Chapter 21 Tsunami of Suds #2
“Should I try the doggy heimlich?” Ko asked as he crouched, too. “I’m not reaching in there past all those teeth.”
The pup simply blinked at him, then me, eyes confused, before he turned to Seri, who looked ready to burst into tears at any moment.
“Seri, he’s big enough to pass it without a prob—”
“Brummy!” she screamed over Cas’ ill-timed logic, pushing uselessly at his rigid shoulders. “Spit it out! Right now!”
Lowering his head, Brumous opened his mouth and heaved once. With a soft plop, the duck fell on the floor in a pool of slimy saliva. He raised his head and licked his chops.
“It was an emergency morale booster.” I eyed it and decided it was no longer needed.
Apparently, Ko did, too. Snagging a pile of paper towels, he swept it up and dropped it into the trash can.
“And cut!” I clapped my hands sharply as I stood. “Next scene.”
#
After Seri hugged Brumous for two whole minutes, she was finally convinced he was fine and let Ko help her back on the counter.
As Cas paced his anxiety attack away, I turned on the water and waited until it cascaded warmly over my wrist.
“Perfect temp!” I announced, aiming the spray at her roots. “Prepare for paradise, gorgeous— Brummy, no!”
The pup lunged, his long pink tongue lapping at the stream, and soapy droplets flew as I wrestled his furry face aside.
“We’ll bathe you another time, fur missile.”
“Just put him out—”
The hurt look in Seri’s eyes had Cas snapping his mouth shut faster than a balloon pops.
“Wait.” Koa froze in the middle of luring Brumous away with a treat. “Has he ever had a bath, beloved?”
“No. I never had the time or energy—”
“Speaking of his care,” Cas interrupted. “His protruding ribs and spine indicate he was starved.”
“I fed him, Simmy! I promise I did! A third of my daily rations, supplemented with eggs when we still had chickens!” Her breath hitched.
Water dripped down her temples like tears.
“But rogue werewolves… They ate my poor hens. Since then, I skipped as many meals as I could to feed him. I tried setting traps to catch rabbits, but… but they caught me and… And…”
Short, sharp pants stole her words. Eyes wild, her right hand flew the bandage on her upper left arm. Brumous laid his front paws on the counter and tried to nuzzle her neck as my brothers and I exchanged glances.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, beloved.” Ko to the rescue, cupping her cheeks and rubbing them with his thumbs. “Cas didn’t mean he thought you were starving him. We see how much you love him. We know you did your best to keep him alive and safe.”
“Seri.” Cas’ voice carried a rough rasp. “I did not think you were starving him.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders went limp with relief. “Thank you for believing me.”
“Don’t,” he snapped. “Don’t thank me for that.”
“So rogue werewolves, huh?” Ko intervened again, as casually as if discussing brunch spots. “Lots of those around your old place, are there?”
A tremor ripped through her, and her fingers wrapped protectively around her upper arm. Cas carefully worked it away. For once, he was wise enough not to rant about the potential medical catastrophe she could cause.
“Only since Arabesque started—” Her mouth snapped shut as her eyes filled with frustration.
Deciding to bring this back around, I massaged her scalp, working the water through her thick locks. She sighed, a soft, content sound that went straight to my heart. And, yeah, my groin. Her tension started to melt away, and damn, it felt good to help her breathe easier.
Cas, watching from his silent, judgy corner, muttered, “Don’t get soap in her eyes.”
“Cas, please,” I gasped in mock offense. “I’m a professional.”
Everything was going great. Smooth sailing. Right up until the shampoo bottle slipped out of my hand.
“Oh— Shit— Wait—”
Dragon fruit dew exploded across her scalp, frothing into a pink mountain range.
Cas, blank as ever, sassed, “Professional, huh?”
Bubbles erupted. A tsunami of suds cascaded over the counter, burying Brumous’ head. The wolf sneezed, sending a soap cloud into my nostrils.
