Uncomfortable, Undone University Series, Book 1

Chapter 13

Krystal

Jace brings me in through the pool bath, probably to avoid mucking up the pristine house. Even still, I'm conscious of every drip from my clothing, every muddy splatter landing on the tile floor. The air inside the house is warmer than outside, but not warm enough.

"W-we need to get this m-mud off before we go t-traipsing through the p-place," I tell Jace between chattering teeth as he sets me down. I toe off my sneakers, grimacing at the way they squelch. These are going straight into the garbage as soon as soon as possible. My entire outfit is trash now. But getting this muck off my body is priority number one. I step toward the shower. Though, if I'm honest, a clean body isn't my only goal. I'm also after the warmth the shower will provide. Every inch of my exposed flesh is covered with gooseflesh, and even my shivers have shivers.

I think Jace is shaking, too, or maybe I'm just shaking so hard he looks like he's shivering along with me. The second the water is hotter than my body temperature, I step into the stall and under the spray, not even bothering to remove my clothes. I moan under the feel of the water warming my skin.

Jace doesn't speak, doesn't move. He just stands awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking everywhere but at me. As my chill subsides and my tense muscles relax under the flow of warm water, I'm finally able to see just how hard Jace is shaking. He's trembling like a wet yorkie, even with his arms wrapped tightly around himself. I feel for the guy, but I haven't even begun to chip away at the mud streaking my hair and skin, and I'd kill before I'd give up the much-needed heat the shower is providing me. No way am I stepping out so he can get in. But... I am still fully clothed.

"Come on," I call to him. "You need to get warmed up and get the dirt off you too."

He looks at me in surprise, then around the bathroom unsurely. Finally, his eyes do a quick rove down my body and back up to my face. I don't miss the hint of color in his cheeks. "I... c-can w-w-wait," he bites out.

"Wait? You can't even talk."

He doesn't answer, just shrugs.

"Get in this shower right now," I order him the way I would order a petulant child. "I'm not going to be responsible for your hypothermia.

His eyes narrow at me, but he nods and moves toward the shower, steps in. The space is a million times smaller with him in here. A million times more intimate. Suddenly, the shower isn't what's warming me, but the nearness of him. I can feel him surrounding every part of me. We're breathing the same air. I suspect he feels it, too, because he takes a step back, presses himself against the shower wall.

Every inch he places between us makes me want to move that much closer to him. The idea that I'm making him uncomfortable sends a little thrill through me. His normally unflappable persona is cracking, and I'm finally getting under his skin. Who knew all it would take was a dunk in a mud puddle followed by a warm shower.

When Jace's gaze dips to my lips, I lick them and have to bite back a smile when he mirrors the action.

Spurred on by his discomfort, I make a show of displaying my disgust with the rivulets of dirty water running from my clothes to circle the drain. "Tradesies," I announce and step forward, out of the spray of water. I motion for him to take my place under the shower head, and when he does, I reach for the waistband of my leggings. He has his back turned to me, letting the water pour over his head, down his face. While he lets the jets wash the leftover mud from his hair, I slip my pants over my hips, down my legs, and kick them into a corner of the shower stall.

I'm just reaching for the hem of my shirt when Jace turns back around, wiping his hands over his eyes to clear the water before opening them. A strained noise pushes breathily through his lips when he catches sight of me in my T-shirt and panties and nothing more. "What are you doing?"