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I wouldn’t have to lie. I wouldn’t have to say anything. She would see me on the bed as usual and assume that I was recuperating. And if she asked? Then I would tell her the truth. Of course, I would. At least I liked to think I would. I liked to believe that my Drexian honor would override my desire for her, but even thinking of her climbing on the bed with me had my heart racing.
I cleared my throat. “Come.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Jess
Iwiggled higher on the bed as Torq held the tablet between us and conjugated the Kronock verb for disembowel, which was shockingly not the only word in the language that meant to rip out someone’s internal organs.
Once he finished, he dropped the device on his lap. “I think I might have had my fill of Kronock verbs.”
“They have a lot of dark ones.” I hadn’t been tutoring him for as long as our usual sessions, but he seemed more restless than usual. Being cooped up and unable to attend classes must have started to get to him. “We can stop here if you want.”
He put the tablet on his nightstand and twisted to face me, which meant he was practically looming over me. “I have a confession.”
This was interesting. Torq had always struck me as the kind of Drexian who pushed the envelope and got in trouble often, which meant he was the exact opposite of me. It made sense. He was a Blade, which meant he struck first and asked questions later, if at all. I was an Assassin who made strategic plans for everything I did.
“Does this have to do with what happened in the tunnels?”
He cocked his head a touch. “Why would I have a confession about kissing you?”
I bobbed one shoulder. “I don’t know. Maybe you kissed me on a dare.” I’d said it as a joke, but as soon as the words left my mouth I wondered if they were right. “Wait, is this whole thing a dare? Did you bet some of your Blade buddies that you could trick me into coming to your room, and then sweet-talk me into the tunnels, and then—”
He clamped a hand over my mouth before I could continue rambling. “No. There is no dare. None of my Blade brothers know about you or about this.”
I allowed myself to breathe again, but his hand was still over my mouth, so I tugged it away. Despite his assertion, I wasn’t sure if I trusted him. He was blackmailing me to be there, after all. “Then what’s your confession?”
He hesitated. “I don’t regret kissing you, even if you regret letting me.”
“I never said I regretted it.” Had I regretted it? Maybe a part of me had at some point, but it was more that I’d regretted what the kiss might mean or how it might change things between us. Despite how our meetings had started, I’d come to enjoy spending time with Torq, especially since he’d been injured. “Is that your confession, that you didn’t hate kissing me?”
His lips quirked into a grin. “No, but I would never put it that way. Far from not hating kissing you, it was one of the most enjoyable things I have done in a long time.”
My cheeks flushed with heat. “Oh, well, thanks.” Were we seriously discussing our kiss? “I still don’t know what you’re confessing to me.”
His eyes had darkened as he held my gaze. Then he flipped himself over with his hands on both sides of my hips, pinning me in.
“What the hell?” How had he moved so fast with a bum leg? He hadn’t flinched or favored his injured side. Was he on some powerful Drexian pain-killers I didn’t know about?
His gaze was molten. “My confession is that I’ve been cleared to go back to classes and training. I’m healed.”
My jaw dropped. “What? Since when?”
“Just before you came. I was going to tell you but…”
“But what?” I couldn’t believe he’d let me think he was still bedridden. I couldn’t believe he’d tricked me.
He leaned down so that our lips were close. “You did say you didn’t regret me kissing you.”
“I’m rethinking that.” It was hard to think clearly with him on top of me and his very kissable mouth so close to mine.
“Aren’t you curious how good we could be together? Don’t you want to know what would happen if I kissed you again?”
My heart hammered in my chest as if trying to escape. “I know exactly what would happen, and I know it can’t happen.”
“Why not?” His voice was a low hum that slid over my skin like silk. “Tell me why, Jess.”
