“Okay.”
Her voice was quiet and as I shut the door, my heart ached.
Did she feel this? The need, the pain.
Probably not. She’d had Dexter and Taylor already today. Why would she feel the same need I did?
It would be impossible.
I walked past the upstairs bathroom and paused in the hallway.
Maybe it was better to wash up here?
My shower, the one downstairs, would smell of Claire. She’d probably used my soap, my towels… I shuddered to think of the sensual torment such a thing would feel like.
I stomped into the shower and shut the door. I needed a good, cold dunking more than anything else. I also stunk to high heaven, so a bloody good scrub was in order.
I flicked the shower on, stripped out of my clothes and jumped beneath the icy needles.
I yelped a bit when the water first hit my steaming skin, but sucked it up and dove beneath the fray. The cold water pummelled down on my head and I closed my eyes, splaying both hands onto the cold tiles and letting the water run down my back.
My heated skin began to shiver, the frantic need within my muscles beginning to abate.
Thank God for that.
I stood up straighter and turned the hot on, balancing out the temperature.
Slowly, the heat seeped into my bones and my muscles relaxed. The steam began to rise around me and I took some deep, calming breaths.
That’s better.
I turned my back on the head and grabbed the shampoo, pouring some of the liquid into my hands and scrubbing my hair with it.
My good stuff was downstairs, but this would have to do.
Taylor and Dexter would wash in the creek if I didn’t insist on having soap and shampoo and showers in the house.
I was probably better suited to the human world than they were—and speaking of which…
The door to the bathroom slid open and a pair of dainty feet poked out beneath the steam.
Damn. I hadn’t turned the fan on.
“Jay?” Claire’s voice echoed in the small, tiled room.
I couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face. Just hearing her speak made happiness pound through my heart.
“Hey, beautiful. Do you need something?”
Maybe the other guys hadn’t bothered to get her anything to eat? What was she doing in here?
“Um…”
She wasn’t moving and she wasn’t talking. I really didn’t read women’s minds, especially those I wasn’t related to.
“If you give me a couple of minutes, I’ll get out and help you.”
With whatever it is you need.