Page 32 of Chasing Secrets
He did as instructed, letting Chase rinse the suds from his hair. Water ran in rivulets down his face, his neck, his chest. When he blinked his eyes open, Chase was watching him with an expression that made Jalen’s breath catch.
“What?” he asked, suddenly self-conscious again.
“Nothing.” Chase reached for the body wash. “Just…this. Us. It’s good, right?”
Something about the simple statement, delivered without grand declarations or flowery words, hit Jalen square in the chest. Because it was good. Impossibly, unexpectedly good standing in a shower with a supernatural creature who happened to be the most genuine person Jalen had ever met.
“Yeah,” he agreed quietly. “It really is.”
Chase squeezed body wash onto a loofah and began washing Jalen’s shoulders, his touch both practical and intimate. The soap smelled like cedar and something wild—probably Chase’s own scent, Jalen realized. The thought of carrying that scent on his skin made something possessive stir in his belly.
“You know,” he said as Chase’s hands worked lower, washing Jalen’s chest and stomach, “when you said you wanted to take a shower, I was expecting something a little more…athletic.”
Chase’s laugh rumbled against Jalen’s back. “We have time for that. All the time in the world.”
The words should have scared him. Instead, they felt like a promise Jalen desperately wanted to believe in.
“Now you,” he said, taking the loofah from Chase’s hands. “Bend down so I can reach your head, giant.”
Chase obliged, ducking his head under the spray before leaning down to Jalen’s level. Working shampoo into Chase’s thick dark hair felt strangely intimate, more so even than what they’d done in bed.
He massaged Chase’s scalp, earning a low, appreciative rumble. “That sounded almost like a purr. If you start growling, I’m out of here,” Jalen warned, though there was no heat in his words.
“Not growling. Just enjoying.” Chase straightened as Jalen rinsed his hair. “And for the record, wolves don’t purr.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” Jalen reached for the body wash, working up a lather between his palms before pressing them against Chase’s chest. The solid muscles beneath his hands made his mouth go dry again. “Though I guess I’ll have to do more research.”
Chase caught his wrist, bringing Jalen’s soapy hand to his mouth and pressing a kiss to his palm. “I’m available for extensive study.”
The gesture was so unexpectedly tender that Jalen felt his throat tighten. He cleared it quickly, covering the moment with humor. “I’ll need multiple trials to ensure accuracy. Scientific method and all that.”
“Of course.” Chase’s smile was knowing. “Very scientific.”
They finished washing in comfortable silence, exchanging occasional touches that lingered just long enough to promise more. When they finally stepped out of the shower, Jalen felt clean in a way that went beyond just his skin.
Chapter Nine
This would be Jalen’s first time out of the house since the vampire attack in his apartment. As Chase drove them to Second Scoops, Jalen gazed out of the window, the familiar town he’d grown up in no longer feeling the same. Not after getting clean and definitely not after learning wolf shifters, vampires, and demons were real.
The ice cream parlor appeared ahead, a quaint building with a red-and-white striped awning that fluttered in the afternoon breeze. Chase pulled the truck into an empty spot, the engine ticking as it cooled in the summer heat. Through the windshield, Jalen watched families and couples wandering in and out of the shop, ice cream cones dripping down their fingers as they laughed and talked.
Zeppelin's motorcycle rumbled as it pulled up beside them, Preston clinging to his mate's waist. The engine cut off, and Jalen felt a pang of envy at how easily Preston dismounted, how comfortable he seemed in his own skin despite everything he’d been through.
Chase turned toward Jalen, one arm draped over the steering wheel. “You sure you’re ready for this? We can always head back if you want.”
Jalen’s hands fidgeted in his lap. Was he ready? He’d spent weeks detoxing, fighting through withdrawals that left him drenched in sweat and crying for pills that Chase had flushed down the toilet. But ice cream? That seemed like a reasonable next step in his recovery tour.
“I’m good,” he said, which wasn’t a complete lie. “It’s just ice cream, not a congressional hearing.”
Chase’s eyes softened. “Just ice cream,” he agreed, though his gaze lingered a moment longer, as if he were trying to read between the lines.
“I’m nervous,” Jalen admitted, not wanting to lie. He and Chase were on a good path, and he didn’t want to mess that up. “But I can do this.”
“I know you can.” Chase leaned over and gave Jalen a quick kiss on the lips, which Jalen leaned into.
Screw ice cream if Chase wanted to make out in his truck. Jalen was all for it, but the guy pulled back, leaving Jalen desperate for more lip action.
“Does someone need a longer kiss?” Chase teased with a sexy grin.
