I sucked the sauce off my chicken a bit too hard as I locked my eyes with the television screen. I wanted to know what his muscles looked like underneath those clothes. Did the man have any tattoos? Because he definitely struck me as a tattoo kind of guy.
“Mmph,” I grunted.
The water turned off above my head and more creaking resumed. His footsteps padded around upstairs and I closed my eyes, envisioning his naked body reaching for a towel. I imagined him drying off those muscles while water droplets fell between the slats of his strength, trying to work their way to the floor. I thought about drying him off myself. The two of us, running the water cold before getting out and cleaning him down myself.
“Come on, Hannah. Stop torturing yourself,” I breathed.
I opened my eyes and forced myself to pay attention to the television. But I only ate through half of my dinner. I put the rest of my bowl of food in the fridge I had downstairs, then finished off my lemonade. Man, it was good. Just the right amount of tart to sweet. However, when I stared over at the closed door, debating on going upstairs to get some more, I placed my cup in the sink.
The truth was, I didn’t feel welcome upstairs. I felt like a burden. Like a growing nuisance. And I needed to stop trying to interject myself into Ash’s world. He’d been kind enough to me already, and the last thing I wanted was him pity-fucking me because I wouldn't leave him alone. I thought we had chemistry. I thought we shared a moment. But I’d never been the best judge of character when it came to men.
Plus, I never attracted the good men. I never attracted men like him. Men like the Dragon Riders. I always attracted men like my ex.
And that wouldn’t change simply because I wanted another life.
9
Ash
My eyes slowly eased open and I stared up at my ceiling. Holy hell, I felt like garbage. Resupplying our weapons arsenal last night had been filled with bullshit trips back and forth that I didn’t usually have to make, and I didn’t like the risk that had come with that. I had to double-check and make sure no one followed me home, especially with Hannah downstairs.
After all, her cousin was convinced her asshole ex knew where she was.
I swung my legs over the bed and eased myself up. My muscles ached with exhaustion. My back hurt from lugging so many damned boxes, bags, and ammunition into that fucking storage shed. I lumbered into the bathroom and stripped myself of my clothes, tossing them off to the side.
Then, I turned on the shower and let it get as hot as it could.
I hissed and groaned as I stepped into the piercing stream. But once I turned my back, I sighed with relief. I pressed my hands against the shower wall and sighed, trying to release all of the tension from my shoulders. I hated doing arsenal runs in the middle of the night, but I understood why we did it. Still, I couldn’t believe both Link and Bowser bailed on me.
At least they’re getting laid for it.
I turned around and opened my mouth. I gargled with some hot water before I spit it out and reached for my toothbrush. I squeezed some toothpaste onto the bristles and ran it around in my mouth, feeling the foam drip down my chin. It was always easier for me to brush my teeth in the shower, especially with a sore back. I always had to dip too far to get my mouth underneath the stream of the bathroom sink, and this way I got to save my back as well as my sanity.
I gargled with mouthwash and spit it all out onto the bottom of the shower floor. And as I slipped my head beneath the hot water, I watched it all swirl down the drain. Dirt and grime fell away from my body. Bacteria screamed as the water drowned it. I washed my hair twice before running some conditioner through it, and it took all the energy I had to find the strength to contort myself enough to wash my body.
“This shower’s too damn small,” I murmured.
Once the water grew lukewarm, I turned it off. I reached for a towel that was much too small for me and dried myself off. I stepped out, slipping against the linoleum floor and almost cracking my