Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 1042: Perfect Skin

Her cheeks were still puffed. Kaiden couldn’t help smiling at her, far too fond of the woman defending her hair from him with such earnest outrage.

"You find this amusing?"

"To be honest with you, yeah. Your relentless assault was very cute."

Yunohana blinked, then looked down at the hair resting across her palm.

"That is a very convenient observation to make while I am explaining your mistakes."

"It’s also true."

"Then perhaps you could help me remain more than a mangled dog by listening to my instructions very carefully."

She placed the towel over his open palm and laid the damp ends of her hair across it. Her right hand guided his other hand over the fold.

"Press gently. Let the towel absorb the water, then move to the next section. Could you try that for me?"

"I was about to do just that, though."

Yunohana slowly, with robotic motions, turned her neck sideways. The nastiest of looks reached his eyes.

"Never mind. I apologize for misspeaking."

Her glare faded as she turned forward again with the same robotic motions.

Kaiden followed her guidance with extreme care not to mess up again, knowing such a maniac would not let him try a third time.

He squeezed lightly before releasing the fold. "Like this?"

Yunohana watched his hands through the next careful press before her expression softened.

"Yes. Much better. There is hope for you as a proper man yet."

"I’m relieved to hear it."

She let him continue, keeping her hair gathered over her uninjured shoulder. Whenever he glanced up, she was watching his hands, and he took considerable care to remain worthy of his second chance.

By the time he laid the towel aside, Yunohana was smiling again. She ran her fingers through the ends, satisfied, and let her hair fall over the back of the bench.

Yunohana began to turn toward him, then stopped as the movement pulled at her shoulder.

"Still?" he asked.

"Only when I move carelessly."

"Could I help? Around it, I mean. You look as though you’ve been holding it in the same position since we got here."

She looked at his hand resting on the bench between them.

"Would you turn this way? It will be easier if you sit behind me."

Yunohana stood beside the bench while Kaiden turned lengthwise on the cushions. He spread his knees to make room, and she sat between them with her legs folded to one side and her back toward him.

She gathered her hair over her right shoulder, then loosened her robe.

Kaiden watched the silk slip down her back. Yunohana freed her right arm, carefully eased her sore left arm out of its sleeve, and let the back of the robe fall to her waist.

"Yunohana?"

She glanced back at him, holding the front against her breasts with her right hand. The rest remained wrapped around her hips and legs, leaving him a view of her bare shoulders and the smooth curve of her back.

"Yes?"

"You’re taking your robe off."

"You offered to massage me."

"I did, but-"

"I’m starting to think that you Westerners lack common sense. How do you hope to do that properly without even seeing where you’re touching? My shoulder is already sore. I don’t need you pressing the wrong spot. This is a serious matter."

He looked down at his hands, still hovering uselessly behind her. She had sounded exactly this earnest while explaining the towel, too.

"Right. Of course."

"You sound unconvinced."

"No, your logic is sound this time-"

"This time?"

Kaiden elected to ignore that. "I was just surprised."

Yunohana inspected his face for another moment before turning forward again.

"I would appreciate a little more caution than you showed with my hair. Gently, please."

Kaiden rested his palm at the top of her bare back, then paused. Her skin yielded beneath his fingers with a softness that made him forget the pressure he had intended to apply.

’Holy shit...’

He moved his thumb gently across her shoulder, fascinated by how smooth she felt. Even the lightest stroke made him want to follow the curve farther, to feel more of that warm, impossibly soft skin.

Yunohana was his mother’s age, a grown woman with her fair share of brutal battles behind her. He’d watched her fight with blood running down her arm today. Yet her shoulder looked flawless, and touching it was making a mess of his concentration.

Then she tilted her head, shifting the hair gathered over her other shoulder, and he caught her scent.

’She smells fucking perfect, too...’

The fragrance was delicate, faintly floral, warmed by her skin. From this close, every breath brought more of it, and Kaiden found himself leaning nearer before he realized what he was doing.

’How is this even possible?’

Even after the day they’d endured, after hurrying out of her bath to look after him, she smelled this wonderful. Her hair, her skin, every part of her seemed to receive the same devoted care.

He’d thought her lecture was adorable. Now, with his hand resting uselessly on her back, he was beginning to appreciate just how seriously this woman cultivated her beauty.

"Kaiden?"

"Hm?"

Yunohana glanced over her shoulder at his motionless hand, then up at his face. A pleased giggle escaped her.

"You may move your hand, you know. I asked you to be gentle, not to stop entirely."

"Sorry. Your skin is... really soft."

Her smile brightened with undisguised pride.

"Thank you. I put a great deal of effort into that. Perhaps you understand my concern about the towel now?"

"I’m starting to."

She turned forward, leaving him to remember what he’d offered to do. Kaiden eased his palm along the top of her shoulder, finally applying a little pressure.

"Here?"

"A little nearer the neck."

He followed her direction, easing his thumb over the tight muscle beside her neck. Yunohana let out a long breath and lowered her head.

"Oh... Yes. There."

His other hand supported her upper arm so she could let it rest. Beneath his fingers, he could feel how rigidly she’d been holding herself.

"You can lean back if that would help," he murmured. "I’ve got you."

Yunohana hesitated, then eased backward until her uninjured shoulder rested against his chest.

Kaiden adjusted his arm around her, giving her somewhere comfortable to lean. For several breaths, she concentrated on the warmth of his hand and the reassuring movement of his chest behind her.

He was here, focused entirely on her. She could feel him breathing.

Relief tightened her throat. In the garden, she’d watched that prison drag him toward an opening she couldn’t follow him through. Even after it broke, she had kept watching for the next attempt to take him.

"Is everything okay? Tell me if I’m too rough."

"Forgive me. My silence has nothing to do with your care." She covered his supporting hand with hers. "I was very frightened today."

Kaiden stopped moving his thumb.

"So was I."

She turned her face toward him. He was close enough that she could see the faint marks at his temples, all that remained of the horns.

"You are a terribly difficult man to host. I thought you’d eat up my pantry and I’d have to listen to loud banging through my walls at night, but reality ended up being far more troublesome."

"...Huh?" Kaiden was straight up speechless.

Her laugh touched his cheek. Kaiden smiled finally, and his thumb shifted against the bare skin beside her neck.

The pulse beneath it was racing.

"Does this hurt?" he asked.

"No. It feels much better."

"Then why is your heart beating so fast?"

Yunohana went still.