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She stopped and looked at him for longer than she usually did. Her delectable lips were slightly parted. Curious. Nazyn was certainly dressed, there was no reason to be surprised.
Finally, Darcy shook her head. “That was fast.”
Nazyn frowned. “It was five minutes. How long do you usually bathe for?”
“If I’m going all out relaxation, I can be there for an hour. I can convince myself I’m in a pool. But I’ll be quick this time.” She nodded at a curious little flat contraption in the corner. “The hotel sent over this cot, but it doesn’t look all that sturdy. They apologized. Again.”
Sturdy? It was a sheet of plastic fabric stretched over a thin plastic frame. It looked like a good gust of wind would rip it to shreds.
Nazyn approached it carefully; thecotmight collapse from his steps on the floor alone. He frowned.
“Like I said, doesn’t look all that sturdy.” Darcy wrung her fingers. “Or safe.”
Nazyn picked up his satchel and dropped it onto thecot. It instantly sprang and folded in two. “No, I don’t think it will do. I can push the two armchairs together and sleep on them.”
He doubted even one of his legs would fit in that makeshift bed, but it was better than the floor.
“Funny, I thought about that, too,” Darcy said, though it sounded like she wasn’t amused at all. Neither was Nazyn. “But, look.”
Nazyn turned to the bed. While he’d been gone, Darcy had used a piece of fabric to make a sort of fluffy barrier between the two halves of the bed. Not exactly a wall, but ingenious.
“I’m okay to share if you are.” She shrugged. “We need all the energy we can get to wow everyone.”
Nazyn’s body flexed at the thought of being in the same bed as Darcy. Even with the fabric divider, they would be so close enough so that he could feel her warmth. His insides stirred.
“If you are absolutely sure,” Nazyn began, letting the words trail for a moment, in case she changed her mind; but Darcy remained silent. “That will work for me as well. Thank you.”
Darcy’s face lit up with a smile. Then she began running around the room. “Okay, my time to shower. I promise I’ll be quick.”
Suddenly, thoughts of Darcy in the shower clouded Nazyn’s mind. Nines, they were even more tempting than the bed ones.
Perhaps it would be better if he weren’t in the room imagining water cascading down her naked body. “I need to go…mingle.”
Nazyn shuddered at the thought.
“You look like you’re going to your execution.” Darcy laughed and stopped at the threshold to the bathroom, looking at him over her shoulder with a smile that heated up his body more than the steaming bath had. “Don’t worry, you’ll do great. Just talk about something you’re comfortable with.”
That was an issue.
Nazyn was very comfortable discussing his inventions. But Deruzia was still skeptical about divulging too much to humans. Hecouldtalk about the holograms, since they would reveal it the day after tomorrow, but that had to be a surprise.
He rolled his shoulders back. If he could open a blasted portal, he couldnet-work.
As he entered the lobby this time, there were no searching gazes flashing toward him–yet. The crowd waiting for the big event tonight had gathered around something in the center. Or someone.
A deep voice with a sharp edge mesmerized the crowd. “Yes, this is our first time at the Forum. Better late than never, am I right?”
That same voice let out a controlled laughter, echoed by those around him. Nazyn couldn’t exactly see who was talking, only a tuft of dark hair among the mass.
Perfect. Let the deep-voiced human enthrall the guests while Nazyn made his way toward the event stage. He needed the extra time–he wanted to make some changes to his speech.
Without using his Deruzian speed–too crowded–he stuck to the perimeter of the room, intent on making a clean break.
As he passed through the crowd, he noticed some of the people turning toward him. Just a few more feet and then he’d be free of the stares and–
Someone touched his arm. No, not touched. Grabbed his arm. A very dangerous move.
It took all of Nazyn’s patience to not turn around and go all Deruzian on who had dared to do that.
