Page 19

19

Relax

*Ren*

S loshing echoed around me as I furiously scrubbed myself in the cave’s pool. The nerve of that man! At least he had the sense not to start his dumb humming.

Jalen’s voice reverberated in my ears, that stupid order of his playing on repeat. He’s lucky he didn’t try to throw me over his shoulder. I would’ve… Well, I probably wouldn’t have done anything other than flail around like a dead fish. Jalen was way bigger and stronger than I would ever be. I’m sure he would’ve had no trouble manhandling me. A shiver spread through my belly, and I wasn’t entirely convinced it was only from my righteous indignation.

I climbed out of the tub and dried off. My upper lip curled as I studied my lone skinsuit and pair of panties. Both could use a good washing—the skinsuit especially, after the work I’d done on the rider. Several new stains marred the chest and arms, darkening the navy-blue fabric to near black.

I settled for handwashing the panties and hanging them to dry, and slipped into the skinsuit without them. Hopefully, they’d be dry in the morning. I refused to spend another night sleeping in the nude. Not after that weird sleepwalking incident last night. Washing my skinsuit would have to wait.

I wrenched the screen back and stormed into the cave, prepared to shower Jalen with more disdain… except he was nowhere to be seen.

“Jalen?” My pulse sped. It wasn’t like there was anywhere to hide. That could only mean one thing. He must’ve gone outside.

Why in the universe would he go out there after he’d insisted on dragging me in? I strode for the door, intending to push it open, but before my fingers pressed against the rock, a blood-curdling howl rent the air somewhere nearby.

“Holy fuck!” Terror seized me, rooting my feet to the floor. The roar sounded like what you’d get if a lion and a dragon had a baby, with a little wolf thrown in. Whatever creature had made that sound had to be terrifying… Anyone with half a brain would stay as far away from it as possible.

Guess my brain hadn’t gotten the memo. As if it had a mind of its own, my hand darted out and shoved the boulder door open.

“Jalen!” I yelled into the dark. The barest sliver of a lone moon hung over the horizon, providing only the scantest hint of light. I squinted, praying one of the shadows would move. And that it didn’t belong to whatever creature had produced that dreadful howl.

Nothing.

My heart hammered loudly in my ears as I stepped outside. “Jalen, where are you?”

“Ren? What are you doing? Go back inside!”

Relief pulsed through me so swiftly I didn’t even scowl at his agitated demand. “Thank god! What were you thinking going back out?”

As Jalen hurried forward, grunting, the answer to my question became clear. He hadn’t returned empty-handed. He clenched a length of rope in his fists, dragging the rider behind him. “Get inside, would you? You’re blocking the entrance.”

Another howl somewhere in the trees made me flinch. Then I hopped into motion, backing away into the cave with my mouth agape. “You went back for the rider?”

“That obvious, huh?” With a grin, he pulled the machine in the last small stretch and shoved the door in place.

My speeding pulse finally slowed. As the panic subsided, annoyance rose to replace it. I strode forward and punched Jalen in the shoulder. “Are you fucked in the head? Why did you scare me like that?”

“Hey!” His smile fell, and he rubbed the spot with a frown. “I thought you’d be happy. You wanted more time with the rider. Now you have all night.”

I planted my hands on my hips. “And what if you’d gotten eaten by a dradhowler? Where would that leave me? I’d be stuck without a guide. I don’t know anything about this stupid planet, remember?” And yeah, I’d be pretty devastated that one of the few good men in the universe was gone, but I wasn’t exactly in the mood to hand out compliments.

Jalen stared at the floor for a second before lifting his gaze to mine. “I knew if I ran, I’d make it back in time. I thought you’d still be in the pool, and the rider would be a pleasant surprise when you got out. It may have been stupid to chance it, but I wanted to do something nice after I yelled at you earlier.”

Fuck… If I hadn’t been so pouty on the hike to the cave, he wouldn’t have felt compelled to put himself in danger to please me. “It is a nice surprise,” I conceded, forcing a smile. “Just don’t pull that kind of stunt again, okay?”

“I won’t. Promise.” Jalen dragged a hand across his sweaty brow. “You mind if I take a turn in the tub?”

I shook my head. “Go for it.”

As I watched Jalen wearily trudge toward the tub, my stomach twisted. I wanted to stay angry with him. Hell, deep down, I was still a little angry. I mean, who runs out in a monster-infested jungle to make amends? That was crazy…

But another part of me was stunned. When had anyone ever cared enough about me to do something crazy? Sure, I had Arda and Karsen. Zenda too. But they’d never put their life on the line to make me happy. My foster brother, Demi—he’d come close once. That had been a totally different situation, though.

