Page 69 of Downpour

Steam enveloped us, providing warmth as she poured the shampoo into her hands and began massaging it into my scalp.

“Fuck,” I softly groaned.

“Good?” she asked softly.

“Yeah.”

Neither of us said anything else as she slowly worked the shampoo into my hair and grew it into a lather. Brooke kept a hand on my arm, her fingers tracing my tattoos as she rinsed it out of my hair.

I had a bottle of conditioner, though I never bothered using it. Brooke opened the bottle and squeezed a dollop into her palm, massaging it into my hair.

There was something about this moment that transcended the physical connection I was used to feeling during sex.

It was care, connection, intimacy, and tenderness. It made me feel human again. Like a man.

She made me feel like I could be wanted.

The hot water eased the tension in my shoulders and back, as her hands washed away my demons.

“Ray?” she asked quietly while rinsing out the conditioner.

“Hmm?”

“What’s the scar on your spine from? The accident?”

“Kind of.” I sighed. “Cass got me into this experimental human trial.”

“I remember you saying something about that.”

“A bunch of surgeons implanted electrodes in my spine to stimulate my muscles and nerves. It was really invasive, butit has given me some mobility back. More than I could have expected.”

“How did she get you into the trial?”

I chuckled. “She knows people. And not many of them have the guts to say no to her. She probably keeps a blackmail file handy for when she needs to cash in favors.”

Brooke’s hand trailed down my back. “Are you glad you did it?”

I glanced at the water pooling at my feet. “At the time, I wasn’t. I allowed myself to be used like a lab rat because I thought it was all I was good for.”

“What about now?” she asked as she went back to spraying the little flecks of hair off my shoulders.

I caught her hand in mine. “Yeah. I’m glad I stuck around.”

17

BROOKE

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Ray grabbed the center console of the truck and held on for dear life.

I rolled my eyes as the truck shuddered. “Dramatic much? It was just a speed bump.”

“That was a curb!” Ray shouted. “With people on it!”

I spotted a horizontal parking space along the sidewalk, slowed down to pull in, then thought better of it.

Ray let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god. We’d be late if you tried to parallel park.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re mean sometimes?” I said as I pulled around to the back of the physical therapist’s office and snagged a spot right at the front.

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