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“Do you seriously fucking care so little about your own safety you’d deliberately distract your guards from their duty?”
Shock rippled through him. “What?”
“If you want to be a brat, then be a brat. But don’t use your naked body to prove some—”
“What?” Remi screeched, face flaming. “I wasn’t going to get naked. Oh my gods.”
Jeremiah grunted, looking unconvinced, but some of the fire had left his eyes, his fangs and claws mostly receding. “Whatever you say, little princeling. The fact remains, I won’t have you deliberately causing a scene and making it harder for your guards to do their job. I don’t know what kind of relationship you and Greg had at school, but I won’t be so easily manipulated.”
Heat crawled down Remi’s back at the nasty way Jeremiah said relationship, making it very clear what he thought of how close he and his old guard had been. “How dare you! To even suggest Greg was less than a professional—”
Scoffing, Jeremiah crossed his arms over his chest. “Please. The man let you walk all over him, and it doesn’t take more than a pair of eyes and working nose to understand why.”
Remi didn’t like what he was suggesting. The idea of Greg—whom he’d trusted implicitly for years—acting inappropriately or seeing Remi as more than someone under his protection was ridiculous. And gross. They’d grown close over the years, sure, but Remi had never seen him as anything more than maybe an overprotective big brother. He was sure it was the same for Greg too.
Before Remi could untangle his tongue and defend Greg’s professionalism again, Jeremiah was continuing, voice dipping down to a deep rumble.
“Furthermore, if you want to go for a swim, you will change in your bedroom and do so in the pool. Stripping your clothes off in front of your protection detail is—”
“Good gods, I wasn’t—”
“—is inappropriate and dangerous. None of them need to see you like that.”
Remi rolled his eyes and pushed his shorts off, bending to pull them off his legs and then throwing the sopping wet material onto the ground in front of Jeremiah. The Hellhound’s nostrils flared, eyes growing hot once more.
Remi held his arms out to his sides. “How is this any different from wearing a bathing suit in front of them? Gods, you’re acting like… I don’t even know what. A jealous boyfriend.”
He didn’t know why he said it, but once the words were out there, he couldn’t take them back. His cheeks burned, but he held his chin up, refusing to admit how embarrassed the statement made him. Jeremiah obviously didn’t see him that way. The growly beast could barely stand to be in his presence.
Jaw tightening, Jeremiah jabbed a finger at him, claw pointed and sharp-looking. “The difference is watching you undress. Seeing you peel the clothes off your body. Imagining they get to see more. Do more. Tempting men who are responsible for your safety with thoughts like that is just dumb. Don’t do it again, Remington.”
For some reason, Remi’s heart was racing in his chest, the thudding in his ears nearly drowning out the sound of the running water right behind him. His body felt like it was overheating despite the coolness lapping at his knees.
Did… Did Jeremiah think those things? Was he tempted by the sight of Remi unclothing himself? Was it distracting him?
It seemed impossible.
Ludicrous.
And yet…
Swallowing thickly, Remi sank his teeth into his lip and lowered his head, watching Jeremiah through his lashes. The older man didn’t look away, even for a second—hadn’t since they’d started the conversation.
“Okay.”
His soft word seemed to surprise Jeremiah, his head cocking to the side in a manner that would have been adorable on a less intimidating person. “Okay?”
“Okay. You made your point.” Glancing down, he gathered every ounce of courage he could muster, then met Jeremiah’s eyes once more. “But since we’re already here…”
He slipped his thumbs into the band of his briefs, not letting his nerves stop him from easing the cotton down over his half-full cock and then his legs. He bent and carefully stepped out of them, tossing the material at Jeremiah but unable to bring himself to look back at him again. Instead, he turned away and lowered himself into the cool water, letting it soothe his frazzled edges. He dipped beneath the surface and swam around the statues. Again and again. Barely even coming up for air.
His fourth time past where Jeremiah had remained standing the whole time, and just as his skin was beginning to itch and tighten with the pull of his shift, a strong hand grabbed his arm and jerked him up and out of the water.
A spike of fear ratcheted up his heart once more, but Jeremiah wasn’t looking at an advancing attacker.
No, he was staring at Remi.
It took a second for Remi to place the look on his face, having never seen it directed at him before, but then his breath caught in his throat.
