Page 77 of Puck Me Back to Life
“Exactly.” I stand. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“The shower.”
Kai immediately looks horrified. Not by the shower. By the idea of being fussed over. Which is honestly becoming ridiculous.
“Ash—”
“Don't.”
He sighs dramatically.
I ignore him.
A few minutes later, we're standing beneath hot water. The apartment is quiet except for the steady sound of the shower.
Kai still looks vaguely suspicious, like he thinks this entire situation might be a trick.
I squirt shampoo into my hands and massage it into his scalp. He hums a small, satisfied noise.
The smile finally appears.
Small.
Sleepy.
Real.
I spend the next few minutes listening to him complain about my shampoo smelling expensive. Then he complains about my conditioner. Then my soap.
Apparently, everything I own is offensive.
It's oddly entertaining.
By the time we're finished, some of the tension has left his shoulders.
Not all of it.
Just enough. Enough that he doesn't immediately pull away every time I brush past him. Enough that he finally stops insisting he's fine.
I'll take it.
Back in the bedroom, I hand him a clean T-shirt and his underwear. The shirt hangs off him.
The sleeves are too long. The collar slips slightly toward one shoulder.
The effect is unfair.
Kai pulls it down self-consciously. “What?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
“Ash.”
I grin. “You're cute.”
His face immediately turns red. Outstanding.
