8. Bathtime

The only reasonRex wasn’t all over him, Olson knew, was because his arms were occupied with his worldly belongings.

“Now, I know you don’t think it, but you’re filthy,” Olson said. “I’m not sure when you last had a shower. So I’m going to be scrubbing you down real well. No mating before that.”

“Mate,” Rex said, his eyes lighting up.

“No,” Olson said firmly. “I don’t want twigs and forest dirt on my bed.”

He made Rex set down his things in the laundry room. Then he had Rex strip right there, too, because they’d already touched each other in the most intimate places.

What Olson wasn’t prepared for, were the scars.

He’d seen the welts and bullet wounds and healed incisions on Rex’s arms. But there were several more all over the rest of his body. His chest, his abdomen, his thighs. The uneven patches of red and silvery skin overlapped with each other, mottling a crude tattoo on his shoulder blade that Olson had missed earlier.

267

It sickened him to realize that Rex hadn’t been the only one. That he’d just been a number. That there’d been so many people who were captured and tortured before him.

He gentled his touches, leading Rex to the bathroom. There, Olson used his own hairbrush to brush out the tangles and dirt from Rex’s beard. Then, his hair.

Rex watched him.

“Should I trim your beard?” Olson murmured. “I don’t even know if you want any facial hair.”

Maybe it was best to leave most of it intact for now. Just a quick trim to get everything tidy again. Rex could grow it out or shave it off if he decided that he wanted something different later on.

When Olson brought the buzzing trimmers close, Rex turned to stare warily at it.

“This is a trimmer,” Olson said, turning it off and back on. “Used the right way, they won’t hurt you. Here, touch it. It’ll buzz a little.”

He patted it to show that it wouldn’t hurt either of them. Rex frowned. But Rex poked it with one finger, and poked it again. “No hurt.”

“No hurt. See.” Olson pointed at Rex’s reflection in the mirror. “You can watch what I’m doing with it.”

Rex turned when Olson shaved off the first lock of hair; Olson had to cup his head to hold him in place, before trimming off half his beard. He trimmed Rex’s hair so it wasn’t covering his ears anymore, and Rex watched as the clumps of hair fell away.

When Olson finally set the trimmers down, Rex patted his hair, amazed by the transformation.

“Looks better, huh?” Olson tidied the stray ends with his scissors, then swept up the mess on the floor.

The shower was next. Olson adjusted the water temperature, stripped, and grabbed three washcloths just in case. He pulled Rex in with him and shut the door.

Rex rumbled, grabbing Olson’s hips. “Mine.”

Olson gave him a stern look. “No mating. Shower first.”

He positioned Rex in front of the shower spray, letting dirt sluice off his skin. Rex turned his face into the warm water and opened his mouth, drinking from it.

It was such a simple thing, but it made Olson smile.

He remembered doing this with George. Fooling around under the shower, drinking from it whenever they got thirsty. Their parents had chided them about the water bills, and they’d been cowed... but not enough to stop the trysts in the shower.

Olson couldn’t help leaning in, resting his cheek against Rex’s back. Rex turned and grasped Olson’s hips, moving him in front of the shower spray.

“Hey. I don’t need it,” Olson murmured. “You are the one who needs to get clean.”

“Olson clean,” Rex rumbled, rubbing Olson’s chest.

A smile tugged at Olson’s lips, unbidden. It was crazy for him to like this man so much. Hell, they’d only just met a few days ago. Rex hadn’t quite adjusted to civilization. They couldn’t communicate beyond simple concepts.

But the way Rex treated him, the way Rex kept doing things for him—it reminded him so much of George.

And Olson had one weakness. Just one.

Rex touched his finger to Olson’s lips, his mouth quirking into a playful smile.

“Fuck,” Olson whispered, his body turning pliant when Rex pulled him into a hug. The shower spray pattered on his back. On Olson’s other side was Rex, all solid and strong, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

Rex brushed his lips against Olson’s forehead. It was such a tender gesture that Olson couldn’t help burying his face against Rex’s neck.

For the first time in years, maybe decades, he let himself relax. He let himself feel protected, and cherished.

Maybe he cried a little.

