Nalyx winced, picking up on her hesitation. “Sorry, I don’t mean anything by it,” he apologised. “I just can’t do it myself.”
For a split second, Gantalla wished that hehadmeant something by it, some sly invitation of a similar sort to the ones he’d made that morning in the bath. She hadn’t missed the way his gaze had lingered on her breasts, and she was fairly sure that if she’d been willing, he would have been more than happy to…
But she’d apparently done such a good job of putting him off that he now wasn’t even going to bother.
And that was agoodthing, Gantalla reminded herself firmly, as she stood up. She had no intention of jumping into bed with any human, and least of all one who dedicated his life to murdering her own kind. “Of course I can help,” she said, managing a smile that was more or less genuine. “Hop out of bed. And tell me you at least managed to take your boots off?”
Nalyx smiled wryly. “I did, though it took a bit of effort.” He stood up, standing still with his hands lifted out of the way. Gantalla undid his belt and the buttons on his trousers, then slid them down his legs, letting him lean on her shoulder as he stepped out of them.
He slid back into bed quickly, letting Gantalla fold the trousers and set them over the back of a chair. Then she set the plate and bottle of whisky aside and handed Nalyx his cup. She sat down on the side of the bed again, ostensibly to resume their conversation… but she also had another, more serious problem on her mind. “Um, I was wondering…”
“Hm?” He was watching her closely, though attempting to seem relaxed at the same time. But his erection beneath the sheets was making a little tent. Nalyx seemed determined to ignore it, so Gantalla did the same.
“Would you mind if I spend the night here again?” Gantalla asked. “I don’t have anywhere else to go at the moment, and…” She hoped she didn’t sound too desperate.
“Of course,” Nalyx agreed easily. “I don’t mind at all.” Gantalla waited for the inevitable suggestive invitation, and was almost disappointed when it didn’t come.
She eyed the spare pillow, sitting next to Nalyx, and then glanced at the rug. “Do you mind if I borrow a blanket?” As she’d noted the night before, the rug wasn’t the best place she’d ever slept, but it was far better than curling up in a corner outside.
But Nalyx was frowning at her. “What? Why would you…? Oh, gods, no. You don’t have to sleep on the floor,” he said, catching onto her train of thought.
Gantalla steadfastly refused to so much as glance at the tent of his erection. “I’m not… um… I mean…”
“If you don’t want me to touch you, I won’t,” Nalyx said. Gantalla dared to meet his eyes, surprised to see that he was completely serious. She didn’t know what to make of that. Hallix’s hands had been all over her, and plenty of other warriors had felt entitled to have a bit of a grope the night before. And while Nalyx had been a more respectful sort so far, she was certain that climbing into bed with a man who was already naked would be sending all the wrong signals.
“The bed is big enough for us both,” Nalyx went on, as she continued to hesitate. “And it’s a lot more comfortable. There’s no reason for you to sleep on the floor.” To make his point, he shuffled over, leaving plenty of room for her beside him.
He had a valid point; itwasa big bed.
“I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.” He held up his bandaged hands, amusement curving his lips.
Gantalla couldn’t help but smiled at that. “Okay, fine,” she agreed finally. Her shirt from this morning was dry now, hung up over the window where she’d left it this morning, so she set her cup down and turned around, then tugged her blouse over her head. She pulled the shirt on, then slid her trousers off, the shirt keeping Nalyx from getting a view of anything he wasn’t supposed to.
She came back to the bed and slid beneath the covers… and gods, yes, this was far better than the floor.
“Thank you,” she said, as she picked up her cup, settling in for a quiet chat before they both fell asleep. “You’re turning out to be quite unexpected.”
“Likewise,” Nalyx said. He held up his cup awkwardly. “To new adventures,” he said, with a look that said he wasn’t quite sure what to expect next.
Gantalla tapped the edge of her cup against his. “To new adventures. And to new friends.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gantalla woke slowly the next morning. She was warm and comfortable, the pillow soft beneath her cheek, threads of sunlight creeping in around the curtain. Her body felt lethargic, and it was hardly a surprise. She’d been awake half the night trying to figure out what in the world she was supposed to do next.
She couldn’t go on sleeping in Nalyx’s room, not with the whole town taking such a close interest in who was sleeping with whom. And she still wanted to get away from the gate and the warriors. But as she’d known right from the start, she had a limited number of choices here. The offer to give her work at the hospital had been a surprise, but it was a practical solution. It would not only solve the problem of earning her some money, but it would also give her a purpose. It would allow her to learn a new skill, and in addition to the pure practicality of that, the idea soothed her battered pride. She could be worth something beyond being a pretty accessory for a celebrity husband. Odd how she’d never considered that to be important back in Chalandros. And, of course, there was the other point to consider, which was that even if she did leave town, she’d still have to deal with humans in whichever town she ended up in. And she’d have to find work, which could well end up being far more difficult to secure the second time around, if she turned down this opportunity.
But staying in town meant continuing to have to deal with Hallix and Fin and half a dozen other people who all seemed to think that she and Hallix were made for each other. And since actually forming some sort of romance with Nalyx seemed to be an equally bad idea, the practical reality was that her tentative friendship with him wasn’t likely to help her out of this potentially sticky situation.
But she still needed money and a place to stay.
After having the thoughts swirl around in her head for a couple of hours, Gantalla finally realised that she had to make a decision, one way or another. And in the end, the thing that allowed her to make a choice was the sudden insight that any decision she made now didn’t have to be her final one. She could try the job at the hospital, learn as much as she could, and if Hallix became too unbearable, she could always leave town later.
A sigh escaped her body as a weight seemed to lift from her. Fine. The decision was made. She would go back to the hospital in the morning and start earning some money, and talk to the other nurses about accommodation options, and then just take it one day at a time.
Relieved to finally have a plan, she’d fallen back asleep. But as Gantalla looked around now, she realised she’d woken up late, if the strength of the sunlight outside was any indication. She sat bolt upright in bed… before realising that she didn’t actually have anywhere to be with any urgency. Yes, she needed to get to the hospital, but she hadn’t yet officially accepted the job, so they wouldn’t be expecting her at any particular time.
Beside her, Nalyx’s breath hitched and his body tensed, and Gantalla froze, having temporarily forgotten about her bed companion. Her verynakedbed companion. The sheets had slipped down to his waist, revealing a chest and biceps that could have been carved from granite.
