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Remi shook his head, as much as to try and get his bearings back as to answer. The clear blue sky above them was perfect, not a cloud in the sky to mar the entire expanse as far as he could see.
But he could feel a storm brewing deep in his bones.
“Sunshine…”
The nickname tipped off his tongue without his permission, his own voice so thick with arousal and unspoken pleas he could barely recognize himself.
Jeremiah raised his head, and Remi gasped at the sight of his flaming blue eyes. Gods, he was… breathtaking. They held each other’s gazes for one more long, tension-filled moment, and then Jeremiah was dipping closer, the space between them disappearing and filling with their soft, panting breaths.
This was it. It was going to happen. Jeremiah—a Hellhound—was going to kiss him, and he just knew his life would never be the s—
A soft sound, barely more than a leaf scuttling over the path behind Jeremiah, had the Hellhound rearing backward, eyes searching the area around them as fire grew in his hands. Instinctively, Remi reacted to his protective stance, crouching mostly behind the wall of the fountain and trying to find the threat.
A pure white rabbit hopped into the circular clearing, paying no attention to the flaming Hellhound and reentering the gardens through another path on the opposite side of the fountain.
They both watched it until it disappeared. Only then did Jeremiah’s stance relax, but he didn’t turn around. The refreshing water from a few minutes ago now chilled Remi to the bone as he watched Jeremiah’s shoulders hunch forward, hands fisting at his sides.
Clearing his throat, Remi stood, the water sloshing around him. “Jer—”
“Get dressed.”
Jeremiah stalked forward, only pausing once he was half-hidden by a cherry blossom tree. He still didn’t look back though, just waited for Remi to follow his order with his face turned away.
Humiliated and confused, he climbed over the edge of the fountain and pulled on his wet shorts, making a face at how uncomfortable they were, and then tugged his shirt back over his head. As he fed his arms through the sleeves, he glanced around, frowning at the pebbles and leaves and flower petals.
Where the hell was his underwear?
He realized Jeremiah must have tossed them away after Remi had flirtatiously thrown them at him. Cheeks burning, he checked the entrances of the nearby paths and the tops of any hedges he could see but still couldn’t find them.
Gods, could the day get any more mortifying? Some poor gardener would probably find them on a tree branch or something in a few days.
Lump lodged firmly in his throat and eyes burning, Remi gave up and accepted he’d probably find them washed and folded on the end of his bed soon and be left to wonder what poor servant had retrieved them.
Holding his head up and tears back with a sheer force of will, he stomped toward the palace, not pausing or glancing at Jeremiah when he passed him.
He wasn’t sure if it was better or worse that the broody Hellhound didn’t stop him or try and say anything.
8
JEREMIAH
“What do you mean none of you can come take over?” Jeremiah snarled.
Knight sighed like Jeremiah was being particularly obtuse and he had better things to do than follow the orders from his boss. “Everyone is already working on—”
“I know that,” he snapped, then took a deep breath, reminding himself he wasn’t actually mad at any of his guys. He was furious at himself.
And a certain overly tempting prince.
“I’m not a good fit here,” he said, working hard to keep his tone even. “I can swap out with you or Priest and take over what you’re working on.”
When Knight didn’t say anything for a long moment, Jeremiah felt his fire stirring in his fingers. Why couldn’t they all just listen to him for once?
“Are you not fully healed after the attack on the beach?” Knight asked neutrally, but he bristled anyway.
“I’m fine. It’s… I don’t do protection detail well. We all know this. I should be running point back at HQ, not playing babysitter to a bratty prince.”
Especially one too pretty for his own good.
