Gemma sighs and leans her head against my shoulder. She yawns loudly and snuggles closer, shivering as both of our bodies cool down. It’s been a long day.
“Come on, baby. Let’s take a quick shower and go to sleep.”
She hums in response, so I pull her up with me and pick her up, cradling her against my chest like the precious jewel she is.
“I’ll take good care of you, I promise,” I whisper into her hair, not sure if she’s still awake or already asleep.
In the bathroom, I step into the shower with her, turning away from the spray so it won’t hit her directly until it’s heated up.
“Baby, can you stand?”
I keep my hands on her, only letting go once I’m sure she won’t topple over. After getting her hair and body wet, I lather up the shampoo and soap and clean her. I use her products in the order she showed me before, and once I’m done with her, I wash up too.
I get out first and dry off. With a towel wrapped around my hips, I grab two more and dry off Gemma’s hair first and then her body. Her hands hold on to my shoulders, and I make my way down her body with the towel, gently rubbing it over her skin to soak up the moisture. Warmth radiates through my chest like every other time I take care of her and she lets me.
Not bothering with any clothes, I climb into bed with her.
“Matteo?”
“Right here, baby.”
Gemma turns around, and I drag her closer. She curls her hands under her chin and snuggles against my chest. The same way she sleeps when she’s by herself. Like she feels safer all curled in on herself, comforted by the position. It makes her look smaller than she is, less intimidating too.
But she’s a force to be reckoned with. I was sure of it before, but watching that fiery side of her come to light today, breaking out of that shell she’s built around herself, was a sight to behold. And I’m going to feed that fire as much as I can, so it can continue to grow.
* * *
“Aren’tyou a ray of sunshine today?” Ash chuckles, like he just made a joke.
My punch hits his pad so quickly, I’m a little disappointed he’s not stumbling backward. And the fucker knows it too, his grin growing.
He lifts his padded hands. “Okay, okay. I got it. I’ll try to give you some quiet time.”
Thankfully, he actually does shut up, and we continue with our workout. Normally, this is more Zeno’s thing to do with me, since he’s had a lot more training in boxing, as well as several different martial arts practices, but he had something come up this morning and sent Ash in as his replacement.
I regret ever opening the door for him.
With Zeno, things are easy, especially when I don’t want to talk. Ash, on the other hand, doubles his efforts to try and make up for my nonexistent words by talking twice as much. That’s the last thing I need today.
We go for several more rounds until we both have sweat pouring down our faces and the room is filled with our harsh breathing.
Ash grabs a couple of water bottles, and we crash on the mats. I gulp down my water before I close my eyes and just lie there for several minutes.
Apparently, that’s all Ash can take, since he’s shifting beside me and clearing his throat in a very inconspicuous manner.
Without opening my eyes, I sigh. “What is it?”
He huffs. “I just want to know what’s going on, that’s all. I expected to get here and find you extra cheery because Gem’s still here. What I found instead is your extra grumpy ass.”
I groan.
“So somethingisgoing on then?”
“Ash.”
“What is it? Do I need to call in reinforcements? Zeno? Or your sister? Who do you need?”
This time, I open my eyes, just so I can glare at him. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”