With a sigh, I grabbed Jalen’s pack and started digging out my tools. Might as well make the best out of the opportunity, now that I had it. Soon I was elbow-deep inside the engine again, trying not to think about what Jalen was doing on the other side of that screen.

Yet, try as I might, I couldn’t get over what he’d done. Did my opinion matter so much to Jalen that he’d go to such extremes to put a smile on my face? Or was I making a big deal out of nothing? Maybe he made a habit out of doing crazy things for other people.

Yeah… that was probably it. I was just used to men being shitty, so it seemed bonkers when they acted nice.

“Fuck!” In my distracted state, I made a stupid mistake, splashing oil across my forearms.

“You okay out there?” Jalen asked.

“I just made a mess. Let me know when you’re out of there. I’m gonna need the tub again.” Luckily, I’d had my sleeves rolled up, so I hadn’t completely destroyed my skinsuit.

“Harlx’s bones! I just got in.” Jalen clicked his tongue. “I don’t mind sharing if it means I can relax here for a while longer.”

Is he serious?

I couldn’t wash while he was in there—naked.

But then I spotted a light flash behind the screen, and the unmistakable scent of smoke filled the cave. Seemed he had no intention of getting out soon. And my arms were starting to itch…

I slammed the hood closed. “Fine. I’m coming over. You better not be hogging the soap.” I’d keep my eyes averted. Nothing to worry about.

Jalen chuckled. “It’s all yours.”

Inching the screen back, I slipped inside, keeping my gaze trained on my feet. “Where is it?” I squeaked.

“On the ledge. You’d see it if you weren’t so interested in your boots.”

My gaze flashed up in an instinctual glare. Holy mother of muscles… It was a chore maintaining my sneer with miles of wet bronze skin on display, yet somehow, I managed. “I didn’t come here to be teased.” I snatched the soap off the ledge and leaned over the edge, plunging my arms into the water up to the elbow.

A cloud of fragrant smoke wafted around me. “You don’t have to stay out there. Plenty of room for us both.”

Is he deliberately trying to make me blush? Even if he wasn’t, I could sense from my burning cheeks my face was currently crimson. “I’m good where I am.” Jalen’s relaxed laughter filled the space—that and more smoke. “Why are you smoking? There are no plants in here to hypnotize.”

“I don’t need a tawl bush to enjoy a burner. Besides, it helps me sleep.” A sharp intake let me know he’d taken another drag, but I didn’t look up from my task. “Does it bother you?”

“Just making conversation.”

“Thought you were against talking while bathing?”

I just needed something to distract myself from how insanely awkward this was. Didn’t help that my perverted brain kept begging me for a peek at more than just his chest. Nope… I’m not gonna look. Shut it down, Ren.

“Perhaps you should reconsider hopping in. You look… tense.” I didn’t need to see his face to know he was smiling.

“I’m plenty relaxed.”

“If you say so,” he drawled. “No worries. There are countless caves with pools in this part of the jungle. Next time, perhaps.”

My blood boiled, causing another flash of heat to smolder beneath my skin. Only this time, I doubted it was the sickness causing it. I’d had about enough of his stupid invites. Luckily, I’d finally scrubbed my arms clean.

I straightened, helped myself to Jalen’s towel, and turned to go.

“Pull that screen closed when you leave, would you? I think you’ve had enough of a show.”

I froze, my shoulders stiffening. The prick! I hadn’t looked. Not once. Well, except for that one glare that barely even counted… I needed to say something cutting. Some comeback that would make him cower in the tub and his balls wither to dust.

Seconds ticked by, and my brain might as well have been on vacation. It was like I was the one puffing on that—wait…

I spun on my heel and prowled toward Jalen, a smirk on my lips.

He grinned lazily as our gazes locked. “Did you change your mind? Invitation stands—hey!” His smile vanished as I plucked his joint out of his fingers.

Lifting it to my lips, I backed away, holding his gaze as warm smoke filled my lungs. “What?” A cloud wafted around my mouth as I expertly exhaled while I spoke. “Thought you wanted me to relax?” I let the words linger as I whipped around and pulled the screen closed, taking my stolen stash along with me.

I’d hoped it would infuriate him. Or at the least, mildly piss him off. But as Jalen’s delighted laughter followed me into the cave, I realized it would take a lot more than stealing his weed to ruffle Mr. Sunshine’s feathers.

Oh well… At least my dinner’s gonna taste great tonight.