Running with Rogues

CHAPTER 33 - WHISPERED WORDS

Look at me updating on time for once!!! Are you proud?? For those of you who are reading Rhodric's story, that should be updated tomorrow. It's very nearly finished now, and then my undivided attention will be on this book :)

It was nearly one in the morning when Liam came home that night. He was even muddier than usual and utterly soaked from the rain. He made a beeline straight for the booze cupboard and dug out a bottle of strange Australian rum.

"Hey, Eva," he said.

"Hey," I murmured.

He unscrewed the rum bottle. Instead of diluting it with coke like he usually would, he just splashed some into a glass ... and kept pouring.

I put my hand over the glass, giving him a look. It took him a moment to nod at me and take a step back. Getting drunk now wouldn't help anyone. Him least of all.

I took a deep draught myself, tipped some back into the bottle and then handed him the glass with only a few fingers left in the bottom. I knew exactly how much it took to get him sleepy.

"Good day?" I asked.

It was a sarcastic question, so he offered me a wry smile as he took a sip. "Not really, no. I think I'll just go to bed."

He started making his way over, favouring his right leg for no discernible reason. I looked between him and those nice, clean sheets. I'd changed them today after realising exactly how filthy he'd made them.

"Nope," I told him. "I can excuse wet, and I can excuse mud, but I draw the line at wet mud."

Liam stopped mid-step, nearly falling over himself. He looked down at himself and winced.

"Shower," I said, trying to be stern. "I'll find you some clean clothes."

All the other fighters showered before they came into the pack house. Poor Liam had to make his excuses and slip away because they couldn't see him without his shirt. Those burn scars were damning.

He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't think I can, Eva. I'll pass out."

I believed him. He had thrown up his supper, too, so his blood sugar must have been at rock bottom by now. Once combined with the physical exhaustion which came from such intensive workouts, it spelt disaster.

"We'll have a bath then," I decided.

Liam set the glass down on the counter. The way he was looking at me... Well, it was like I'd just grown another head. "What do you mean by we?"

"You and me," I said, slowly and deliberately, "will have a bath."

Lin had been saying she wanted one earlier. She had sounded all wistful, and I'd started to wonder if I was missing out on something. I'd ducked under the shower at the lodge for as long as I could bear (the water came out hot, and that shit hurt), but the closest I'd ever come to a bathtub was the pond near Haven.

"Together?" he demanded.

"Well, yeah. I need a wash too," I said indignantly. I was gathering supplies as we spoke - towels and clean clothes and soap. "What, you don't want to share? You're the one who's filthy, not me."

Liam blinked at me. He picked at his fingernails and managed to murmur, "It's just ... not that I'm complaining or anything, but ... we'll be naked, Eva."

I dropped the stuff I was holding and spluttered, "Shit. What? No. Of course not. Why on earth would you think ... that...? We can wear clothes."

We sat in the river in our clothes. You kinda had to. It was freezing even in mid-summer, and besides, people would come down for a drink and see you naked. Those problems didn't exist indoors, of course, but the principle was the same. I couldn't imagine someone sitting naked in a ceramic tub of water. That was ... that was just weird.