam of the shower build through dazed, half-open eyelids. Eventually, Avery's free hand wandered up my back, slowly and gently bending me at the waist.

"Hands on the wall, love."

Without objection, I raised my forearms to the shower wall, wincing at the cold tile, and bending myself further for her. From behind me, Avery's free hand found my opening, and slowly traced circles with two fingers.

Surprisingly, I found that I didn't want anything more from her. I didn't need any penetration, or even an increase in pressure. Her rhythmic motions calmed me, and I let out a sigh after a few minutes of consistent rubbing. I felt myself dripping onto her fingers, and Avery slowed to a stop. The fingers teasing my entrance left, and I suddenly felt the water on my back increase in temperature. An involuntary moan escaped my lips and Avery's finger's returned, gently stroking me through my quiet orgasm.

Eventually she slowed to a stop, her hand found my sides, and she slowly pulled me off the shower wall, wrapping her arms around my waist. I craned my neck and twisted my shoulders to kiss her, smiling into her lips.

"Feeling more relaxed?"

"Very."

Oh, the benefits a hot shower can bring.