he was completely out of sight she self-consciously stripped down
in the shower area. The beautiful teak walls of the shower curved
around in a spiral that screened off the important parts of her
body, but her feet and the very top of her head were still visible.
She?d taken millions of beach showers like this, but never without
wearing a swimsuit. She washed as quickly as she could and was
nearly finished by the time Lucas returned.
?The T-shirt?s definitely mine, but I have no idea who the sweatpants
belong to. Don?t worry about it, though. No one will care,? he
said, flipping the clothes and a big beach towel over the top of the
screen. Then he put a plastic shopping bag down on the ground.
?That?s for your uniform and sneakers.?
?Thanks,? Helen called out, painfully aware how little space stood
between him and her naked body. It was silly, really. Everyone is
naked under a few millimeters of clothes, but this felt different
somehow. It felt dangerous. She watched his feet through the gap
at the bottom of the screen as he began to turn away, hesitated,
and then hurried off. She let out a breath she didn?t realize she?d
been holding.
The clothes he?d left her were gigantic, but they were soft, comfortable,
and they smelled like dryer sheets. She toweled off, put
the borrowed outfit on, and came out of the shower area carrying
her bag of dirty clothes.
By the time she and Lucas made it into the house, Jason and
Hector were sitting at the kitchen table watching Cassandra and
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Ariadne shower a man Helen didn?t know with affection. Lucas introduced
Helen before giving his uncle a big hug.
Pallas Delos was a large, blond man, still glowing with health and
youth even though he was graying at the temples. He and Hector