I sensed the serene warmth wrapped around me well before my eyelashes fluttered open to reveal a strange bedroom. I was immediately startled and tried to sit up, only to be held in place by a strong arm wrapped around my torso.

“Shhhhh. You’re ok. I got you,” came from behind me. Or to be exact, from the body of the person curled up to my behind. I recognize that voice.

“Owen?”

“Mmmhmm.” He said, nuzzling the back of my neck.

I relaxed into the embrace, closed my eyes, and listened to my pounding heart slow into its regular lub-dub rhythm. This is nice and all but… The hard rod prodding my cheeks was a bit awkward. I thought about wiggling my ass and teasing him, but wasn't sure I wanted to open that can of worms, at least not yet.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Protecting you… while you sleep.” His words were undermined by a yawn, and I wondered if his motives were more self-serving.

“I don’t need your cock in my ass to be protected, Owen.” Although it’s enticing, and big, and beckoning. Hmmmm...

“Oops. Sorry about that.” He rolled away from me and I immediately felt the cold air against my back and bottom, and missed his warmth.

Damn. I sounded harsh.

“I’m sorry, Owen. I didn’t mean to be an ass.”

“It’s fine.” Owen sat up in bed and I followed suit, stretching my arms.

“You ok?” He gestured to my bandaged hands.

I wiggled my fingers, testing for any residual pain. “I’m okay,” I lied, “just need to go to the bathroom.”

My hands didn’t hurt nearly as bad as my heart. The events of the previous day assaulted me all at once. An unwanted symphony of pictures. A cacophony of noise, like a third-rate band led by a fifth-rate conductor. Only I couldn’t make it stop, turn off, or play a favorable note. Well I’m being too harsh, again. There was a favorable note or two amidst the caterwauling. I remembered how gentle Owen was, carrying me and cleaning my hands, how I begged him to hold me. I remembered it all, and I was embarrassed by my weakness.

I scooted from under the covers and rushed out of the room, barely making it to the bathroom before my control slipped, giving way to anger. I was too late. I stomped over to the sink, gripped the counter and stared into the mirror. Rage flashed in my eyes when I thought of all my possessions demolished, my momentos ruined, my whole inventory destroyed, and I was pissed. I decided to find Tobin and demand answers. I heard him telling Owen he had an idea who destroyed my apartment. Maybe we could find them together and beat the ever loving crap out of them, tear up their shit, smash their memories to hell, demolish their belongings, screw up their lives, kill their dreams, and see how they like it. Yeah, dammit!

Fuck! Get control of yourself. I shook the stupid ideas out of my head, splashed water on my face, smoothed my hair, and realized there was so much to do. I needed to notify the police, the apartment manager, and my customers. Too bad I never got renters insurance. Ugh. I can’t afford to lay around hiding from the world in Owen’s arms today, even though that’s exactly what I want to do. Not to mention that monster cock...

I opened the bathroom door full of vengeance, ready to take on the world. I wasn’t expecting him to be in the way, casually leaning against the wall. It was a posture I had come to expect from Tobin, not Owen.

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“W-what are you d-doing?” I stammered after nearly running into him.

“Thought you might want a shower while I make us something to eat.” He held out a stack of folded clothes. “You can borrow some of mine, while I wash yours.”

“Thanks.” I took them from him and smiled awkwardly. I guess I can’t exact vengeance on an empty stomach. Wait, he’s going to wash my clothes?

Owen reached out and turned me around. He steered me back through the bathroom door towards the shower with his hand on the small of my back. I followed along robotically, letting him maneuver me into the middle of the room.

“I’ll have breakfast ready in the kitchen when you get out.”

Nodding silently, I watched him close the bathroom door. My anger and thirst for action were gone, dissipated, and in their place, a calm energy prevailed. Owen’s energy. How does he do that? I reached into the shower and turned on the water. Setting the temperature to a happy medium, I stripped out of my clothes and unbandaged my hands. Quietly, I stepped into the shower and let the soothing stream of water wash away everything I experienced in the last twenty four hours. The constant thoughts and worries I’ve grown accustomed to, quieted in my mind. I relished this new found feeling of peace. I lost track of time only to be startled when the warm water turned ice cold.

“Fuck, that’s cold.” Shivering, I quickly turned off the water and reached for a towel. “Seriously!” My hand slid across the cold metal of the empty towel bar. I looked across the room and saw a folded towel on the other side of the chilly bathroom. “Fuck!”

“You ok in there?” The door opened, revealing a worried Owen.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I grabbed the edge of the shower curtain and held it close to my dripping body, hiding behind the flimsy material.

“Yeah, just left the towel over there.” I said, letting go of the shower curtain to point to the fluffy towel on the counter across the room. Too late, I realized my mistake. Owen just stood there watching the curtain fall, revealing my very wet, very naked body. I felt my nipples harden under his gaze, and tried to reason it was just the chill of the bathroom.

“Um, can you hand me the towel?” I asked, breaking the awkward silence. I’m naked… I’m naked… I’m naked… repeating it wasn’t helping.

“Sure.” He walked to the counter like nothing was out of sorts, like he wasn’t affected by seeing me standing in front of him stark naked and soaking wet.

Bastard! I was insulted that he didn't seem phased at all. Like seeing a naked girl was an everyday occurance. Like he wasn’t turned on in any way. Is he gay? Nooooo. He can’t be. His cock in my ass didn’t seem gay. But it was my ass...

“I'll rebandage your hands, after we get you dried off.”

Get me dried off? That sounded strange. When Owen returned with the towel, I thought he would just hand it to me and leave. But he held it up for me to step into, like you do for a little kid. I was sort of offended. I can dry myself, I’ve been doing it long enough. Well not really offended, more like confused. Owen just waited there calmly while I hesitated, thinking about the strangeness before calmly stepping into the towel.

Being dried off by Owen seemed so natural. So comforting. I closed my eyes and relaxed into the moment.

“There.” His voice sounded far away. “All better.”

I opened my eyes and saw Owen holding both my rebanged hands. Nervously, I looked down, expecting to see my naked form and was thankful my body was wrapped in the towel.

“What? How? But you were drying me off... What happened?” The questions spewed out in rapid fire.

“Sshh. You just relaxed and I bandaged your hands. You're ok. I got you.”

Those words again. He said those words this morning too.

“What did you do to me? How did you... umm, manipulate me?” I scanned his face, looking deep into his eyes for deception of some sort.

“I wasn’t manipulating you Jade. I balanced your energy, helped you find peace.”

Sensing Owen’s honesty, I accepted his answer, even though I remained confused and had a lot of unanswered questions. Was he teasing me? Well, two can play that game.

“Thanks, Owen. I can dress myself.” I let the towel drop before strutting towards the pile of folded clothes on the counter, naked, again. This time I added a little wiggle in my step. I wonder if he is a butt man?

Slowly, Owen walked toward the door. A bit dazed, but he didn’t bump into anything. “Breakfast is ready.” His blue eyes seemed to be caressing my nude form. I smiled in triumph, having won the round in my mind.

Okaaaaay... Soooo, he’s not gay.