there, but as you're here now I feel obliged to offer you
some help. If you don't want to take it that's your prerogative, of
course."
To her surprise he
laughed, showing an even set of teeth, and Anja shook
her head at an advancing Mary. She could handle this just fine. He ran a hand
through his straggly, shoulder-length hair, the color of which she couldn't
determine, caked as it was in seeming days' worth of dirt.
She stiffened her
spine, drew her shoulders back in an effort to make herself taller, and tore
her eyes away from the width of his chest shaking in now-silent amusement. Was
he laughing at her?
"What in the
world is so amusing?" She tried for her haughtiest tone, but failed
miserably. There was an unmistakable twinkle in his eyes.
"Quite the
ball-buster, aren't you, lady?"
"Not usually,
no, and the name is Anja . Are you going to tell me
your name or do I call you Shaggy?"
His eyebrows rose,
and he stepped so close to her that she had to crane her neck to look up at
him. She held her breath to escape the smell assaulting her senses, and he
laughed again, before he mercifully took a step back.
"Shower, you
say?"
Anja released the
breath she'd been holding and nodded.
"I guess that
would be a good idea."
"You think?
What did you do? Roll in dung?" She slammed her hand on her mouth in
horror at her insensitivity, but he just laughed, and murmured something she
couldn't quite catch.
"Is
everything all right, my dear?" Mary asked.
"Yes, fine. I
was about to show him where the showers are. So if you’ll follow me..."
She weaved her way
through the throng of people, out into the corridor, and up the steep stairs
leading up to the second floor. She didn't need to look over her shoulder to
know that he was following her, so aware was she of his presence. The wooden
stairs creaked under her feet, yet he didn't make a sound despite his much
heavier frame, his footfalls as light and graceful as a predator's. She stopped
at the top of the stairs and watched his silent approach. Again she was struck
by the contradiction between his appearance and his commanding presence. A
presence that had her leaning towards him, even as her nose protested at the
noxious fumes coming off his clothing.
She stepped to the
side as he came close and gestured toward the door to the shower units.
"Showers are in there. I'll see whether I can find you something fresh to
wear. Mary just had a new batch of donated clothes in."
She risked a peek
at his face and promptly wished she hadn't. The quiet intensity with which he
was studying her did strange things to her equilibrium. She leaned against the
wall for some support and breathed a sigh of relief when he smiled, turned, and
walked through the open door towards the showers all lined up against the
wall. He shrugged out of his jacket as
he went, and even though she knew he would see her staring if he turned around,
she couldn't quite get her feet to move. He discarded the jacket on the floor
and toed out of the sorry excuse for shoes he was wearing. The muscles in his
back bunched and moved as he made short work of his trousers, and Anja barely suppressed a gasp. He wasn't wearing any
underwear, and he had the most perfect male ass she'd ever had the good fortune
to ogle. And Anja was no stranger to ogling. The
internet was a wonderful thing, after all.
He was surprisingly
clean under the clothes. She heard him whistle as he turned the water on and
stepped under the stream. Rivulets of dirt created an intricate pattern on his
broad back as the filth washed out of his hair and ran down his torso, over the
slim hips, trim ass, and powerful thighs, then down toward the tiled flooring
of the wet room. He reached for one of the shower gels stacked along the wall
and proceeded to lather up his hair. When he turned around Anja prepared herself to flee, but his eyes were closed, and she stood frozen to the
spot, unable to tear her gaze away as he soaped up his body. She followed