“Aha!” I cried triumphantly. “One down, more to go.”
I thought we were halfway there—until I saw the monstrosity that was his white undershirt. I expected there to be buttons like a normal shirt, but there weren’t. How did he even put it on?
“What the...” I frowned. “Did Crimsongluethis thing on you?”
“There are strings at the back,” Cobalt said.
He turned around and sure enough, there they were, criss-crossed and winding up his spine. Maybe clothingwasa subsection of rocket science.
I fumbled with the bottom strings, undoing them as I worked my way up Cobalt’s back, but a problem quickly became apparent. I wasn’t tall enough to reach half of them.
“Could you, uh, kneel down?” I asked.
Without a word, Cobalt lowered himself to his knees. My heart fluttered. I hadn’t expected him—a freaking alpha dragon—to obey so easily. Back in the human city, I couldn’t even convince my superintendent that I didn’t own a dog—but here, I’d brought an alpha to his knees with a simple suggestion.
“Thanks,” I said, reaching for the upper strings.
As my hands moved, I became painfully aware of howhugeCobalt was. His back was as broad as a brick wall, solid and sturdy. Warmth radiated from his skin. He smelled good, too, like the cologne section of a department store.
Trying to be sneaky about it, I leaned in to sniff the bottom of his neck where the last tied-off strings remained. I shivered as the pleasant scent filled my nose. It made my skin tingle in a funny way.
My fingers struggled to undo the last knot. I was too engrossed in Cobalt to concentrate. The longer I was near him—seeing him, smelling him, feeling his warmth beneath the fabric, hearing his soft intake and exhale of breath—the more flustered I became. My fingers turned into sweaty, useless appendages that couldn’t even untie two pieces of string.
“Okay, this is harder than I thought,” I confessed.
Cobalt nodded, taking my word for it. He slowly stood back up. “Thank you for trying. I’ll be fine with clothes on. Washing you is more important.”
He awakened the showerhead again. Steam and the sound of rushing water filled the room. Cobalt looked intensely down at me, like this was the most important thing he’d ever done.
It suddenly occurred to me that I wasextremelynaked in front of thisveryattractive alpha. I blushed under the passion of his gaze.
“Are you ready? I’ll begin now,” Cobalt said.
I’d expected to wash myself, since I was fully capable of it and all, but I wasn’t about to turn down his offer.
“Y-yeah, sure.”
Cobalt brightened. A hint of a smile appeared on his face, and I nearly melted. If that’s how cute his smile was, I’d offer to let him wash me more often.
I closed my eyes and ducked my head under the water’s stream. A content sigh slipped out of me. How long had it been since I’d had a hot shower? Way too long. I’d forgotten how nice they were.
The relaxing warmth of the water lulled me into a tranquil state. I was so mellowed out that my body swayed and fell forward.
Right into Cobalt’s chest.
I made a soft sound of surprise. I probably should’ve pulled away, but I didn’t want to. He was the perfect pillow. Besides, he didn’t say anything, so I figured it was fine.
I stilled as something touched my head. It was Cobalt running his fingers through my wet hair. My heart picked up speed despite the calming sensation.
Should I say something? Should I insist I can wash myself, thank you very much, even though I was blissfully enjoying every second of this?
A cap popped open. A second later, cool liquid joined Cobalt’s fingers. He worked the shampoo into my scalp in circular motions. Another sigh escaped my lips. I leaned more of my weight against Cobalt, letting him hold me up. I didn’t care about pride or any of that stuff. After the crappy couple of weeks I’d been through, I just wanted to feel good—and Cobalt was damn good at that.
Once my hair was thoroughly lathered, Cobalt washed it away. I was grateful the greasy feeling was finally gone. But my hair wasn’t the only thing that was dirty. My body needed a good scrubbing.
I opened my eyes, figuring I’d do that part myself, but Cobalt had already grabbed the body wash and poured it into his palm. His brows knitted in concentration as he rubbed his hand against my chest, creating a circle of white bubbles. The scent of lilac and vanilla overpowered my tangy sweat.
“Where did this... fake baby smell come from?” Cobalt grumbled.
