The Wild Hunt (Downworlder Series, #1)

Chapter Twenty-Four: Bubble Bath

Two Weeks Later...

"Comfortable?" He questioned me as he squatted beside the tub, fingers swiping over the bubbles that hid my body from sight.

My lips pinched together as I shifted slightly, trying to ease the tension in my muscles. I had been so broken when they had found me it had taken hours to piece me back together or so I had been told. I didn't hurt as bad anymore but some of my parts were taking longer to heal, making certain activities almost impossible to do alone. It made me feel like an invalid which I definitely wasn't.

"I guess." I shifted again feeling the ache in my sides.

I watched as his brows furrowed, "You guess? You not know? That make no sense." I wanted to splash water at him, not in the mood to explain myself but I found myself doing just that as his confused face seemed to be my kryptonite.

"Until about a week ago I was on bed rest, Ajax. Now, I am in a bathtub and I can barely move. I can't do much of anything, really. So yeah It's very not comfortable." I snipped at him. I immediately regretted taking out my frustration of the situation out on him. He had been nothing but helpful if not a tad bit overprotective since I had been saved.

I closed my eyes and laid my head back against the rim, sighing, "I'm sorry. I know I'm being a bit bitchy...I'm just not used to being so useless..." My ears picked up his movement in the room.

"Sutton not useless." He growled and I found my lips twitching upward, "Everyone need help every now and then."

The sound of his zipper sliding down and fabric hitting the tile floor had my eyes snapping open. I turned my head quickly to see Ajax stepping away from the jeans I had been forcing him to wear. My eyes took in his naked form, swallowing hard as I noticed his cock was semi-hard, "What do you think you are doing?"

"Helping Sutton. Can't move to wash. I help." My face grew hot at his words and the images of his hands rubbing and cleaning certain areas of my body, very private areas.

"You're not getting in here with me, Ajax. That. Is. not. Happening." I said the words pointedly hoping that it would leave him without confusion. The thought of being in such an intimate position with him had my heart jumping into my throat.

His eyes narrowed int challenging slits as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Yes. We bathe together. Sutton can't move, what if drown trying to wash?" I wanted to roll my eyes at his logic. His arms fell to his side as he scanned the blushed state of my face. His lips pulled up slightly as if to smirk, "I promise I be good. Only clean."

"Now why do I find that hard to believe?" I mumbled under my breath as he came to stand beside the tub, everything up close and personal to my face. I turned my face away, cheeks burning hotter. I scooted forward in the tub to make room for him, knowing that he would have moved me himself otherwise and that would have been even more embarrassing. He got into the tub behind me, legs and arms wrapping around me. The warmth of his body turned up the temperature of the already heated water. His hands pulled at my waist, urging me to lean back against him.

I was leaned against him as stiff as a board, waiting for his hands to wander as they had a tendency to do but when they never did I found myself surprised. Ajax leaned over and grabbed the washcloth, silently lathering it up with the soap. I flinched at the first swipe of the soapy rag over my tender flesh, "Only clean." He reminded me in a gentle tone that he had been using with me ever since I had woken up back at Octavia's tower after the whole kidnapping near death experience.

I didn't remember much after the beat down Revan had given me. I had some memories here and there but they came to me more like dreams, I couldn't even be sure if they had actually happened. All I knew was that I had survived and that Madame Lao had turned Revan's district to a little more than ash as I had promised she would. Her army of ferals and squatters had taken out most of his followers in one bloody night. Octavia had cleared her territory as well, making sure that not a single purist was left living. The city had been turned into den of genocide all for my sake. While it set me on edge to think about the level of violence that had been unleashed I was happy to know that the nightmare was finally over.