Krem stood to Brovish’s right side, tucking a blanket over whatever portion of Brovish he could reach, which wasn’t much because the blanket was made for a human. I wasn’t sure why the blanket was so small except maybe they’d bought a throw somewhere local that didn’t yet carry orc-sized blankets.
Greth stood along one wall, his expression still except for the corner of his mouth, which had curled up.
Brovish opened his eyes and nudged Krem away.
“Good morning,” he announced to the room in general. “Why are you all here?”
“We work here,” Drogar said.
“It’s not even light out.”
“We wanted to make a good start.” Krem lifted a steaming mug of tea off the table and held it out. “Drink this. It’ll wake you up.”
“I’m already awake.” Brovish swung his legs around, sitting up. He raked both hands through his hair.
Sofia’s tail unwound slowly from her tight body. She tilted her head before launching herself at me with enough force that I stumbled back a step. Message received. She’d tolerated Brovish’s sacrifice, but she had opinions about it.
Brovish watched me with an expression that made my skin warm despite the early hour chill. His hair hung loose around his shoulders, and I liked it that way. It made him look less careful. More himself.
“You’re sleeping in your own bed from now on,” I said.
He crooked his head to look up at me. “You’re already in it.”
Drogar made a sound like steam escaping a sealed kettle.
Krem looked down at the tea. “If you’re not going to drink it, I will.”
“It’s yours.” Brovish rose to his feet and stretched, showing acres of glorious muscles. He slept in what looked like a loincloth.
Onlya loincloth.
While I’d watched plenty of TV and movies, I wasn’t sure that I’d ever seen someone wearing a loincloth in real life.
It looked good on him. Or he looked good in it.
I dragged my gaze away from his rippling abs before I started drooling.
Greth snorted from where he remained by the wall, and heat rose into my cheeks.
“You’re right,” I said. “I am in your bedroom, but you’re still sleeping there tonight.”
Brovish’s eyes widened.
Krem sucked in a breath.
Drogar grinned.
And Greth gave me an approving nod.
I turned and walked out before anyone could come up with a response.
“At least this way, you won’t be grumpy tomorrow morning,” Drogar said, his voice carrying down the hallway.
“I’m not discussing this with you,” Brovish said.
“What about me?” Krem asked. “Will you discuss it with me, because I need some real-life experiences to document in my guide.”
“You’re still working on that guide?” Brovish asked.
