Gray's Shadow (Kings of Hell MC 4)

He was heavy and uncomfortably tall for this, but Gray used all his strength to help him into the cramped, windowless space. Shadow briefly lost his footing and would have collapsed to the floor if it wasn’t for Gray, who helped him sit on the closed toilet.

When the water went from icy to hot, Gray kicked off his boots and dragged Shadow into the tiny stall made of plexiglass. They barely fit in there at once, but the moment the sliding door shut behind them, Gray helped Shadow sit under the stream.

The droplets were boiling hot and made Gray’s brain cook in his skull, but he refused to leave and joined Shadow, enduring the heat until his skin got used to it.

Shadow was still shivering when he cautiously stroked Gray’s forearm. “Much… much better,” he uttered, and even his teeth stopped clattering. His black hair soaked up water, as did his clothes, but the only thing Gray could focus on was the color blooming on Shadow’s cheeks like proof of life.

He exhaled in relief, and the moment he became certain all was well, he relaxed, slumping against Shadow’s bulky form. “I was so fucking worried. Don’t ever do this again!”

Shadow released a deep breath. “You worried?” He looked up, and his red eyes were so soft Gray’s heart skipped a beat from a sudden onslaught of emotion. They stayed still for a few moments, staring at one another despite water dripping from their eyelashes. Shadow kept blinking them away in a futile fight.

Gray breathed in the sauna-like air, numb from the rapid throbbing in his head. “I do have a heart, you know.” He put his thumbs under Shadow’s jaw, just to once more make sure the pulse was there. He only realized the black arm was back when he saw it on the pale skin.

“Do you?” Shadow attempted to pull Gray closer, but he wasn’t forceful and left him lots of room for choice.

Gray swallowed, watching him for a few breathless seconds, but eventually relented and let himself be hugged. The strength in Shadow’s arms was confirmation that he was indeed alive. “Yes. But sometimes it stays hidden so deeply you can’t even hear it,” he said with a slight smile.

Shadow embraced him tightly and after a bit of fumbling they settled into a comfortable position where Gray sat between Shadow’s legs. The hot water soaked through his pants and made them cling to his skin as if the fabric were cuddling him too.

“Sounds exactly like what I just came back from. I was inside the body but couldn’t move it no matter how hard I tried. Only when you joined did it work.”

Gray stilled, shocked at how accurately Shadow described what Gray so often felt. Trapped inside his body and numb, unable to truly live despite not being dead yet.

“Teamwork,” Gray said and raised his hand for a fist-bump.

Shadow wasn’t sure what he was doing, so Gray had to teach him, and it was kinda cute when Shadow wanted to do it all over again.

In the hot water, time stood still, melting all knots in Gray’s muscles until he half-lay, half-sat next to Shadow with their gazes locked. The silence held no awkwardness, no tension. Shadow was there with him, and when his face got slightly too pink, it was time to leave the shower.

“Do you think you’re hot enough now?” Gray asked, switching off the water. In the stall that was so thick with steam they could hardly see anything through the plexiglass his skin still felt scorching.

Shadow nodded, squeezing water out of his damp hair. “My heart’s pumping so fast.”

So was Gray’s, but he wouldn’t say it. Instead, he rose, lightheaded from spending too much time in the heat, but once he was out of the shower and the air became less thick, there was relief.

He peeled his pants off and tossed them to the floor, acutely aware of the presence behind his back. In the tight confines of the bathroom, between its damp walls, he couldn’t ignore the strong, handsome body just inches away.

Judging by the sounds, Shadow was undressing as well, which was a normal thing after all. Nothing to pay much attention to. The man ate bugs and rats, for fuck’s sake, so why was the urge to take a peek at him so intense?

Holding his breath, Gray glanced over his shoulder under the pretense of reaching for the towel. He had to stop himself from staring. Shadow was hard. Of course.

He was trying to clumsily wrap the tiny hand towel around his hips, but it was all in vain, because the edges barely met at his hip. The body that had been cold just minutes ago now glowed with signs of vitality. Gray could imagine burying his face in Shadow’s neck and falling asleep that way. Wouldn’t that be a good deed if Shadow suffered away from him?