He pulled out and carried her to the shower. As soon as he turned on the water, she clung to him, burying her face in the curve of his neck as she cried. He held her, massaging her back and kissing her over and over until she settled.
After the shower, he put on clean skin pants, and she dried off and put on fresh underwear.
“I’ll wear the blue dress. I’d showered earlier before I put it on,” she said, following him out of the bedroom.
She froze and then jumped behind him when they realized they weren’t alone. Darx and Detrey sat at the table, drinking tea and eating crusty bread stuffed with meat, cheese, and olives.
Gissandre’s cool fingers on Linc’s sides tried to drag him back toward the bedroom as a shield. He knew places like Orius and Endricane made sure their citizens were always covered from throat to foot, but it wasn’t really the custom on Kettura.
“Detrey, toss me that dress,” Linc said, putting one hand back to hold her in place.
Detrey stood and threw him the dress, and both men watched with interest as he turned.
“Arms up, Giss,” he ordered.
Her cheeks burned, but she obeyed. He slid the dress down to her waist. She grabbed the flaps of the top and pulled them up quickly to cover her breasts. Tying the ends behind her neck, she started to make an excuse to flee the kitchen.
“No, you’re hungry. I’ll make us something to eat. Go sit at the table.” He wanted her to grow used to the company of Ketturan warriors.
Giss took several deep, steadying breaths and then did exactly what he’d known she would; pulling her shoulders back and raising her chin, Gissandre stepped out from behind him.
“Good morning.”
With his long reach, Darx pulled out a chair for her to sit in.
“We heard there was a screaming fight here last night,” Detrey said.
She looked down at her fingernails. “We had a disagreement. It’s no one’s business but ours.”
Darx swallowed some tea. “Was your pretty pink asshole stretched around his cock this morning a punishment for last night?”
Her head jerked up, her cheeks ablaze. She looked over at Linc, begging him with her eyes to let her leave.
“No, it wasn’t,” Linc said, answering Darx.
“Why was there so much screaming?” Detrey asked.
“I cut my foot. It was an accident, but I was still angry, so I got carried away with my yelling.”
“And that’s it?” Detrey asked.
“Apparently,” she said dryly, pouring herself tea with trembling hands.
“Did your ass get spanked for it?”
The blazing red of her embarrassment spread from her face to her chest. “None of your business.”
Detrey cocked a brow. “Your business becomes Kettura business when you crack the windows with your screaming after your warrior boyfriend’s been accused of abduction and rape.”
“If people were worried last night, why didn’t they check on me last night? By morning there could have been nothing left but the bodies,” she said sassily.
Detrey smirked, shooting his gaze to Larsinc. “She’s two sacks and a mouthful of callie peppers, Linc.”
“Needs her pretty tail whipped and then fucked longer and harder. Three or four cocks back-to-back would take her,” Darx said.
Gissandre’s brows shot up in shock. Darx’s hard dominance and savage bluntness could always be counted on to shock off-worlders. The man’s shrewdness, though, had kept the colony safe and thriving for years. And there was no one more loyal to the Ketturan people. It would’ve been better, though, if he’d brought his sweet, adorable little wife for this visit rather than his warrior brother. Falise, a former Endricane lady’s maid, was skilled at calming situations where her husband threatened the moral sensibilities and autonomy of high-born women.
“Thanks for visiting,” Linc said, taking the cup from Detrey’s hand and tossing it over the counter into the sink.
