Although I would never hurt her, never even dream of it, she was a Lycan and should’ve been able to pick up on my presence before I even stepped into the bedroom.
I scowled, annoyed that I gave a shit so much.
“I thought I asked you to stop coming in here?” My voice was a husky growl that startled her so much she jumped up and cried out, spinning around as she clutched a single towel against her chest.
But even the plush material couldn’t hide the generous swells of her breasts as she heaved. She only gave me that startled expression for a second before her eyes narrowed.
She straightened her shoulders and glared at me. And I felt… something. I felt it tightening in my bones, constricting my muscles.
Was it arousal? I didn’t feel the need to pounce and devour her, yet it was a sensation that pulled me headlong into uncharted territory.
We stared at each other, and her little nose flared in indignation when she inhaled sharply. I was sure she was probably thinking about the last time we’d run into each other.
She’d been bringing towels to me again, ironically enough, and I’d all but growled in her direction until she ran out of the room. If memory served me correctly, I also threw the towels out of the room, barking at her to leave me the hell alone.
She’d kept her distance from me until now. Then again, she probably hadn’t been expecting me back yet.
Aside from my family, Aisling seemed to be the only one to grit her teeth and not put up with my bullshit.
She put the towel under the sink and closed the cabinet doors. When she straightened and smoothed her hand down the white apron that covered her black pressed dress, I couldn’t help but let my gaze linger on her female curves.
She was pretty. Really fucking pretty. And her body… so curvy and thick that I actually curled my hands into fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms.
The offended noise she made and the way she crossed her arms over her chest had me smirking.
“I know what you said. But I don’t work for you.”
I lifted an eyebrow at the snappy tone in her voice.
“And when the king or queen asks me to handle household affairs, that includes coming in here and doing my job whether you like it or not.”
She kicked up her chin as if snubbing her nose at me, and I felt the corner of my mouth twitching in amusement.
She may be lush with a woman’s body, but she was tiny compared to me.
I took a step into the bathroom, having to turn slightly so my shoulders could get through the width of the doorway.
I crowded her, filled the space so she had to tip her head back and look at me. And as I inhaled deeply, I was surprised to scent only mild annoyance coming from her.
My heart started pounding a little bit harder, the blood moving faster through my veins. I didn’t know what the hell was going on with me right now.
But as annoying as that was, a part of me liked the mystery of why this tiny female caused this strong reaction in me when nobody else ever had.
One word kept filtering through my mind, but I pushed it back. I didn’t have my wolf anymore, or the instinct to tell me she was my mate.
Realistically, I assumed she was making me feel like this because I wasn’t used to this from people. I was used to their apprehension, the way they kept a wide berth from me. I wasn’t used to them standing their ground.
“You’re not like the others,” I said absently.
Her eyes flared slightly. “If you have a specific issue with the way I do my work or complete my tasks, you’re free to speak with the king and queen about it.”
It was hard as hell not taking a step closer to her. Because the truth was, I wanted to really get close to her. She talked to me like I was… no one to her. She didn’t placate me, didn’t see me as royalty. I was just some fucking dude annoying the shit out of her.
And I… fucking loved that.
I scowled at my own thoughts, which probably looked like I was making the expression to her. And when she pursed her lips and made a little humph sound, once again I felt my amusement grow.
Gods, it had been so long since I felt any kind of humor that it was almost foreign to me.
“Good day,” she said, a little too prim and proper, as if she were offended by my surly attitude.
Aisling went to move past me, but I didn’t get out of the way, which forced her to stop when she was just a foot from where I stood.