“Should we eat before we swim?” I asked as I followed the King out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
“Why not?”
“I've heard it can give you cramps.”
“I don't get cramps, and you will ride me.”
His words sent a shiver down my chest, straight to my cock. I cleared my throat. “What do you mean?”
We passed the harems and stepped out onto the fourth floor, into the library. Jucai passed through the main room and went into the side room with the long table. Waving at a chair for me, he sat down at the head.
I sat down beside him. “Your Majesty, I—”
“Jucai,” he interrupted.
“Yes, we need to talk about that too. I can't call you by your first name in public. Not on the surface.”
Jucai crossed his arms. “I have given you the right.”
“And I am honored, but it is considered disrespectful in Zaru. Now, as for—”
“I do not find it disrespectful, so it is not.”
“But the courtiers of my court will see it as such.”
“I care not what your courtiers think.”
“They will think poorly of me, not you, Jucai. Do you understand? The Royal Palace is my home, and many of the courtiers are my friends. I can't appear so casual with you.”
He narrowed his glittering eyes. “Casual? You mean, you don't want them to know that we're together.”
“Not at all. I'd be proud to be seen as your companion, but I would prefer not to explain myself to them.”
“Then don't.”
“That will cause even more issues.”
“So you wish to treat me as a stranger?”
Cocking my head, I leaned back in my seat. “If I don't use your first name, I'm a stranger?”
“Not a stranger, but not a lover either. Your use of my name is a sign that I have chosen you, and so another may not.”
Holy fuck, what I had seen as proof of his generous nature had actually been another mark of possession. This was what came of not knowing a culture.
“Nadar?”
I reminded myself that I was the one in charge of our relationship. I was steering this ship. Still, I couldn't help the growl in my voice when I asked, “If that's the case, why did you want to publicly claim me by fucking me in front of your court?”
Jucai made a face. “You make it sound like a crass spectacle. As if I want to put you on an altar and take you as Karadas takes his offerings.”
“Karadas at least curtains off his altar. No one actually sees him fucking his offering.”
“I already agreed not to do that with you. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is, you said you wanted to fuck me in public to claim me as your lover, when my use of your first name did the same thing.”
“Claiming you physically in their presence would have been more of a deterrent to other Sea Dragons interested in pursuing you.”
