Page 68 of Of Bone and Ash

“Stay?” I ask, dumbfounded. She wants me to stay in the bathroom while she showers? I feel lightheaded at the very thought. The answer would be yes, but I honestly thought she hated my stalkerish tendencies.

“And shower with me,” she adds on. And just like that, my head explodes. It takes me a full minute to process those words.

“Shower with you,” I whisper and nod, my head feeling like it's flying in the clouds when she smiles softly and shrugs.

“You're kinda already naked,” she points out with a small smile.

“Yeah,” I agree, then I feel my eyes widen as her words click into place. Fuck, how do I keep forgetting I’m naked?! One look down shows that I’m still rock hard and poking Bella in the side with my cock. Aw shit. That's not sexy. No girl wants to be poked with morning wood—evening wood? I look out the window to the dark night sky then at the small clock resting on the side table in my Bella’s room. It’s eight o'clock. Evening wood it is.

“Shit, sorry,” I mutter, reaching down and painfully pressing my erection down, trying to cover it with my hands again. Where the hell did that blanket go?

“I don’t mind. You can go… or join,” she whispers, stepping back and turning to walk further into the now steamy bathroom. The shower’s been running this whole time, and I hope the warm water is unlimited here like it is in the dorm rooms. Bella turns her back on me, and I watch almost in a daze as she slowly pulls her dirty shirt off, revealing the pale creamy skin of her back.

When she reaches behind to unclasp her bra, my cock jerks behind my hand, and when she slowly shimmies out of her panties and leggings, I have to bite my lip to hold back the groan that tries to slip past as she bends forward, showing me everything I never thought I would see but dreamed I would. Her small, peach-shaped ass bounces as she steps out of her clothes, leaving her completely naked and only a few feet away from me.

“You coming?” she asks, looking over her shoulder and for the first time ever, I see a hint of insecurity in her brilliant eyes.

“Y-yep,” I croak out, really trying not to actually come as I watch her step into the small shower, closing the glass door behind her. “Don’t come. Don’t come, don’t come,” I chant quietly to myself as I take a deep breath, my eyes glued on my perfect, beautiful girl as she shivers under the hot water, her shoulders relaxing as she tips her head back and gets her hair wet, cleaning the grime from it. I just need a second to get myself under control, but it’s killing me not to jump into that shower with her.

My restraint slips as I watch her small hands move over her chest, her tight pink nipples pebbling as her hands move down over her tiny tucked-in waist then glide over the flare of her hips. I stalk forward, almost breaking the glass door as I step into the small shower. It's not as big as I would normally like, but it forces me closer to Bella, which is all I care about. I snag her small hands in mine, the hot water raining down over me as I move directly in front of her, replacing her hands with mine on her hips.

Serafina Covington is the biggest contradiction I know. She’s the strongest woman, stubborn, and confident in everything she does. Her power far outweighs everyone in the Fae world, and she has the attitude to back it up. But she’s small, her tiny waist almost terrifying me. She doesn’t have many curves, her form long and toned. A weapon she's sharpened, ready for battle at all times. My hands move over her hips to her waist, and I try to ignore how my hands almost cover her completely. I can feel her ribs with my thumbs, and I make a mental note to feed her something loaded with carbs because that can’t be good.

Bella looks up at me through her dark lashes, naked and wet, her cool skin not warming up as fast as I would like.

“You're cold,” I stupidly remark, and she smiles.

“I’m always cold. Perks of being related to death.” She sounds resigned about that fact, something I normally don’t hear in her voice when she talks about her magic.

“You don't like being cold?” I ask, and she shakes her head. Thank god! Cold is something I can definitely combat. Finally, something I can do for her. Nodding my understanding, I reach around her, turning up the heat on the water and letting my magic warm the air until she sighs and closes her eyes, leaning into me. “Let’s get you washed up,” I suggest, reaching to the small corner shelf where five bottles rest and snag one, popping the lid open just as Bella reaches out and snags it from me.

“That’s conditioner,” she says with a laugh, replacing the bottle on the shelf and grabbing a different one, handing it to me as I study the bottle. As a man with curly hair, I do use hair products, but I only have one bottle in my shower and a spray-in conditioner that I add to it so my hair doesn’t frizz throughout the day.

“I totally knew that,” I say, earning another laugh as I squeeze out some product in my hand and go to put it back on the shelf.

“Uh, you’ll need more than that.” She grabs the bottle, then triples the amount of shampoo that I have in my hands, and I blink at the amount in surprise as she places the bottle down. “I have a lot of hair,” she explains and she’s not wrong. Bella's hair has always been something I’ve obsessed over. It was slightly longer than her shoulders in high school, but with it down and wet like this, it goes to her waist in a long sheet of silky black.

“Turn,” I instruct, spinning my finger in the air, asking her to face away from me so I can wash it for her. She obliges with an amused raise of the brow and doesn’t once tell me she can do this for herself. In fact, she seems perfectly content allowing me to help her wash her hair. Now I just have to make sure I don’t somehow screw it up. Taking my time, I lather the long locks, starting at her scalp and then working my way down to the ends.

“Oh, that’s nice,” she moans as I wash her hair, head tilting back, her ass poking out a little more, and I close my eyes, trying so fucking hard not to be a pervert. I want her to know that I’m in this for more than just the physical stuff. I mean, yeah, my balls are about to burst with the need to be inside her, but I also want to take care of her, and it’s been a long day. Plus, I’m not going to push for anything she might not be ready for.

When I’m done, she turns, washing out the soap, and I watch as the suds run down over her body, washing away the final remnants of dirt and blood. We repeat everything once more with the conditioner, and I swear I’m sweating bullets by the time she’s done washing it out. I need to get out of this shower or I’m going to come. My balls feel heavy between my legs, and my cock actually hurts from how much blood is in it.

“My turn,” she announces, her voice low and rough just as I’m about to excuse myself from the shower. Bending over, she grabs her shampoo, dumping a small puddle of the sweet cranberry-smelling soap into her hands before raising up on her toes. My hands fall to her waist as her hands move to my hair, massaging the shampoo in as she bites her lip in concentration. I close my eyes when I feel her breasts brushing against my chest, and I can’t stop the groan that breaks free. This is the best fucking torture I’ve ever endured. “Rinse,” she whispers, and I open my eyes, finding her staring at me with those gray eyes I’ve dreamed about for years.

She looks so delicate at this moment. All her makeup gone, and the normal caution I typically find in her eyes softened as she stares up at me through dark lashes. I move, keeping my hands wrapped possessively around her waist, tugging her close so we can change spots in the shower, then tilt my head back enough to rinse the soap away, my eyes never leaving hers. Bella's smile grows as she watches me, watching the soap run over my shoulders and then down my body, her small hands following the path.

“Bella,” I warn as her fingers run over my abs. “I’m minutes from losing control here, love,” I admit, hating myself for it, but knowing I have a limit of what I can endure without combusting, and she's just about reached it.

“Minutes?” she asks, her hands stopping just above my belly button as she looks back up at me in confusion. “Damn. I really need to work on my game,” she mutters under her breath and frowns. Wait, what?

“You want me to lose control?” I ask in confusion.

“Yeah. But only if you want to. That was the whole point of me asking you to shower,” she grumbles, cheeks flushing scarlet.

“What!? I’ve been trying to be a gentleman! Why didn’t you say something?” I gasp in surprise. I’ve been in pain this whole time, and she’s been trying to get me to touch her.

Bella's mouth drops open as she pokes me in the chest. “Why can't you read the room?! I haven't done this before. How am I supposed to know what to do?” she tosses her hands in the air in exasperation. I laugh, which only makes her glare at me more.

---