Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
10
“THE FIRST THING I AM going to do is clean this hellhole,” I mutter, holding Ace’s hand as we move through the ship towards the captain’s quarters where Ace has told everyone we will be staying.
Very bossy of him.
Nobody cared; I think they were all just glad to have somewhere soft to sleep. Aggie has most of our blankets, so at least we can lay on them until we can wash the dirty sheets on the beds.
“Agreed,” Ace murmurs, opening the door to the room and stepping in.
It’s the same dirty magazine filth that we found the last time we searched this ship together. But, it’s a room, and it has a bed and a shower, so that’s something.
“I’m goin’ to clean that shower enough to make it good enough for us to step into,” Ace tells me. “You do what you can with the bed.”
I stare at the bed, and the messed up sheets and blanket. Scrunching my nose, I nod. We get to work, even though we’re exhausted. Somewhere on the ship, the rusty pipes groan as another shower is turned on. I move towards the bed, and then without even looking, take all the blankets and sheets and rip them off. Tossing them on the ground, nose still scrunched, I go out and collect my blanket from all the belongings we have on board.
Once I have laid it down flat, I go on a hunt for something to cover the pillows with. I end up just taking another blanket and wrapping the pillows in it, so that at least they’re covered. Then, I pick up as much trash from around the room as I can, stuffing it into the bin, so that it looks a little less foul. I open a window just as Ace walks out from the bathroom, shirtless, looking somewhat disgusted.
“Fuck me, they’re pigs. All of them.”
I smile, walking over to him but he puts his hands up. “Baby, you don’t want to touch me. If you saw what I just dealt with...”
My hands drop.
He grins.
“So straight to the shower then?” I giggle, soft and low.
His eyes soften. “You know, I can’t say I’ve heard you giggle before.”
My cheeks heat. “Well, we might actually get to know each other now that we’re not constantly living in survival mode.”
His eyes grow hungry.
“Not like that, you animal,” I laugh.
“Get your clothes off. It has been too long since I have been inside you.”
My brows shoot up.
“If you thought I wasn’t goin’ to fuck you slowly in that shower, you’re mistaken.”
Oh my.
I drop my clothes without thought.
Mostly over the thought of him fucking me slowly in the shower, but also because I have forgotten what it feels like to have hot water running over my body. I am more than a little excited.
“Tell me there is at least soap in there,” I say, putting my hands together as if praying.
“Found a new block of soap under the sink, and shampoo. No conditioner, but hey, it’s better than nothing.”
I squeal, unable to help it. “Oh my god! Let’s go!”
I don’t walk to the bathroom, I run.
I don’t know what to expect, but honestly, I actually don’t really care that much.
The bathroom is a step down and a stumble left from the captain’s quarters, barely wide enough for two bodies—so obviously, Ace has to angle his way in behind me, or he’ll block the damn door. The walls are metal, painted over with decades of grime that not even the purest bleach could ever lift, but Ace has scoured every surface that matters. There’s a cracked mirror, a metal sink that’s seen at least thirty years, and a shower head that’s more of a pipe with holes in it. But it’s clean, enough.
I flick on the light. It’s one of those naked bulbs that hums with effort, casting everything gold. Ace flips on the water and for a second both of us freeze, because the pipes rattle scarily loud, and then—like a miracle—water rolls out in a thick, glorious wave. For a second, I can’t move. I am so tired, so absolutely fucking exhausted, but the idea of stepping into that hot water makes me want to cry.
“After you,” Ace says, but his voice is different now. There’s a kind of gentleness in it that I haven’t heard for quite some time now.
I do not hesitate.
My clothes hit the ground, and I step into the shower. The water hits my skin and the first sound out of me is animal—a gasp, then a whimper. I lean my body into the spray, letting it hit my chest, my neck, my face, and for a second, I just stand there with my eyes closed as layers of salt, sand, and whatever else wash off and down into the drain.
There isn’t a single moment in my life where I ever would have thought I could die happy from a shower.