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“I had a lot of spare time,” I replied dryly.
He smiled sadly.
“I’m sorry. But it’s the only way I know how to protect you,” he answered. “I don’t know how else to do it without doing it like I am.”
I raised a brow at him. “And what…exactly…are you doing?”
He sighed and swam towards the side of the pool. Bubble broken, I moved to the surface as well, keeping my eye on him as I did. He tore off his shirt, and momentarily blinded me. By my own lust, that was. Not because he was really, really pale. Which he was that, too. But that didn’t bother me. He was my pale man.
He was beautiful.
His scar on his arm only added to his manliness.
And there was an air about him that’d changed.
He was different.
Something about him was off since the last time I’d inspected him, but I couldn’t tell exactly what.
The next thing to go were his pants.
I don’t know when he’d shucked his boots, but the pants slipped all the way down until they were resting on the concrete that surrounded the pool.
“I’m making sure you’re protected,” he finally said, taking a seat in only his boxers, letting his feet dangle over the side of the pool.
The dragons immediately went to him, butting at his feet to garner his attention.
“How?” I asked stiffly.
He leaned down, allowing his hands to dangle in the water, and chilled the water around the swimming dragons.
What he didn’t do, however, was make the water around me cold.
“Whoa,” I said breathily, realizing what he was doing. “How are you doing that?”
“Practice,” he teased, repeating my earlier words.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“You didn’t answer how you were protecting me,” I told him stubbornly.
He leaned back, placing his hands directly behind him, displaying his stomach—and abs— to me.
I licked my lips, temporarily distracted once again.
I really needed to get a hold of these hormones. They were going to be the death of me.
Suddenly he stood, gesturing to me.
I made my way out of the water, walking to the side of the pool until I reached the stairs, and climbed out.
He was there waiting for me with a fluffy beach towel I’d made him purchase for me at the Wal-Mart on one of his secret missions.
The early ones where I wasn’t quite so concerned about what he was doing while alone for hours on end.
I took the towel and slipped my feet into the flip-flops he had waiting for me, then took his hand that he had extended out to me.
“Where are you taking me?” I questioned, following behind him easily enough.
He walked me through the sanctuary and not one single time did I get a dirty look.
“Why aren’t any of them looking at me?” I wondered.
He laughed.
“Because they can’t see you,” he offered.
I blinked, taking in the area surrounding me.
“Why’d you do that?” I questioned, sticking my hand out to touch a man’s forearm.
He blinked and turned, but didn’t see anything so he went back to the conversation he was having with one of the men from the stables.
Another place that I’d found that I adored going to over the past few weeks.
Keifer tugged my arm when he realized that I’d stopped, and I followed behind him once again.
“Because I don’t want them to see your near nakedness, I think I’ve shared you enough for one day,” he informed me.
I huffed out a laugh. “They didn’t see anything important. Not to mention I’m completely covered in a towel. What are they going to see now? My shoulders?”
He pinched my ass through the towel, causing me to yelp in surprise.
People who’d been milling about turned to look for the person who’d made the sound, but quickly went back to their conversations or duties.
Darcy Manor and the sanctuary beyond it resembled a small city.
It took a lot of upkeep to keep the surrounding one hundred miles of the sanctuary in order.
So, at any given time, there were over two hundred people on-site maintaining the grounds, caring for the plant life, keeping the sanctuary mowed and weed free. There were stables, so there were people to keep the stables in working order.
There was an infirmary the size of a small county hospital also on the grounds, which was where I’d been spending more and more of my time.
There was a small restaurant and café.
A bank.
Staff living quarters.
And a bar.
Everything a small town needed.
All of it was packed into a small area that was always bustling with activity, and I’d learned that it’d all been because of Keifer.
Keifer made all of this possible for his people.
They needed a safe place, so he provided it, making sure it met all of their needs.
As long as they were willing to help out, he was happy to make sure they had everything they needed.
“How do you like working in the infirmary?” Keifer asked suddenly, interrupting my thoughts about his small city.
