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Another shrug. “No, challenging, of course, but not scary.”
I shake my head, pinching my ear between us. “You’re not the one who has to shoot a watermelon out of there, so you wouldn’t have anything to fear.”
He tries to pull me over onto his lap, but I resist. “You need to rest, remember? I’m not having sex with you right now.”
His eyes twinkle in the setting sun beyond the windows, but I only see him. “Blow job? What if you climb up here and sit on my face, just for a minute, as an experiment? You know, for science.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Later, you can conduct scientific research. For now, you need to figure out the fine art of napping.”
“How can I nap when you’re here and so sexy and beautiful? I can’t resist you, my little wildcat.”
It’s been a minute since he called me that. I like it now better than I did then. “Go to sleep and rest. You’re worse than a baby right now. At least a baby can’t talk back and try to fondle you.”
He goes still, keeping a tight hold around my waist. I lie against him, remaining quiet so I don’t keep him from napping if he’s actually capable of stopping himself for long enough to sleep.
Michail slips into the room and leaves food on a small table across from the bed. How the hell is Kai supposed to reach it all the way over there? I climb off his obscenely large bed, retrieve the tray, and bring it to where Kai is pretending to rest.
He pops one eye open, then both when he sees the food. “Oh, he put the cheese I like on here.”
I nibble on a white piece of cheese he shoves toward my face. “If Adrian’s enemies only know how you can be brought low by cheese. They’d be buying stock, flocking to farms, who knows.”
He sits up, and I allow it, so he can eat. “I don’t know about all that, but if someone finds an extra sharp cheddar that is so sharp it almost burns, then I’d be a very happy man.”
“You’re so weird. How did I marry such a weird man?”
He kisses me, his breath smelling of the garlic cracker he popped in there a moment before. “Just lucky, I guess. You are also super lucky if Michail made this charcuterie tray.”
I snicker and then laugh so hard tears leak from the corners of my eyes. “Charcuterie tray, really? Criminals excel at charcuterie?”
“I don’t know about criminals, but Michail does. He’s good at pairing cheese and cracker combinations.”
I laugh again. “Noted, if we ever need another one.”
He reaches out and brushes something off the side of my face. “We need a shower. We still have dried blood on us, and it’s starting to feel a little crusty.”
“Ew, gross.” He quickly removes the IV, and I race him into the bathroom. Inside, I let him tug my T-shirt and black slacks off. Then my panties and bra. Once I’m naked, I do the same for him, and we climb into his giant rainfall shower together.
The water turns cold before we get out. After washing the blood away, we stayed under the water to explore each other a little better. It feels nice to be in his arms and not be constantly bombarded with worry.
I tug his mouth to mine, kissing him deeply, letting the now cool water mingle on our lips. “I love you. I hope you know that. Our marriage was never about saving you from the council. It was about something else.”
I thread my fingers in his and lean into him. “You make me feel safe.”
He caresses my cheek softly with a thumb. “You make me feel safe too. I love you more than I thought possible. I was unprepared for it, caught off guard, and if I’m being completely honest, scared enough that I wanted to push you away.”
I hug him tighter, and then we climb out of the shower to dry off and get into bed again.
He whispers, “I love you,” against my lips, and I fall asleep in the warm embrace of his arms.
Until his cell phone bounces off the side table, and he has to chase it down.
I want to throw the damn thing, but he answers, his tone guarded. “Hello?”
I can hear Selena’s frantic voice screaming on the other end of the line from the bed. “Hey, big brother, it’s time to call in that favor. I’m demanding sanctuary, and I’m going to need it right about now.”
