'Irrevocable.' The word echoed in her mind.

  His fingers were in her hair and he slowly dragged his nails across the scalp, soothing her. This was something his mother used to do when he was distressed as a child. It surely worked on Katherine, whose breathing leveled and she snuggled closer to Cage.

  She had relaxed in his arms even though she wasn't sleepy. She stayed there for an hour before her bladder started to act up.

  She tried to move away from him, but he held her in his arms before questioning, "Where are you going?" Katherine patted his shoulder and was going to move when he spoke again. "Don't move." The exhaustion from their activities had somewhat affected him. He was lethargic.

  "I need to go to the toilet." She said with a little embarrassment. It was routine for her. She needed a shower now that her sweat had dried and she felt sticky all over. She assumed she smelled too. On top of that, it was only hygienic to wash herself properly down there.

  "You go, I'll join you shortly, okay?" He winked at her.

  Thank god he didn't ask to go with her. Katherine didn't think they were at the stage where they could share the bathroom while one of them peed. That was still a long way ahead.

  She went inside the shower and peed, she washed herself down there properly, before she called for him.

  "Cage?" she called. He came quickly. She had set the shower to a good heat and then left the door unlocked for him to enter. When she looked at the door which had just opened, she saw Cage enter with a bunch of towels and two pairs of clothing. Both his.

  "Why do you have two sets of clothes?" she asked. She saw him smile and looked on in confusion. He shook his head and just shrugged.

  "I didn't want to go through your closet, so I just brought in mine." Katherine blinked, realizing that he would obviously feel uncomfortable alone in the apartment and she was being a bitch for thinking he would just adapt to everything so fast. "It would be nice to see you in my clothes, as well," he added slyly.

  She laughed, almost shocked by his candidness. 'She would love to be in his clothes.' Sure she had a lot of men's t-shirts and shirts that she would wear around the house or even outside, but she had never worn a man's clothes. She imagined that it would smell like him, or at least the detergent he used. It would be like she was surrounded by him as she moved… like she was his in all sense of the word.

  She nodded and hooked her finger to beckon him into the shower. He obliged, sliding into the shower and letting her soak him in.

  He looked magnificent with water running down his body, every contour of his body wetting and glistening. If she wasn't so overwhelmed, she would have demanded shower s.e.x. But she didn't think she could handle it then. She sighed as he procured a washcloth and gently caressed the back of her neck and shoulders.

  She sighed, feeling the gentleness of his touch. He didn't want s.e.x, this wasn't about it. She was surprised that he would be so conscious of her needs. It was a refreshing change. She didn't know why she had such low expectations of him or men in general, but it said a lot about how she was treated in her previous relationsh.i.p.s.

  It was nice to be touched without the expectations of having s.e.x.

  She leaned into him, putting her weight on him and letting him take care of her.

  He had wrapped his hand around her waist and he was moving his hand in a circular motion, slowly easing away the sweat and grime from her body without being harsh on her skin. His care was reassuring.

  She could feel herself get wet again and she felt a little bewildered. She knew there was nothing s.e.x.u.a.lly motivated about his situation, but at the same time, her body wanted more of him. When his hands reached between her legs, he must have felt the slippery wetness. He sucked in a breath but made no comment. Quickly, he gently stroked the spot, his fingers brushing past her clit with no intention of pleasure. She felt herself quiver and flinch a little, still sensitive from his ministrations in the bed.

  "Are you okay?" he asked, worry lacing his voice. She nodded, albeit a little hesitantly. "The cloth must be hurting you." She didn't say anything. He was right, in a sense. She needed something gentler than even the soft washcloth he was using against her oversensitive mound.

  Cage hung the cloth near the shower and then reached for the bottle of body wash. He poured just the perfect amount and then lathered it on his hands before putting it on her body.

  "Better?" he asked. She nodded, not making a sound and just leaning back on him and letting him take care of her. The water washed away the foam, leaving her squeaky clean and feeling a lot better.

  Her hair was a little knotted and it was nice that he was being so considerate. He had even started to stroke her scalp and massage her hair with his shampoo lathered hands. She could only sigh and enjoy how good he was at it.

  "Have you ever considered doing this for a living?" she asked obtusely. He quirked a brow and looked at her, even though she couldn't see him do it.

  "You mean, helping women bathe?" he asked. He knew that was not what she meant, but it sure sounded like that. She chuckled at the insinuation and let out a playful but tired growl.

  "These hands and this experience are mine. I just meant that you are really good at washing hair." He nudged her neck with his nose, closing in and smelling her.