“I know, but this isn’t about that,” he explains. “Trust me, I’ve been dreaming about fucking you again since we finished the other night. It’s why I kissed you today, but right now I want to help you relax. This is about you.”
Butterflies swoop low in my belly with his words.
“I didn’t know you could be this sweet,” I jest.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Sugar,” he says, his hands finding my scalp, and he begins to massage the shampoo into my hair. The feeling is euphoric, and my head lolls back as he continues to knead his fingers through my wet locks. Carefully, he rinses out the shampoo and then adds conditioner. He repeats the same steps, then washes the soap away when he’s finished.
His strong hands move back to my arms, and he gently runs his fingers up and down, softly tickling my skin. My hands find his, and I pull his arms around me, leaning back into his firm body. There is something comforting about being wrapped up in his arms. It feels safe and reassuring. It gives me hope that if we stick to the plan, together we’ll make it home.
We stay like that for a few long moments, letting the water fall over our embrace, and he takes me by surprise when he kisses the side of my head tenderly.
“You feeling a little better?” he asks.
“I think so. Thank you. I wasn’t…um…anyway, that was really nice.”
“I’m glad you liked it,” he says. “Anytime you need me to help you relax, you just say the word, and I’ll be your man.”
I’ll be your man.
Pulling away, I open the door and climb out of the shower.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” he says as I grab for a towel and wrap it around me.
Nodding, I leave him to finish.
I didn’t know shower massages were a thing, but I could definitely get used to them happening more often—especially if Everett was the one giving them. Something about the tenderness he showed warmed me in a way I wasn’t expecting. He was so careful not to make it sexual, but it felt more intimate than anything he and I have ever done before, and that’s left me confused.
Doubt starts to creep in that maybe I should have returned the favor. Or maybe all of that was a lead up to shower sex, and I just awkwardly fucked up his plan by getting out and walking away.
Shit.
Turning, I begin to head back into the bathroom as he shuts off the water and steps out.
“Forget something?” he asks, grabbing a towel and running it over his dark hair. Water rolls down his tan skin and beads in his chest hair.
“No. I’m sorry. I should’ve offered to give you a massage or?—”
“Don’t apologize,” he says, drying off his body. “That shower was to help you feel good and to get me clean. I’d never expect anything from you.”
“You sure?”
“I’m positive.” He wraps the towel around his waist and walks over to where I’m standing. Grabbing me by the arms with both of his hands, he looks me in the eye. “I promise.”
“But your shoulder. I’m sure you could have used a massage too. I feel bad.”
He chuckles. Letting me go, he rolls his arm up and over his head in a circular motion. “Honestly, it’s weird. It hasn’t bothered me since we got here.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I don’t know. I’m trying to not think about what it means too much. Let’s get dressed and see what we can find in those books?”
“Sure.”
We both move out of the bathroom to get ready, and I can’t help but wonder why he didn’t mention the shoulder thing before now. Yesterday and today were a little nuts, so maybe it just didn’t come up, but then again, I feel like it should have. Shaking the thought, I walk into my closet and begin to get dressed. We need to buckle down and see if any of these books unlock the secret way back home.
Chapter 25: Magic 101
Everett
