Page 31 of Rauf: Minotaur Mates

He stopped at his room and went inside. I waited in the doorway, trying not to drip on anything, until he came back with a clean shirt.

“You can wear this once you’re clean. We have a washing bot that can clean your clothes, if you want to wait for an hour or so.”

“That would be great, thank you.”

I took it from him and unfolded it. The thing would practically be a dress on me. If I went back to town wearing nothing but Rauf’s shirt, people would be talking about it before I made it to my door.

I should probably have been more concerned about that. Instead, I was trying not to smile at the thought of wearing his clothes.

“What do you think that guy was doing out there? Did he tell you anything?”

“I don’t care. He shouldn’t be out here and we’ll have to do thorough rounds to make sure he doesn’t have any friends out on our land.”

“That’s it? You don’t need to know why?”

“There’s no good answer to that question. He means trouble. Let Remmen deal with it.”

“Remmen’s out of town.”

Rauf scowled. “Then I guess it’s Korfas’s problem.”

“I don’t think you mean that.”

“What?”

“I think you care about this place more than you’re letting on.”

He looked away. “I care about the farm, about my men. The town is just a means to an end. Come on, the showers are this way.”

I followed him down the hall.

I stopped just inside the shower room. There were six stalls, three on each side, with wooden dividers that came up to my shoulders. Most of Rauf’s chest was visible above them, and there wasn’t a single door.

I was going to have trouble with that.

“Maybe I should let you shower first.”

“Why? Afraid you can’t keep your hands to yourself?”

Uh, yeah, no shit.

I hung his shirt on a hook out of reach of the spray and bent to pull off my boots. By the time I started taking off the rest of my clothes, Rauf had decided he needed the shower at the far end of the room.

Ha. I’d won that round.

I left my dirty clothes in a heap and stepped into the nearest stall. The water was wonderful, and I stood under it for a moment before I even reached for the soap.

Mud ran down my legs and collected around the drain. I scrubbed my hands, then my face, and worked my way through the rest of it. Getting the cave out of my hair was going to take longer. I tipped my head back and closed my eyes.

I could still see the entrance from the bank. Every time the water moved, I’d thought Rauf was coming out, and then he hadn’t been there. I’d wanted to call him back. I’d wanted to take back the whole argument about the goats.

Water got in my nose, and I coughed and stepped out of the spray. Rauf glanced over at me.

“I’m fine,” I told him.

He watched me for another second before going back to his shower. I stayed where he could see me while I worked the soap into my hair.

A broad wooden bench ran along the back of my stall. I could have sat down while I washed. My legs were tired enough to appreciate it, but looking at all that room made me think about sitting there with Rauf.