Page 99 of The Tracker's Dawn: Sunderverse

“Hmm, I think you’re right.”

Once in the bedroom, I locked the door behind us and guided him to the bathroom. I got the water running in the shower and set it to the right temperature.

Returning my attention to Jake, I grabbed the hem of his shirt. He lifted his arm as I pulled it off. His muscles rippled and flexed exquisitely. There was dry blood on his torso and strong arms. I would make sure to wash every last bit with much care.

Next, I unbutton his pants. They dropped from his narrow hips and puddled at his feet. I gasped when I saw he was wearing no underwear and was more than ready for me. I bit my lower lip as I admired him. He was so beautiful. I ached in my core.

“Your turn.” He made quick work of my T-shirt and basketball shorts. Ihadopted to wear panties and a bra, but he got rid of those as his silver gaze tracked me one inch at a time.

Hands roving over each other, we stepped into the shower together and slid the glass door shut. The water was perfectly delicious. There was a handheld shower head, which I removed from its base and aimed at Jake’s chest. With the tips of my fingers, I rubbed his pecs and abs, removing all traces of the battle from his skin. When I was done, he did the same with me. He started with my hair, massaging my scalp with the tips of his fingers.

“It looks like the pink is washing off,” he said as he rubbed a strand of hair against his palm and sprayed it thoroughly.

“I know. I haven’t had time to go to the hair salon. I need a haircut badly, too.”

“I like your hair brown better.”

I tipped an eyebrow at him. “And I like it pink.”

“Fine, fine,” he chuckled. “I’m not gonna try to tell you what to do Ms. Alpha.”

“That’s right.” I poked his pec with one finger. He flexed it, and it felt like poking a wall. “Ouch.” I shook my hand.

He grabbed it and kissed it better.

Once we washed all the blood away, we went through the same steps again, but this time with soap and shampoo. At some point, the cleaningandthe foreplay ended, and Jake picked me up and pressed my back against the wall. I wrapped my legs around him as he kissed me and made love to me with patience and tenderness as if we had nothing to fear in the hours ahead.

I traced every inch of his body, doing my best to believe we would be like this forever. I managed to fool myself until we were lying in bed, our naked bodies pressed together. That was when silent tears spilled out, and he discovered them when they splashed onto his smooth chest.

“Hey!” He hooked a finger under my chin and guided me to meet his gaze. “It’ll be all right. You have to believe that.”

“I know.”

He kissed my forehead and smoothed my still-damp hair.

“You fight that fucking demon, okay?”

“I will. I won’t let it keep me from you. Lucia will do great. She’s strong, like you. You all get it from your mom.”

“Yeah, I guess. Luckily we didn’t get the lying gene, too.” Part of me was still angry at her. Would the resentment ever go away?

“With time, you’ll forgive her,” Jake said as if he’d read my thoughts.

“I think Travis hates me. Not that I care.”

“Don’t blame him. He’ll need time, too. He must be in awful pain after losing his daughter. He must also be conflicted about his emotions.”

“That damn witch!”

“We’ll get her. After tomorrow, we’ll focus on ridding the city of her and her pests.”

I nodded and rested my cheek on his chest. I listened to his heart and prayed, begging Velthgrek didn’t get a chance to come near it. After several quiet minutes, I let out a heavy sigh and allowed his heart’s steady rhythm to lull me to sleep.