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Not all, but most.
“Goodnight,” Jesh said, his voice gruff and clipped as he strode down the hall like something had bitten him on the ass.
“What are you doing out here?” I snarled at Namir, forcing myself to remember why I was furious.
“Why are you naked?” He stood swiftly, his voice a growl as he put a hand on my bare abdomen and used it to propel me back into my room.
I glanced down at my body—right.
Naked.
“I’m not used to wearing clothes constantly—and you didn’t answer my question.” I forced my voice to grow angry again. “What the hell were you doing sitting outside my room?”
Those gorgeous gray eyes of his swirled with emotions—possessiveness, and something deeper, and hotter, that I couldn’t name.
“The same thing I was doing with you in the forest. Protecting you.” His growl faded, his tone growing silkier. “Stars, Diora, do you have no idea how you affect me? It’s a damn good thing Jesh made a run for it—I still feel the urge to grab him by the throat and acquaint his face with my fist until he’s forgotten how sexy you look bare like this.”
I blinked at him, his words catching me completely and totally off-guard. “I thought he was a woman. I heard you laugh. There was no thinking involved—I just reacted.”
Namir stepped closer. His hand was gentle as it caught my arm, cradling my elbow. “There’s no other woman for me, Love. There never has been, and there never will be. I’m yours, as much as you’re mine. Which is why you’ll never answer the damned door naked again. Understand?” His voice remained silky, still, and that made my body react strangely—my lower belly tightening, and my flesh warming.
Was that lust?
Akari had tried to explain it to me years earlier, but it hadn’t made any sense to me at the time.
“Fine,” I said, my voice clipped. “You’re not staying outside my door all night, though. Go back to your room.”
His lips curved upward playfully. “The only way I’m going back to my room is if you go with me.”
I scowled. “Not a chance.”
He released my elbow and gave me a quick bow, his smile morphing into a teasing grin. “Then if you’ll excuse me, there’s a strip of tile calling my ass back.”
Namir made it to the door before I growled, “I don’t want you sleeping out there. What if another womandoeswalk by?”
He chuckled, continuing out. “Then she’ll see a devoted male sleeping outside his female’s room, keeping her safe.” He tugged the door open, and I crossed the room, catching it before he closed it.
Quickly, he turned so he blocked the doorway with his gigantic body. Anyone who walked past would see his bare back—not my naked figure.
His playful grin remained in place even as his jaw clenched a bit. “What did I say about the nudity, Love? You’re more than welcome to strip yourself bare for me any time you’d like, but not while others can see—this is mine.” He gestured a hand toward me, sweeping it up and down.
My scowl deepened, and I growled back, “I amnotyours, Namir. And you arenotsleeping in the hallway. Get your stubborn ass in the room and close the damn door.”
His eyebrows lifted, but he did as I’d commanded, stepping inside smoothly and closing the door as he did so. Our bare chests brushed before I took a step back too, and a shudder ravaged me in response to the touch.
Fuck, wasthatlust?
Holy hell, that was strong.
“You haven’t showered,” I told him, my voice flat. He had still lied to me—and even if what I was feeling was lust, I wasn’t ready to explore it. Not in the slightest.
“I don’t need a shower to sleep on the floor, Diora.” His voice was back to playful, but it seemed to have faded a bit. His playfulness usually seemed genuine, but now there was something about it that seemed a bit… faded.
Was it just a front?
Was he using his playfulness to hide his emotions from me?
I scoffed. “You’re a damned king, you’re not sleeping on the floor. Go take a shower, and we’ll share a bed. I don’t want your dirt on the blankets—and we don’t need to snuggle for warmth this time.”
