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Airos flings the gourd to me. I snatch it out of the air, take a swig of the tart wine, then toss it back to him.
I gather myself and head to Tyler’s room.
13
TYLER
The small room has a real bed with a soft, feather-filled mattress. After days of sleeping on the ground, it should be heaven—but I can’t get comfortable. My muscles are sore, the soles of my feet are toughening up like leather, and by all rights, I should’ve knocked the fuck out the moment my head hit the pillow—or the raised part of the mattress that acts as a pillow.
I get up and sit on the edge of the bed. The little phoenix carving is on the table by the oil lamp, and I stare at it like it owes me money. I need to talk to Kalistratos, but why is it so difficult to say what I feel? Speaking my truth has always felt like climbing Mount Everest with no oxygen. I’m afraid to be cast aside. I don’t want to be disappointed.
I grab the carving and go to the door. When I pull it open, I nearly punch Kalistratos in the face out of surprise. He’s standing right there.
“Tyler,” he says, wide-eyed.
“Did you take this?” I demand, holding up the wooden phoenix.
“I didn’t steal it, I left the money,” he says. “Tyler, I?—”
I don’t give him a chance to finish. My lips are already on his, the front of his robe clenched tightly in my fists. I know that if I tried to speak, I’d just fuck it up again. I’d find some way to diminish the way I feel and position myself to get less than I want because I’m just too damn scared to lose it all. But enough of that. I know how I feel about him. And I’m going to take that leap.
He pushes me into the room, his strong hands moving across my body. His palm presses into my lower back, squeezing me tightly against him as he leaves me breathless with his kiss. I can feel his heart beating through the thin, loose fabric of our tunics. And I can feel every exquisite curve of his muscles against my body.
We part, and my lips ache for him. He breathes out, I breathe in. I stare into his bronze eyes. Such an incredible color.
“What do I recall you saying?” he says in a low voice. “That you would definitely never give me another kiss?”
I laugh and push him away. “I did, didn’t I? No more.”
He grabs my wrist and pulls me right back into him. It feels like time has slowed down, and I don’t think it’sKalistratos’s powers. I tease my tongue against his lips and he meets me with his, licking me slowly in a way that sends a pulse of heat between my legs.
“This isn’t your first time kissing someone, is it?” I ask.
“It is,” he admits. “Am I unskilled?”
“No. You’re really good at it. Really, really good.”
I slip my arms around his neck and taste him. He locks me in tight with one arm around my waist, pulling my pregnant belly against him. These tunics offer absolutely zero protection or concealment. My cock pushes up against the fabric, but my stomach just barely prevents me from rubbing up against him.
Kalistratos reaches behind him and shuts the door. I run my hand across his chest, exploring the shape of his pectorals as he kisses me.
“Wait,” I say.
He presses his forehead to mine and waits. “What is it?”
“You really thought I wanted Airos?”
Kalistratos pulls back slightly and looks into my eyes. I firmly hold his gaze.
“I was jealous. I wasn’t thinking properly.”
“And you’re thinking properly now?”
“More than ever before.”
I chuckle. “I barely even know him. Why would you think that I wanted him? Just because he’s a flirt?”
“You barely even know me,” he says in a low voice.
