“Because I’m an asshole,” he said. “Get out of the tub.” He picked up a towel then had to duck again as I slung a bottle of conditioner at him.
I seized the body wash and cocked my arm back. A lot of different people had been living in this house, and there were at least a dozen bottles of hygiene products within my reach. I could keep this up all night, and would, if it meant winning this battle.
Pellini regarded me with narrowed eyes and pursed mouth. My arm trembled as I held eighteen fluid ounces of Silky Peach Blossom Skin-Nourishing Body Wash, but if I lowered it at this point in the standoff, it would be admitting defeat. I watched the thoughts tick through his head, and I wondered if he’d resort to dragging me bodily from the tub. I couldn’t even hope for Eilahn to save me if he did. As drained as she’d been, it would be several hours before she budged from the nexus.
The shaking of my arm increased due to my own exhaustion combined with the hot water and lack of food. But before I could chuck the bottle at Pellini to avoid holding it any longer, he shrugged and began to unbutton his shirt.
“All right,” he said. “If you won’t come out, I’ll have to come in.”
I sputtered in shock and let the body wash drop into the tub. “No! Fucking hell, are you nuts?”
He stripped off his shirt and dropped it, then untucked the less than fresh white t-shirt beneath. Not that I had any room to judge freshness or lack thereof considering how gross I’d been before my bath. “Get out of the tub and stop me,” he challenged as he wrestled the t-shirt off.
Did he really think I would cave that easily? I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him in defiance. No way would he drop trou in front of me. He was bluffing. I was certain of it.
He unclipped his holstered gun from his waistband and set it on the counter, then reached under his belly for his belt buckle. I tensed but managed to hold back an outright flinch. He was bluffing. He had to be. I remained immobile while he unbuckled his belt and undid the button of his pants. Any second now he’d stop and switch to a less humiliating tactic. Right? Then again, he didn’t look like a man on the verge of humiliation. He calmly tugged the zipper down, giving me a glimpse of red and black striped boxers, then took hold of pants and boxers at his hips and—
“Shit! Stop!” I grabbed for the towel. To my relief he took his hands from his waistband, though he waited until I pulled the plug before zipping and buttoning his pants again. Scowling, I yanked the towel around me and climbed out of the tub. As I pushed past him, I thought I saw a hint of relief in his eyes, but then again I’d been convinced he was bluffing, so how was I to know? I stomped down the hall and into my bedroom, slammed the door, then sat on the edge of the bed with the towel clutched around me. Part of me knew how irrational my thinking was, and the rest of me grudgingly admitted that Pellini’s concern wasn’t at all misplaced. Still, the sight of him calmly disrobing was one that would stick with me for a very long time.
Something touched my back. I startled and twisted to see what it was, then stared in surprise at the sight of Fuzzykins. She lifted her head and gave me a Mrowr?—perfectly normal and without a hint of hate or growling or hissing. She bumped her head against my arm, and the ache within me tripled. She hated summoners. But she clearly didn’t hate me anymore because I wasn’t a summoner.
I scratched the silly cat’s head, and she rewarded me with a thunderous purr and more head butts, followed by full body rubs against me. Okay, I could almost see why Eilahn liked her so much. Exhaling, I continued to pet the damn cat, mostly because I didn’t have a choice in the matter. She seemed to be making up for all those months of being so nasty to me. I tried to withdraw my hand, but she hooked it with her paw and pulled it back for more affection. Fine. Maybe she’d stop puking in my shoes.
I froze at a light knock at the door. “It’s me,” Jill said as the cat jammed her head against my hand again.
“You can come in,” I said. No way in hell did I want anyone else in here with me.
Jill entered and closed the door behind her. “You’re all wrinkly.”
“And clean,” I said. “Don’t forget clean.”
She let out a soft snort. “I have a feeling there wasn’t a lot of scrubbing going on, but you were in there long enough to soak off pretty much anything.” She came around the end of the bed and hiked herself up to sit beside me. Almost beside me. Between us, Fuzzykins was busy having a passion attack.
“The cat likes me now.” My voice broke, and I looked up at Jill, feeling utterly bereft. I figured Pellini had filled her and Bryce in on everything that went down. The sympathy that swam in her eyes told me she understood the deeper and unwelcome symbolism of the cat’s affection.
“Is there any way it can be fixed?” she asked gently.