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He scowled. “It’s not.”
“Did you hate the other guy, in that moment?” I asked.
His scowl deepened, but he didn’t answer immediately.
“You didn’t hate him,” I said for Teris. “You just saw something that made you feel strongly, and you reacted. He didn’t get hurt. I didn’t get hurt. The other girls seemed pretty damn entertained. No one is upset with you, except you.”
He let out a frustrated breath, taking my hand off his thigh and lifting it to his lips. He brushed a kiss to my knuckles. “I’m sorry I tackled you.”
“I happen to enjoy being tackled by you.”
He gave me the smallest, most grudging smile. “Smartass.”
“Thought I was a queen?” I shot back.
Teris brushed his lips to my knuckles again. “You’ll always be that to me, Nai.”
I leaned back against the bed, and he slid up the mattress until he was laying next to me, with his head resting halfway on my lap. One of his hands explored my knee, moving slowly over my skin, and I slipped my fingers into his soft, wet hair.
“How did the fight go?” I asked him. He seemed tired—really tired.
“Fine. Killed some dragon-monsters. Didn’t drink their blood this time.”
“Probably a good call.” My voice was soft, and slightly playful. “I’m surprised you didn’t come back grinning, on an adrenaline high.”
“Fighting doesn’t hold the same appeal now that I have you,” he admitted. “I can think of far more interesting ways to blow off steam.”
My face heated. “Like cooking, you mean?”
“Mmhm.” His lips seemed to curve upward slightly, though I could only see the side of his face. “Cleaning, too.”
“Obviously. Everyone loves a good cleaning session.”
“Yup.” He continued stroking my knee slowly. “I stopped to talk to Aeven and Dakota, afterward.”
My stomach clenched. “That’s why you were later than the other guys.”
“Yeah. I promised you I would.”
“Do they hate me?” I asked him quietly.
“Nah. They’re in a love-bubble. If they hold anything against either of us, they’re doing a damn good job of not showing it. I don’t think we’ve got anything to worry about.”
That made me feel slightly better. Only slightly, though.
“I talked to the other mated girls for a while,” I admitted.
He continued tracing circles on my knee, venturing up my thigh a little every now and then.
“I realized I’m still carrying around a lot of guilt from everything with Aev,” I said softly. “I know you think it’s stupid, but after the way the goddess showed me everything from his perspective… I don’t know. I still feel like a horrible person sometimes.”
He brushed his lips against my knee. “You know you’re not.”
“I know. He didn’t pursue me, and he could’ve tried a lot harder than he did too. But I stillfeelbad.”
“It wasn’t long ago that the goddess showed you everything, so it’s still raw. As time passes, you’ll start to accept what happened, and you’ll learn to let go.”
“I hope so.”
