When I slide in, I reach over, grabbing my phone to see if Oz has texted me. Surprisingly, I’ve got a dozen text messages from him and a few phone calls, too. Checking the messages first, I scroll through them.

Oz: Baby, answer your phone. I’ve been trying to call you back.

Oz: It’s not what you heard. There are people here in this club, and it was loud.

Oz: Mallory, please answer me. I’m worried.

Oz: I’m sorry, baby. Don’t ignore me. I left the club. I can talk.

Oz: Since you’re not answering your phone, I’ll leave this in a text.

Oz: There was a client that wanted to meet, and I agreed to go out for a drink to talk business.

Oz: I only agreed for business, but I wasn’t familiar with the place he suggested and it was a dance club.

Oz: I was there for five minutes, and it just happened to be when you called.

Oz: Please don’t get the wrong idea, baby. I care about you so much. Much more than I want to say in a text.

Oz: I would never do anything to disrespect you. Please. Just call me.

Oz: I’m back in my hotel room. I’ll be up all night if I don’t hear from you.

Oz: I miss you.

His messages make my heart ache and make me smile at the same time. I guess it was a misunderstanding, but I got annoyed instead of hearing him out. Hitting his number, I call him, wanting to let him know everything is okay. I’m sure he’s still up and worried.

I don’t think my phone makes it through the first ring before Oz is answering.

“Baby.” The one word has so much need in it. Maybe even a touch of panic.

“Hey. Sorry, I stuck my phone in my purse and I just saw your messages.” I bite my lip, thinking it’s technically the truth. I could have picked it up sooner, but I was being a brat.

“No, I’m sorry. I tried to explain on the phone. You know I wouldn’t be in a club with someone else, right?” His voice is so sweet and pleading.

“I know. I think I was hangry.” He laughs at my joke, but I want him to know the whole truth. “And maybe I was a little jealous I wasn’t there with you while it sounded like you were having fun.”

“My sweet Mallory. I’m not having any fun without you by my side.”

It makes me smile like an idiot when he says adorable things like that. I shouldn’t want him to not have fun without me, but it makes me happy to know he likes it when we are together.

“I missed you today. Probably more than I should,” I say, scooting down in the tub more.

“Is that water? Are you talking to me while you’re in the tub?” His voice gets a bit deeper, and I tingle all over. “I missed you, too, baby. I missed you so damn much.”

He yawns, and then it sounds like he’s lying down.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m in bed. It’s late here, and I have to be up in three hours. I waited to hear from you.”

I’m overcome by guilt again for ignoring my phone because I was pissed. I apologize, but he interrupts me.

“I’m so happy you called me, baby. Listen, you enjoy your nice long soak. And if you want, maybe send me some pictures of you while you’re enjoying it.”

“Oz.” I say it like I can’t believe he asked me that. Although I’ve never sent nudes to anyone, suddenly the naughty idea sounds so dirty and sexy.

“I’ll need something to wake up to since we can’t have our breakfast together tomorrow. I’m already sad about it. Maybe if I have something sweet from you, I can make it through the day.”

“I’ll think about it,” I say, running my hand up my leg. I consider all the dirty things I could send him, and the blush spreads across my cheeks.

“Good night, my sweet Mallory. Wear the shirt I left you. I hope I see you in my dreams.”

“I will. For you. ’Night, Oz. I miss you.”

With that, we hang up, and I set my phone on the towel. I soak in the bubbles for a few moments, letting my cheeks burn. He says the most romantic things to me. They make me so embarrassed, yet cherished. It’s equal parts exciting and overwhelming. I want to do this for him. To show him I’m in this, too.

After my face has cooled down, I grab my phone and take a few snaps before I lose my nerve and stop myself. He’s seen all of me already, right? Why should I be so nervous about sending him a few flirty pictures?

I take ten and erase all but one. Then take ten more and only keep one of those. I want to send him five different poses, so I get creative and keep at it.

Finally, after forever, I’ve got five that I think are suitable. One is pretty tame with me under the bubbles. The second is of my breasts above the water. The third is a pic of my legs spread with a hint of my pussy. And I blush as I debate the last two. Finally, I put my hand over my face and hit Send before I can change my mind. One of the last ones was of my hand holding my pussy lips spread so he could see my clit, and the last one was me bent over with my legs spread. I ought to get some kind of trophy for being able to get in that position and snap a picture. Thank God for timers.

After I send them all, I put my phone down and finish my bath. I think about Oz and wonder what we’ll do on Saturday when he gets back. I think about going to his place and maybe telling him I’m ready to stay the night. It hasn’t been that long, but I’ve always thought that when I finally found the right guy, I would know. And it’s that way with Oz. It’s like this is the guy I’ve been waiting on. He’s the reason I passed on all the guys before. I was waiting on a man like him to come into my life and sweep me off my feet. He’s done all that and so much more. I’m ready to take the next step, and that means giving myself completely to him.