I can feel heated anger bloom in my belly and spread up my spine to the base of my neck. “Fine,” I bite out, dropping his shirt and reaching to pull Az’s off me right here, not turning away for modesty. Just before the material completely blocks my view, I see Kiahn’s arms fall to his sides as he stands straighter.
I see him staring at my now bared chest, his mouth softly agape. I was completely naked with him in the lagoon last night, but I guess he didn’t really get a good look. There’s a certain power in rendering this huge, formidable prince speechless,but I’m still mad at him. So, I throw Az’s shirt at his stupid, handsome face.
Kiahn grunts disapprovingly. And his frustration only grows when he realizes he can’t quickly swipe the offending shirt off his head because the thing got all caught up in his horns. By the time he breaks free of it, I’m already tightening the ties on his own shirt on me. We stare at one another until the eye contact itself feels like a challenge.
“Where is the girl?” I ask, crossing my arms.
Kiahn blinks, and seems to finally realize that I’m annoyed at him right now. He blows out a long breath, his antagonistic stance over his brother’s shirt seeming to deflate. “Vel didn’t explain‘permissions’to you, did she?” he asks, reaching up to rub his horn.
I debate on my answer. She might have. But was I listening? Was I asking for clarification? Or did I just want this whole contract signing thing to be over and done with already?
I don’t know.
And I don’t want Vel to get into trouble.
In the end, I elect to keep my mouth shut, making Kiahn sigh. He takes a step forward, but I take a step back - an act that doesn’t go unnoticed. He raises his hands a little, palms facing me as though he’s trying to placate a skittish deer. “The girl you saw me with was…” he bites his lip and tips his head back, looking up to the ceiling of this weird room like he’s begging his Xaviann Goddesses for rescue from this conversation.
“She was what? A sex slave you have hidden away from me?”
“What?! No!” That got his attention. And I won’t lie; his instant dismissal goes some way to calm a part of my brain that had started to question whether I trust this man at all. “It wasyou, Niska.You!”
I open my mouth, but shut it again pretty damn quickly.
Am I still drunk?
“Explain.”
20
Chapter 20 - Kiahn
I stare at the gorgeous little human in front of me, not quite sure how to handle this situation.
She’s standing here, inmy simulator -a fact that has me both nervous, and aroused. Stepping foot in someone else’s personal simulator is like… I don’t know, barging into their bathing space, or crashing into their dreams, or wearing their undergarments. It’s personal.
I’d lost the battle with myself about not using Niska’s permission tonight, and now she’s pissed at me. But the confusion has only fueled my suspicion that she doesn’t fully understand what it is she agreed to when she gave said full permission.
Which makes me feel like a dishonorable maleandsupremely pissed at Vel.
Originally, I’d been too caught off guard by being interrupted. And then seeing her in my brother’s clothing - it hadall distracted me from realizing that she didn’t know what was going on.
And now it’s down to me to explain…
To explain how I’d just used a perfect holographic replica of her for my own release.
Goddesses help me.
“So,” I start, rubbing at my right horn again. “You know how we want to keep females safe from an unwanted bonding bite?”
Niska crosses her arms and gives a short, sharp nod. Her hip cocks to the side. She should not look so damn tempting in my shirt right now - not standing here in the room where I normally find all my pleasures.
“Casual fucking is not normally on the agenda for us, Niska. We cannot do these things as other species can,” I tell her, hoping beyond all hope that she will connect all the dots together so I don’t have to say this out loud.
Her arms fall to her side and her voice sounds scratchy as she asks, “do you have another contract with her?”
What?!
Wrongfucking dots!