“Cruor!” I wiped my nose on my shirt sleeve. “Congrats, Brummy. You’ll be shitting bubbles til Christmas.”
Seri’s laughter rang out, bright, startled, and real. Ko doubled over clutching the island. Even Cas’ mouth twitched as he flicked foam off his sleeve.
And I felt my chest go all funny.
Definitely need that EKG.
His arms folded and eyes sharp, Cas gave me a slow, considering look.
“Well, at least she’s smiling.”
I grinned wider, flicking water at Ko.
“Focus, stylist,” he snickered, eyes dancing. “Your masterpiece’s listing to port.”
Sinking fingers into her sudsy curls, I wrangled the mass back into the sink, then worked the lather down every strand. Brumous shook himself, baptizing the kitchen in a glittery spray. Somewhere beneath the chaos, beneath Ko’s chuckles and Cas’ muttering about mopping the ceiling, I felt it.
The fracture in her, slowly sealing.
#
Her curls coiled around my fingers like satin ribbons as I squeezed out the last of the scented water. Bubbles popped against my wrists, leaving iridescent trails across her scalp.
“All done, sunshine.”
The words came out softer than I’d meant them to, my thumb brushing the shell of her ear. Water droplets clung to her lashes when she blinked up at me.
“Thank you, Zane.” She exhaled slowly, shoulders sinking into the nest of towels. “You’re the best.”
The earnestness punched through my ribs. I swaddled her hair in terry cloth with exaggerated ceremony.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. But I do accept payment in kisses.”
Color flooded her cheeks, carnation pink blooming under pale freckles.
“You’d like my kisses better, beloved.” Ko was suddenly at my elbow, plucking a rogue bubble from my shoulder. “Less frothy.”
“Kissing,” Cas rumbled as he dragged the mop across the floor, “is not a contest.”
Brumous sneezed in agreement, shaking residual suds from his fur.
“Are you always like this?” She pressed both hands to her flaming face and dropped her eyes to her new white socks.
“Like what?” I asked.
“Ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously charming,” Ko corrected, catching her wrist to press a kiss to her pulse point.
“No. Usually there’s a lot more blood,” I beamed as I snapped his ass with a towel.
Cas methodically wrung out the mop, Ko turned back to the tea kettle, and I tapped the tip of her nose with my forefinger.
“Tomorrow. Real shower. Naked and everything.”
Her snort sent more bubbles dancing in my chest than what lingered in the puddles Brumous was racing Cas to lap up.
“Promises, promises.”
Cas froze mid-wring. Koa choked on his own tongue. Seri blinked, then her face flamed as red as blood.
“That wasn’t— I didn’t mean— I’m sorry!”
“Relax, pretty girl.” I braced my palms on the counter, caging her in. “We’ll behave.” My grin turned feral. “Mostly.”
Her fingertips brushed my forearm, featherlight, testing.
“If you don’t, you’ll be demoted from stylist to towel fetcher.”
And there it was. The tremulous curve of her mouth, the way her knees knocked against mine. Not hunched. Not hiding. Just Seri. Brave enough to tease back.
Koa bumped my shoulder, handing me a brown bottle and Seri a mug of something pale and herbal. My nose said chamomile sweetened with honey.
“To tomorrow’s tubby time adventures!” I toasted, clinking my beer bottle against Seri’s tea.
Ko smirked. Brumous blew a pink bubble out of his left nostril. Cas sighed.
And Seri leaned forward and touched her lips to my forehead.
My heart stuttered like a broken chainsaw. For three whole seconds, I forgot how oxygen worked. Her lips were warmer than they looked, sun-warmed petals against my skin.
Koa’s beer bottle hit the counter with a volcanic splash.
“Well!” His voice climbed two octaves. “That’s new!”
Cas’ mop handle snapped in half, and Seri recoiled like a 10-gauge shotgun.
