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I frowned. “Sparrow had dreads, not braids.”

She rolled onto her back. “Your hair is cooler, anyway.”

Plenty of women had complemented my hair, but this was the first time it stirred pride in me. I’d spent years growing my hair down to my ribs.

After considering how she’d respond, I said, “My braids were actually inspired by a woman.”

She flipped over. “Excuse me, what?”

I laughed at her shocked expression. “From a video game Zeke played a lot when he was younger.”

“It suits you.” She yawned, covering her mouth.

She looked so pretty with her guard down.

I shifted again, looking for a comfortable position.

“Hey, listen…”

I paused, looking up at her. She looked nervous again.

“Why don’t you sleep up here? There’s plenty of room, and the floor can’t be comfortable.”

When I stared at her in surprise, she grew flustered.

“I mean, you don’t have to, but you don’t need to sleep on the hard floor, either. We’re both adults. We can be mature about this.” She shrugged. “All I’m saying is, you have another option besides the chaise downstairs if you wanna stay up here. I think I’ll be fine if you wanna go back down instead.”

In any other situation, I’d have found her floundering amusing, but I didn’t want to dismiss her attempt at trusting me.

“If you’re fine with it, I’d like to sleep in a bed again,” I said, framing my words in a way I hoped didn’t suggest ulterior motives. I liked the idea of being near her, sure, but I wasn’t trying to get into her pants.

When I settled on top of the comforter on the other side of the bed, she frowned at me.

“What?”

“You can sleep under the covers.”

“I didn’t want you to think—”

She laughed. “Get under the covers, Ash.” Shaking her head as I slid beneath the soft comforter and sheet, she said, “I know you wouldn’t do anything like that.”

She turned off the lamp. The moon lit the room through her parted blinds, letting us see each other clearly.

Aiming for another laugh, I arched my brow and gave her my most serious look. “And what makes you think I wouldn’t want to do more than sleep with you?”

Her mouth popped open, and her cheeks darkened to the same rosy hue they had when she’d seen Cyn without a shirt. She seemed so innocent.

Maybe human women weren’t as sexually mature as Shyrlivi women of the same age. I’d need to ask the others since they’d spent time on Earth and probably interacted with women Rae’s age.

I wondered if I’d made a mistake playfully flirting with her.

“Um…” She looked down at her hands in her lap. “I mean, you’re a… I don’t know how that…”

“Hey,” I said, reaching for her hands. Her eyes met mine. “I’m joking. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that.”

She looked down at our hands. “I just wasn’t sure how to word this.” Her lips thinned as she considered her words. “Is it different for infernals?”

“What?”