Page 17 of Recipe for a Curse

Rio barely glanced up. Instead, he scooted back a bit so there was room for me. Maybe he wasn’t warm enough yet. I’d turn up the heat when I got out. I dropped my own towel and got in, taking over the spray for a moment, thankful for the two showerheads and the tankless water heater nestled deep within the bowels of the garage. I stood under the spray for a while, letting the feeling burn into me. Nothing looked frostbitten, though I’d felt on the verge of it. And I was so enchanted by the heat and desire to get warm, I didn’t realize I was standing with my back to Rio. Meaning he was getting an eyeful of my ass.

Heat funneled into my face. At least that still worked. I reached for my towel and carefully stepped onto the mat to wrap it around myself. Rio’s blue eyes were wide and staring at me.

“Are you okay?” I asked him. “The water doesn’t go any warmer but I have a lot of blankets.” I wouldn’t have any clothes that fit him except the hoodie he’d given me. “Let me get your hoodie.”

I left him to the shower, turned up the heat, cleaned up the mess of the clothes, stuffing everything into the washer, then retrieving his hoodie. I paused long enough to pull on a pair of underwear, but left the towel in place. When I returned to the bathroom, the water was off. Rio was standing on the mat covered in towels. He looked like a little kid for a minute, eyes huge while wrapped up like a mummy.

I handed him the hoodie. “It’s all I have that will fit. Sorry. I turned up the heat, and I have blankets. Lots of blankets. I sort of buy them all the time. I really like the soft ones.” The ones that felt like fur even if they weren’t really fur. And, I was rambling again. An entire trunk filled with blankets had to be enough right?

Rio took the hoodie and I left him to a bit of privacy, though my mind wanted to cling to the brief memories of being in the shower with him. I sent a text to Zach about finding Rio, and the sled that was out back. Maybe Rio had stuff on it?

I tugged on a pair of warm pajamas, thankful I had a whole drawer of those too. When Rio exited the bathroom, he was in the hoodie with a towel around his waist.

There was a knock at my door which made me jump a half foot in the air. Rio didn’t react at all. “It’s your boss,” he said softly. “Probably wants me to leave…”

I rushed past Rio to the door and opened it to find Zach standing there with a duffel bag in hand. I blinked at him, but Zach wiggled the bag. “For your guest.”

“Thanks,” I said feeling a bit lost, but it was after three in the morning.

“Make sure he eats. Get some sleep. Ana will take care of breakfast. I’ll bring the sled in tomorrow.”

I began to protest, but Zach was already on his way back down the stairs. When I closed the door and turned, Rio still stood in the same spot, almost like he was frozen, worried that moving too fast would spook me. Okay so I was easily spooked, but not by him.

“Zach says this is for you.” I held the bag out for him. “And I have lots of food. Bacon even. And moon cakes. Lots of moon cakes…” I glanced at the kitchen and the mess, suddenly very tired.

Rio took the bag, but otherwise didn’t move.

“I, ah, need to clean the kitchen and maybe get some sleep. There are extra blankets and stuff in that chest.” I pointed to the big trunk that I used as a coffee table. “Feel free to eat anything you want.”

Rio seemed to suck in air and swallow hard, then he stalked back into the bathroom with his gifted duffel bag in tow. A bit rude, but okay. I had a kitchen to clean.