“I’m sorry! Was that— Am I allowed—”
“Allowed?” The words tore out of me raw and too loud. I caught her chin before she could turn away, and my thumb brushed the corner of her mouth where smiles kept getting stuck. “You rule here, little queen. You could set Ko on fire and we’d call it art.”
Brumous chose that moment to projectile-sneeze a bubble onto Cas’ boot.
“There’s your crown jewel, Nefertiti,” Ko snorted.
Her shoulders were still far too tight, so I did what any genius would do: I upended her tea mug over my head.
Herbal slop rained down my nose, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to waste a good beer.
Her initial gasp turned into a hiccuping laugh as I shook my head like a wet retriever, spraying droplets everywhere.
“What do you think?” I twirled my soaked hair straight up into a unicorn horn. “Fashion icon, right?”
“Should’ve done two horns, you devil,” Ko snickered.
Cas exhaled through his nostrils like an irritated dragon.
“Bathroom,” he growled, seizing my collar. “Now.”
“No!” Seri lunged forward, nearly face-planting into Koa’s chest in her panic. “Don’t punish him! It was my fault! Hurt me, not him!”
Ice crystallized in my gut.
“Noctem maledicta,” Cas hissed through clenched teeth.
Koa steadied her with hands that barely concealed tremors of his own.
“Punish?” His voice came out strangled. “Beloved, no one is punishing anyone. Cas is just saving us from any more dumbfuckery tonight.”
“Really?” she sniffed. “No punishment?”
“Never, baby,” he assured her, cuddling her to his chest. She sank into him like he was hot milk and she was chocolate syrup. “You’re all right. Everything is fine.”
“Okay.” Two syllables said in a tiny voice begged me to intervene again.
“Save me a spot in your dreams, my queen!” I called as I let myself be dragged backwards, blowing her an elaborate kiss through honey-tinged chamomile drips.
Her watery giggles chased us down the hall, scattered and breathless and alive, as Cas towed me to the locker room off the home gym.
He stared at the rainfall showerhead like it held life’s secrets.
“She kissed you.”
“It was just a peck.”
“You stopped breathing over that peck.” He raised one razorblade brow.
“Well, damn.” I slumped against the cold tile wall. “You saw that?”
A beat passed, then Cas did something so terrifying that I nearly called an exorcist.
He grinned.
“You looked…” A rumble built in his chest. Laughter? Nah. Can’t be. “Shocked. Like this.”
He contorted his face into what could only be described as constipation personified: Mouth agape, eyes bulging and faintly crossed. Then he jabbed a knuckle in my ribs where he knew it would tickle.
“Asshole!” The bark of laughter ripped through me like buckshot. “You’re one to talk. Saw how you held her like she was blown glass. And your eyes when she admitted she starved herself to feed Brummy.”
Cas snatched a loofah from the shelf and scrubbed at my scalp with industrial vigor.
“Point?”
“Point is,” I wheezed as pine tar invaded my sinuses, “you’ll fold faster than origami when she touches your—”
The loofah muffled my brilliant observation. Through sudsy eyelashes, I caught Cas’ jaw working like he was chewing barbed wire.
“As previously discussed, she’s not ready.” His voice dropped to a gravel-road rasp.
“I know that. And even when she is ready, I’m… ” Something hot and bitter surged up my throat. “Dark take it, Cas! It’s not like any of us have ever done it before! I’m worried I’ll fuck up and disappoint her! My control is shit and… And what if I scare her? What if… What if I hurt her?”
The loofah stilled.
Then the admission slipped out of him on a nearly silent puff of air.
“Same.”
For three heartbeats, we stood there, two idiots breathing in steam and worry, until Brumous’ howl ricocheted from the kitchen like a drunken tornado siren.
Cas sighed, the long-suffering exhale of mankind’s most beleaguered zookeeper, and lobbed the loofah at my chest with sniper precision.
“Finish up.”
He vanished into the steam, leaving me nose-to-tile with cold reality and pruney fingertips.
Yeah, the peck may have lasted only three seconds, but my skin still buzzed like I’d licked a Tesla coil.