They really, Solomon thought with something like wry bitterness, need to find a word other than 'pleasant' for moments like these. He hadn't missed that Skulduggery hadn't been present downstairs. It hadn't escaped him that that meant Skulduggery had left, and had not even said goodbye. He would rather not think about it at all, right now.

Raine had lathered her hair fairly well already, so in truth the action on Solomon's part was almost as much a pretext just to tease. Even when her posture drooped along with the tip of her head, Solomon held himself just enough back to maintain some space. "Oh, I don't believe so," he said airily, taking a step back and tugging her gently with him so the spray moved over his shoulder onto her hair, and let him rinse it out with long, smooth strokes. It was admittedly with some faint regret--it moved the pressure of the water off his back. "My hair is far from this length. I should be able to handle it myself."