“No one ever stays here except me, and I’ve never felt the need to get a guest bed.”
I swallow hard, my thoughts scattering like rain on a window. Every time I think I might be ready for something more, the world shoves something in my face to prove me wrong.
Instead of whining about it, I square my shoulders and nod. “I promise not to steal all the covers.”
His eyes scan my face, and then he steps forward until only a few inches of space separates us. “You should also mention you snore.”
I gasp and bat at his chest. “Fine, I snore, but it’s your house with only one bed, so you’ll have to deal with it since you brought us here.”
He laughs, and I stop and stare. Damn, he’s beautiful when he smiles, and his laughter is something else altogether. I don’t hear it enough, but that makes sense, considering neither of us has had much to laugh about lately.
His smile slips away. “You don’t have to worry. I can sleep on the floor or the chair in my office. It’s comfortable.”
Something hard sits in my chest, like a rock, making it hard to breathe.
“Sure, that makes sense too, but I feel bad taking your bed when it belongs to you.”
He leads me into the closet and clears out some space. “You can unpack your clothes here. I’ll be back in a minute. I need to get things set in motion, and then I’ll come unpack as well.”
I nod, a little bit grateful to be alone with my feelings for a second. Do I want to share a bed with him? Is that what this weight on my chest is? Disappointment?
As I unpack my suitcase, I let the thoughts and doubts roll around in my brain until I want to tilt my head to shake them out of my ears. There’s nothing I can do if he’s decided he’d rather sleep on the floor than beside me.
It doesn’t take long to unpack my things, and then I eye his suitcase but decide not to do his too. He might have a certain way he likes stuff, and I don’t want to mess up his system.
I poke around the room, then stare in awe again at the view of the city from the bedroom. Similar to the living room, I don’t know how he gets anything done here. There are no curtains, and it’s like staring at a photograph.
When he returns, he puts his case on the bed and starts to unpack. I keep my gaze outside. “This is incredible. How do you not just stand here and stare at it all day?”
“Probably because the view from Adrian’s penthouse is even better, and it feels more like home to me now. At least it does after all these years of living there.”
I turn to watch him again. He unpacks quickly but efficiently as if he’s done it a million times, and I suppose he has with all his travel for Adrian.
“So what now?” My heartbeat speeds up, and I sit on the end of the bed, folding my hands in my lap. The covers are cotton and so soft that I resettle so I can rub my fingers over them.
He interrupts me with a little grin as he watches me fondle his bedding. “We prep. The council will see us tomorrow night, but we are expected to show up as the invitation instructs.”
I meet his eyes, wondering what kind of ominous shit that means.
It has been a long time since I’ve been around more than one or two people at a time. The idea of being inside a room full of them, waiting for them to pick apart my flaws and pounce on my weaknesses, is a lot.
Kai is suddenly there, cupping my face, then dragging me into his arms. “You can do this. You’ve come so far already, and I’ll be with you.”
It should occur to me to ask him how he knows why panic is suddenly squeezing my chest so tight I can’t breathe. But somehow, he does. His strong arms around me give me a little more of myself back, allowing me to breathe through it, and I hope that I won’t let him down when the time comes.
17
KAI
My sister’s invitation requested we meet the council in black-tie. Because, of course, it did. My sister loves excess almost more than power. In the morning, after a fitful night of sleep, the better part of it spent keeping my distance from a softly snoring Rose, and I took my frustration out in the shower.
It took mere minutes for me to come harder than I have in my life, stroking my cock, thinking of her soft ass cocooning my dick, both of us naked and in my bed. It’s a dream because I’m still a wanted man, and she doesn’t need the extra scrutiny right now. Also, I’m not entirely sure Adrian wouldn’t kill me for it. His orders were to keep Rose safe, not to fuck her, something he’d likely remind me of if it ever happened.
Dammit, I want it to happen so badly. Every time she looks at me from under her lashes, I get hard. Each soft little dig at my expense makes me want to throw her over the nearest table and spank her until that pale skin turns pink from my hand.
I finish cleaning myself up and leave the bathroom in a towel. She’s sitting on the end of the bed, eyes wide. She tracks the water drops down my chest, and I swipe them away, enjoying the way she licks her lips.
That’s new. Only a few days ago, she’d fight tooth and claw if I came anywhere near her with my erection. Now she’s staring at me like she’s thirsty, and I’m the last bit of water in the well. “Let me get dressed really fast, and we’ll head to the shop. It shouldn’t be a long trip. We just need to grab some personal things for you. I already have clothes here.”