“Olllsonnnn,” Rex purred, nuzzling his ear. “Mine.”

Olson huffed softly, letting Rex rub his back. Eventually, he made himself pull away. “We have to get you clean. That’s what we’re in the shower for.”

Rex frowned, though. He peered at Olson’s face, tracing his thumb just under Olson’s eye. “Olson cry?”

“Are they red?” Olson sighed. “It’s a happy crying. It’s okay. I’m fine.”

Rex continued to frown. To ease his worry, Olson went up on tiptoes, kissing him softly on the cheek.

“Really. I’m okay. I’m happy.”

That eased Rex’s consternation.

Olson lathered up some shampoo, turning them sideways so they each got some shower spray. He worked the shampoo into Rex’s beard and hair, massaging Rex’s scalp with his fingertips. Rex groaned and leaned into his touch.

Three rounds of shampooing later, Olson declared Rex’s hair clean. “Now, the rest of your body.”

He shut off the shower and worked soap into a washcloth, scrubbing Rex’s ears. Then he ran the cloth down Rex’s neck and shoulders, slowly increasing the pressure of his scrubbing in case any of Rex’s scars hurt.

“I’m going to scrub you everywhere,” Olson said. “Including your ass. Just for today. You can wash yourself from tomorrow onward, but I want to make sure you start off completely clean.”

He scrubbed Rex’s underarms and down his arms, between each of his fingers and under his nails. Then he worked the washcloth down Rex’s chest and abs, scrubbing his cock and sac, too. The washcloth went along the creases of Rex’s thighs, then around to Rex’s back, and all the way down to his asscrack.

Rex jerked in surprise, looking back.

“I’m going to scrub you here, too.” Olson kept one hand on Rex’s hip to steady him, pressing a kiss on his soapy arm. “You’re doing good.”

Rex rumbled at the compliment. So Olson worked the washcloth between his cheeks, then down both his legs, getting him to lift first one foot, then the other. He washed between Rex’s toes, and the soles of his feet.

“I saved your face for last,” Olson murmured, rinsing off his hands and grabbing a fresh washcloth. “Close your eyes.”

Rex closed his eyes, completely trusting. With how much he’d suffered at the hands of other people... It didn’t seem likely that he’d let Olson do this. But he was.

Olson carefully smoothed the washcloth across his forehead, down his nose and over his eyelids, gently cleaning his lips.

He wondered what Rex looked like, beneath the beard.

Then he decided he was probably better off not knowing.

There were already too many coincidences.

He started up the shower again, nudging Rex fully under the spray so he could get all the suds washed off.

Rex reached for the washcloth. “Olsonnnn.”

“You want to scrub yourself?” Olson handed it over and shut off the shower again, so it wouldn’t wash away the soap on the terrycloth.

Except Rex pulled Olson close, and clumsily tried to scrub Olson’s neck.

Olson huffed fondly, wrapping his hand around Rex’s. “Here. I’ll show you what I like.”

He guided Rex’s hand over his body, showing Rex how much pressure to put on his skin. Rex carefully scrubbed him, his gaze intent, soaping Olson’s ears and throat and shoulders. He spent a long while gently rubbing Olson’s nipples with the washcloth, until they pebbled and Olson bit his lip. Rex scrubbed Olson’s chest next, going down his belly and over his cock.

Before he could get distracted there, Olson caught his hand, turning around. “Do my back.”

Rex made a soft growl of protest. But he scrubbed Olson’s arms and back, going all the way down to his ass.

He pushed the cloth between Olson’s cheeks, lightly scrubbing his hole. The rough terrycloth brushed against Olson’s nerve endings there, and he shivered. This wasn’t supposed to be foreplay.

But it totally was, when Rex took the cloth away and replaced it with his own fingers, probing against his entrance.

“Scrub me,” Olson moaned. “No mating ‘til we’re clean.”

“Olson clean,” Rex said.

“No, my hair and legs are still not done.” Olson squeezed some shampoo into his palm, lathering it into his hair. Rex knelt and did Olson’s legs, lifting Olson’s feet to scrub between his toes, too. Then he wrapped his mouth around Olson’s soapy tip, and made a face.

