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They’d been through so much recently that she’d forgotten for a moment what this part of her relationship with him was like, the powerful sexual drive toward him that took so little to ignite.
Marius kept glancing in her direction, probably aware of her thoughts because of the chains, though he continued to speak in a quiet voice to Eve. Shayna probably could have followed their conversation, but she was too caught up in looking at Marius to listen or to even want to.
Eve finally turned in her direction. “I’ll catch up with you later, during the potluck they’ve got going on in a few minutes. After dinner, you and I can talk about what’s going on. Right now, our favorite man here needs some alone time with you—at least that’s what I’m getting.” She put both hands on his shoulders and kissed his cheeks, each in turn. Shayna could see just how much Eve respected Marius, something Shayna had witnessed repeatedly now, from every quarter.
She wondered if he had any idea how much he was loved in his world. Somehow she doubted it, and she knew his guilt prevented him from seeing himself clearly.
Shayna waved as Eve slipped past the door, closing it behind her.
Marius didn’t move though. “Hey,” he said. Once more his gaze drifted over her chest, and she felt his desire spike.
“I should change this shirt,” she offered.
“In a minute. But besides the fact that the shirt you’re wearing is hot as hell, I just want to look at you, to see that you’re safe. That means more to me than anything.”
Her heart swelled and for a moment she honestly couldn’t breathe. She’d expected him to say a number of things, even to pick up his earlier thread about not wanting her to wear the shirt. What she hadn’t thought he’d express was how much he’d been worried about her.
Her feet started moving in his direction and when he headed toward her and opened his arms, she gave a little yelp and ran to him. As she landed hard against his chest and slung her arms around his neck, he caught her up in a full embrace.
“Hot as hell.” He’d said that to her. Michelson had expressed nothing but criticisms. Marius was a new world for her in every possible way.
A very pure affection rippled through her, for this man she hardly knew, and she hugged him hard. He responded in kind, holding her fast for a good long minute.
“This feels way too good, Shayna. And I meant what I said, you look fantastic in that shirt.”
She couldn’t resist. She drew back and let him look at the low-cut top and her breasts pouring over the edge. “Rumy has a very specific idea about the kinds of clothes I should wear around you.”
“He’s pretty hopeless that way.”
He caught her hips and connected low while he looked down at her cleavage. “But I think I love this shirt.”
She opened her eyes wide. “But you came in and announced I couldn’t wear it.”
He chuckled, his voice low and husky. “And you know damn well why. As I recall, you shared my opinion.”
She smiled. “Yeah, I did. I do. And I have no intention of wearing this in public. But why would Rumy think this was okay to wear in a family setting, around kids?”
“Actually, this is tame by his standards.”
She looked down at her breasts. “Well, I’m definitely not used to being on display like this, but Eve said something about using me in her show.”
Marius groaned and shook his head. “She owns and operates The Ruby Cave, a very successful BDSM club in The Erotic Passage. I don’t recommend that you take her up on her offer.” His eyes glimmered with amusement.
She chuckled. “I already turned her down.” She thought for a moment, then, while still keeping her hands on his shoulders, she said, “As I recall, you’ve never been here before, right, to Rumy’s villa?”
“That’s right. Rumy has kept this place very private. It’s probably the most secure location in our world. And he has one helluva security force here as well.”
“Well, did you know that Rumy has brought a number of sex slaves here?”
“No, we hadn’t gotten that far. I was having way too many pieces of shrapnel removed from my body.”
She told him about Yvonne, her marriage and children, and about the local village.
He shook his head in disbelief. “All I was told was that we were having some kind of potluck or something. I thought it was a strange choice of words for what, at the time, I thought would be a meal served to his security team.”
“That would sound strange, as in fighting men organizing a potluck.”
Marius laughed.
