“Shhh…Shhhhh.”
My first thought was that Rivven had somehow intuited I was falling asleep, and he didn’t want anyone else to be loud andwake me up. He had said that I wouldn’t be disturbed, after all. But I couldn’t hear anything else out there. No one seemed to be making any other noise that required shushing. And now that I thought about it, I doubted saying “Shh” was a universal sign for telling someone to keep it down. Zabrians probably wouldn’t say that.
Curiosity had me hauling my dripping body from the tub. Ever since my first bath here, where I’d drip-dried in front of the fire, Rivven had started leaving me big, soft blankets to use as towels. He’d never explicitly mentioned it, but I’d wondered if he’d seen the puddle I’d left in front of the fire that first time. I wrapped the towel around myself and cracked open the door.
No one was out there but Rivven. He stood in the exact same place I’d left him, probably close to an hour ago now. At the sound of the door opening, he turned around.
“Everything alright out here?” I asked, scanning the dining room behind him. While I did this, I felt his eyes settle heavily on me. Even without looking directly at him, there was no way to miss the bright white light beaming from them.
“Of course,” he said raspily. “Why would it not be?”
His gaze roved over me. My shoulders. My wet, bare legs. My stomach fluttered, then tightened.
So did my pussy.
“I just thought I heard something. Like, ‘shh.’ Where is everybody?”
“Warden Tenn and his wife are performing some service on the slicer. Warden Hallum, Xennet, and Dorn have gone to tend to their shuldu. I apologise for the noise. I will stop it.”
“That was you? What were you doing?”
His mouth quirked. He scratched at the back of his head.
“Ah. I…I was practising the first sound in your name.”
I felt my eyebrows dart up.
“You were?”
“Yes. That soft sound at the beginning…It is not natural for me. I need to work on it more.”
I wracked my brains. Had I ever heard him say my name out loud before?
No. I hadn’t. I hadn’t heard him say Tasha’s name, either. When talking about her, he always referred to her as the warden’s wife.
Was that why?
“Oh, well, you don’t need to worry about it that much,” I said, stepping closer to him. As if I couldn’t stay away. “We’re from different worlds, with different mother tongues. Pronunciation issues are bound to crop up.”
“I do need to,” he insisted, white fire in his eyes. “It is your name. And that makes it precious to me, Shiloh.”
“Hey! That sounded great!” I focused on that part, so I didn’t get overwhelmed by what he’d just said before my name.
“Not yet,” he growled. “I will keep working on it. I will improve.”
He would keep working on it. No matter what I said, I knew he would. Quietly speaking the sounds of my name into an empty room when he thought no one could hear.
Because it was precious to him.
“You don’t need to improve,” I whispered, my throat aching. I cupped his face with my hands, and he leaned down, drawn into my touch. “You’re perfect, Rivven. Just as you are.”
It was only the second time kissing him. But it felt so natural. So fucking right. The first time had been unexpected and confusing, but also wonderful.
This was just as wonderful. Without the other bits.
It started slowly. Our lips bumping, caressing, exploring. Beneath my closed eyelids, I felt tears. One must have slipped out. When Rivven touched my face, his thumb sliding in the salty path, he pulled back.
“What is it?” he asked. “What have I done?”