“Yeah, soap doesn’t taste good.” Olson chuckled. “Let’s get you scrubbed down a second time.”

Rex let Olson clean him again, rumbling. Except this time, he pushed Olson’s hand onto his half-hard cock, rolling his hips. “Olson clean.”

Olson snorted, trying to hide the way his body responded. “I’ll save that for last. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do.”

Rex grinned, looking unfairly handsome. He should smile all the time, Olson thought.

He finished the second round of scrubbing and rinsed the suds off them both. Then he reached out and grabbed a towel, carefully drying his alpha. He dried himself, too.

“Now, I’m going to teach you how to brush your teeth,” Olson said. “That’s just as important as showering.”

He found a spare toothbrush and squeezed toothpaste onto it, wrapping Rex’s hand around it and demonstrating how to use it.

“Don’t swallow the foam,” Olson said. “Spit it out, and gargle your mouth.”

It took a bit of demonstration and a few tries to get Rex to understand. But they did it, and Olson inwardly cheered. “There. I just have your filthy clothes left to deal wi—”

Rex swept him off his feet. “Mate.”

Olson laughed. “Gods, you’re insatiable.”

Rex sniffed at the air, following Olson’s scent to his bedroom. He set Olson gently on the bed. Then he crowded close, covering Olson with his bare, damp body.

Olson swallowed dryly. “Pretty sure we’re not supposed to be fucking like rabbits.”

Rex toyed with the locket on Olson’s necklace, turning it around in his fingers. He didn’t open it—maybe he didn’t know how to, yet.

Olson wasn’t sure if he wanted Rex to see what was in there.

Rex dropped the locket, though, rubbing his face against Olson’s chest. His beard dragged against Olson’s skin in a rush of tingles. And he rubbed it against Olson’s nipple, before taking it into his mouth. Olson moaned.

He was embarrassed at how fast he got wet for this alpha. Rex licked his nipple and sucked on it, raking the points of his teeth against that sensitive nub. Olson squirmed, digging his fingers into Rex’s sides.

“Mine,” Rex whispered.

Yours,Olson wanted to reply. It was crazy how easily that word came to his lips, how difficult it was to keep it behind his teeth.

It was too soon to be making promises to a man he hardly knew. When Rex got a better grip on his life...

Oh, hell. Would Rex ever consider an omega aside from Olson? When he’d been dead set on Olson for as long as Olson had known him?

Olson’s heart fluttered again.

He swallowed those selfish thoughts, spreading his legs. Letting Rex take whatever he wanted.

Rex’s pupils dilated. “Mine.” He caught Olson under the knees and pushed his legs wide open, so his hole was completely exposed and vulnerable.

Rex buried his face between Olson’s thighs, nuzzling his cock, his sac, licking his hole. The hunger in his eyes... That was all for Olson. A half-man, half-beast ready to claim him inside.

Olson whimpered, threading his fingers through Rex’s damp hair. “Rex.”

His alpha licked his hole several times, then licked up his sac, and nuzzled his straining cock.

“Mine,” Rex whispered against Olson’s aching length, all hot breath. He closed his lips over Olson’s base and sucked, and Olson’s spine arched off the bed.

“Oh, gods,” Olson whimpered, pushing his fingers through Rex’s hair, trying not to pull, trying not to hurt him. “Please. More.”

“Pretty,” Rex said suddenly. He cupped Olson’s cock gently with his hand and rubbed his mouth over it, nuzzling it like it was his favorite thing. And he closed his mouth around his tip, giving it a long, slow suck.

Olson came hard into his mouth, wheezing, his eyes rolling back.

“Mmm,” Rex groaned.

“Fuck.” Olson hadn’t even recovered. Rex nuzzled up his body, sniffing his skin, licking and mouthing him all the way up to his shoulder. There, he closed his lips around Olson’s scent gland, and sucked.

Olson cried out, squirming, his cock throbbing even though he’d already come.

“Mine,” Rex growled, pushing his thick tip between Olson’s cheeks, stealing his breath away.

“Please,” Olson begged.

Rex’s gaze darkened. And he sank into Olson, pushing all the way inside.