That was a series of words I didn’t expect to hear.
“Come again?” I asked.
“I will wash you,” Cobalt replied like it was the most normal thing ever.
My temperature rose a few degrees as I gawked at him. Was he for real?
“I must make up for the poor accessibility design in this bathroom,” Cobalt murmured. “I wasn’t aware you couldn’t reach the showerhead or all its features.”
I blinked. “I mean, it’s not the end of the world, it’s stillfunctionalas a shower.”
“No,” Cobalt said, sounding almost grumpy. “You deserve the best.”
Tick. Tick. Oh look, there goes my steadily rising temperature again.
Seriously, what was with this guy? Five minutes ago he didn’t even know my name, and now he was selflessly devoted to me? Did I get altitude sickness on the plane and lose my sense of reality?
Cobalt’s deep, steady voice confirmed that this was very much real. “I’ll turn on the water now,” he said.
“Wait, wait,” I interrupted. “You’re still in the shower with me.”
Another disappointed flicker crossed his face. “Do you want me to step outside?”
“No, it’s not that.” I gestured to his pristine outfit. “Your clothes are gonna get wet. Aren’t dragons, like, obsessed with their clothes?”
Cobalt’s thick dark brows creased together. “No.” Then he seemed to remember something and his face relaxed. “You must be thinking of my younger brother, Crimson. You were a contestant on that season, too, yes?”
“Oh, right.” Shameful heat flushed my cheeks. “My bad.”
Ugh, what an embarrassing mistake. I hoped Cobalt didn’t think I was a ditz, or worse, a total dickhead.
He reached for the dial and turned it on. Water shot out of the showerhead and onto the tiled floor. Cobalt put his hand in the spray, waiting for the perfect temperature.
“I don’t care for clothes the way my brother does,” Cobalt said. “He dressed me in this outfit, but it makes no difference to me whether it is ruined or not. They’re only clothes. They are replaceable—this moment with you is not.”
My heart skipped like a pebble thrown across a pond. Why was that the sweetest thing I’d ever heard in my life?
“Okay, but at least take your shoes off,” I said, pointing to his leather loafers. “My mom would cuff me over the head if I ever wore shoes in the house.”
He nodded, then removed his shoes. “Forgive me.”
“You are forgiven,” I said with a grin. “You could take the rest of the clothes off, too. Dunno if you know this, but that’s usually what people do in the shower.”
Cobalt paused, then said, “I have a confession to make.”
“Yeah?”
“When I said Crimson dressed me, I meant it literally. I have no idea how to escape this elaborate outfit.”
Oh, gods. He reallywasan adorable caveman.
I chuckled as I grasped the front of his blazer. “How ‘bout we try it together? It’s clothes, not rocket science. I’m sure it’s notthatcomplicated.”
Cobalt nodded solemnly. “I believe in you.”
“First, we gotta take this thing off. Like so...”
I wriggled the blazer around his arms—or tried to. Even under the clothes, I could tell they were thick and effortlessly muscular. The blazer fit him perfectly, but it was tight. Cobalt squirmed in the directions I moved it in, which helped. Eventually, I stripped the blazer free.
