She slowly followed him into the bathroom, dimming the lights because it somehow seemed appropriate. Funny how only days before the room had seemed expansive yet intimate now seemed more descriptive. Shoving down her wayward thoughts, she struggled to remain focused on the task at hand. Jack needed her help and that was what she was going to provide.
Stepping into the glass-encased shower, she turned on the multiple sprays of the vertical spa making sure the temperature was comfortable before retreating. She hoped the smile she directed at Jack as she approached him was one of encouragement and showed nothing of the turmoil churning within her. Her sweaty palms found little relief on the fabric of her shorts before she lifted her hands to work the buttons of his shirt. Careful of his injured hands, she slid the fabric gently off his shoulders, guiding it down each arm to slip harmlessly to the floor. She reached for the button of his shorts, nestled against the firm flesh of his stomach, hesitating when she felt those muscles tense. She chanced a glance at his face, finding his eyes tightly closed and the muscles of his jaw rhythmically clenching and unclenching.
She abandoned her task to reach for one of the complimentary robes provided by the hotel. Circling behind him, she draped the fabric across his shoulders and down his body affording him a modicum of privacy before reaching around him to hook her thumbs in the waistband of his shorts and boxers to slowly lower them to the floor. Giving him a gentle nudge toward the shower, she busied herself with putting away his dirty clothes and gathering what was left of her courage. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she turned toward the shower and faltered, unprepared for what she saw.
He stood between the gyrating streams of the specialty shower, his back to her. His arms were raised allowing his bandaged hands to remain dry. His head was bent forward, slowly rolling from side to side in an obvious attempt to loosen his tightening muscles. Drawn to a single bead of water, she watched in fascination as it traveled from his shoulder down his well-defined back, following an unseen path. The droplet rolled onto the lighter skin beneath his waist, and along the firm contours untouched by the sun. Uninterrupted, the trickle of water raced down the length of one of his muscular legs before joining the other millions of globules swirling down the drain. Slowly returning her gaze up the length of his body, she felt a flurry of something deep and unknown in the pit of her stomach. Unsettled, she began to back away, intent on finding someone else to help Jack, and then he twisted his head to look her way and she was lost.
She stepped forward and into the open doors of the shower fully clothed. Nudging his head under the main shower stream, she poured some of his shampoo into her hand and waited. Her fingers delved into his hair, massaging his scalp while she worked up a cleansing lather. She gently guided his head back under the spray, using her hands to rid his thick hair of any remaining shampoo. Taking a washcloth, she rubbed vigorously on the soap bar until she had frothy bubbles oozing from the fabric. Starting at his shoulder, she thoroughly scrubbed his back and beyond, her touch becoming more and more intimate as she progressed.
She stepped closer to him, the bar of soap in one hand and the washcloth in the other. Reaching around to his chest, she used her hands alternately to first administer the soap and then to wipe it clean. Laying her head against his shoulder, she struggled to continue, her confidence fading quickly.
Sucking in a deep breath, she was overcome with his familiar scent as it swirled around her with the shower mist. Closing her eyes she lightly kissed the skin under her lips, feeling the shudder that rippled through his body at her touch, surprised to find him turning within the circle of her arms. Lifting her head to question him, her lips were instantly captured by his in a soul-searing kiss.
She shivered as he raised his head, her body reacting not only to his touch but to the elemental desire she saw flashing in his eyes. She ran her hands up his arms, grabbing his elbows to help keep his hands elevated while he used his body to urge her under the cascading water. She was mesmerized by the way his gaze deepened as he surveyed the clinging material of her t-shirt. His expression mirrored the need knifing through her.
Their lips met hungrily, each straining to get closer, the water pouring around them adding to their excitement. She nipped at his jaw when he broke the kiss, his chest heaving in time with hers, both starved for oxygen. Scoring a path to his ear, she used her tongue to tease his lobe before taking it between her lips to worry. She was rewarded by his body pressing hers against the slate wall, his reaction to her unmistakable. Her hands slid down to his chest while his elbows rested on her shoulders and his mouth feasted on hers ravenously.
She felt his body trembling as he shifted his attention to her forehead where he intermittently deposited soothing kisses while allowing their breathing to calm. She met his gaze steadily, reading both yearning and exhaustion in their chocolaty depths. Ducking under his arm, she fled from the first emotion and catered to the second. Hastily turning off the water, she grabbed the oversized towel she had left within reach and dried his back before wrapping it around his waist. She used a second towel to dry his arms, allowing him to stiffly lower them to their normal position before she turned her attention to drying his hair.
Only when he stepped into the boxers she was holding for him did she remove the towel from around his waist. After he moved into the bedroom she allowed herself to finally react. She sat on the vanity bench, put her head between her legs, and struggled to regain her composure.