Wolf in his Heart (Salvation Pack) by N.J. Walters

leaving her by herself.
    She knew she had a lot to think about and decisions to make. That would come later. The only thing she needed to worry about at this moment was getting clean. She stripped off her dirty clothes and left them in a pile on the floor. She stepped into the large shower stall and turned on the water. It sprinkled from the showerhead like a waterfall. Once she’d adjusted the temperature, she stepped beneath the spray.
    It sluiced over her body, washing away the sweat and dust and fear. It lovingly caressed her skin, like a lover’s touch. It was gentle and warm and healing. She stood there for some time, just letting the water cleanse her body and soul. When she started to nod off, she opened her eyes and reached for the bar of soap.
    She brought it to her nose and sniffed. It was woodsy and familiar. It smelled like Sage. Her entire body vibrated with desire. She clutched the bar of soap to her chest and took a deep breath. Then another. It didn’t help.
    Rina did her best to ignore her arousal as she rubbed the soap over her body. She moaned as it slid over her breasts and stomach. Her nipples peeked out from beneath a layer of frothy bubbles. She had a fleeting wish that it was Sage’s hands smoothing the soap over her skin instead of her own. His hands were big and a little rough. Her breath caught in her throat as she let her hand slid between her thighs.
    “Everything okay in there?” Sage knocked on the door as he spoke. Rina startled and almost dropped the soap, but caught it at the last second.
    “I’m fine. Everything is fine.” She dumped the soap back into the dish and rinsed her skin clean. “I’ll be out in a minute.” There was a bottle of shampoo on a ledge, so she grabbed it and quickly washed her hair. Once she was squeaky clean from head to toe, she shut off the water and reached for the towel.
    Her body hummed with desire, but she ignored it as she dragged the towel over her wet hair before using it to dry her body. She spread the damp towel over a rod to dry and then looked down at the pile of her dirty clothing. No way was she putting that back on.
    She cleared her throat. “Sage, can you hand me my pack.”
    “What do you need?” His voice was so close she knew he was standing right on the other side of the door. She put her hand against the panel.
    “Clean clothes.” She could sense his stillness. And why not. She’d all but announced she was standing here naked.
    “Hang on.” She didn’t hear him walk away, but she knew he was no longer directly on the other side of the door. She couldn’t sense him there. He returned quickly and slid the door open about six inches. Rina jumped back before he could see her.
    He thrust his hand inside. “Here. Wear this.”
    She took the garment from him and shook it out. It was a large T-shirt. His shirt. “Um, thank you.” She buried her face in the soft cloth and heard him groan.
    She raised her head and glanced in the vanity mirror. Her reflection was perfectly visible and he could see the mirror from where he was standing. Her hair was damp and in disarray, her cheeks flushed. Her breasts were barely covered by the shirt she was holding and her lower half was bare.
    He pulled his hand back and shoved the door closed. “Come on out when you’re done. You need to rest.”
    Rina leaned against the door and took a deep breath. Rest. Yeah, she was exhausted, but she was also aroused. How did Sage do that to her without even trying? Her wolf rolled onto her back inside Rina and whined. She wanted to get closer to Sage too.
    She huffed out a breath and pulled on the shirt. It fell to midway between her thighs and knees. It covered her as much as most dresses would, but she felt practically naked when she slid the door open and stepped into Sage’s bedroom.
    The fact that she wasn’t wearing anything under the shirt likely had a lot to do with how she was feeling. Every nerve ending in her body was like a live wire, sparking