Chapter Fourteen
I’d hadmassages before and quickly undressed, placing my neatly folded clothes on the chair. The linens covering the cushioned face-cradle smelled fresh and felt soft against my skin. The old familiarity struck a chord in me, and I took a deep, relaxing breath. I’d always enjoyed massages. And touching, as Tor had pointed out.
It was crazy how much I missed being touched. When my thoughts drifted to Adam, I quickly pushed them away and focused on the now. I’d get plenty of touching once my lucky fey winner got in here. I really hoped he’d use some of his strength and not spend an hour petting me.
I frowned, realizing I’d never asked Angel how long the massage would last.
A light tap sounded on the door.
“Are you ready?” Angel asked.
“Yep,” I said loud enough to be heard.
The door opened.
“Always wait for the person’s answer before entering. You don’t want to walk in on someone when they’re undressing,” Angel said.
A fey grunted in response.
“Do you mind if I put your clothes on the floor so I can sit?” Angel asked.
“Not at all. How long will the massage be?”
I heard a rustle as Angel moved my things.
“As long as you want. Or as long as my bladder will hold.” She gave a sigh at the same time I heard the sound of lotion being dispensed.
“If it’s cold, use your hands to warm it up a little before smoothing it on her. Usually, the person providing the massage would ask the client if they have any specific areas they want worked on.”
The fey grunted again but didn’t say anything. I could hear the amusement in Angel’s voice when she spoke next.
“June, are there any specific areas that you’d like him to focus on today?”
“Everything hurts equally from head to toe,” I said. “Both Eden and Hannah are brutal with their flips.”
“Yeah, those two both have a competitive streak. That’s why Shax won’t let me join in again until after the ninja’s born. Eden freaked him out when she pretended like she was going to flip me.”
As Angel spoke, big warm hands started smoothing lotion over my back, and I struggled not to sigh at how good it felt. The pressure was firm enough that it didn’t feel like petting, and he was going slowly like he was trying to feel the muscle structure under the skin.
More tension dissolved, and it was a struggle to remember what Angel had said. Hannah and Eden and their wrestling skills. Right.
“How did they learn to do that?” I asked while the fey continued to work over my back.
“Merdon taught Hannah as part of her rehab. How’s the pressure?”
“It could be a little harder,” I said.
My volunteer grunted and applied more pressure. I almost groaned. This was magic. People were idiots not to line up for a massage. It felt so good I almost forgot that I was going to ask what she meant.
“Rehab?” I managed.
“Yeah, Hannah wasn’t in a good place. She blamed herself for her sister’s death and was drinking a lot. Not making many good choices. Hurting the people around her with the way she was acting. I think she’d pretty much given up on living. Merdon helped her see there was still something worth living for.”
I groaned when the fey suddenly found the knot in my left shoulder.
“There. That is so good,” I said.
“Seriously, June, you have no idea how amazing you are for stepping up and volunteering for this.”