“I sleep better on my back,” I said.
He grunted and grudgingly released me. But once I was settled, Shale turned onto his side and flung his arm across my waist. With his head on the pillow beside mine and his front pressed against my back, the Dragon King went to sleep. I smiled to myself before I closed my eyes and did the same.
I dreamed of fire and water. They both rushed through me. And there was roaring coming from inside me. Something clawed at my chest. It didn't want out, it wanted more. It was incomplete. We were incomplete. It left me aching, longing for fulfillment.
I came awake with that ache still plaguing me, my hand going to my chest.
Shale was asleep beside me, looking peaceful. He was still on his side, his arm cradled in the curve of my waist and his hand pressed against my chest. That had to be the source of my dream. The weight and heat of him caused it. But damn was it strange. And that feeling dogged me. That ache. I'd been so happy before I went to sleep. Why was I feeling like this now?
I slid out from under Shale, then rubbed at my chest as I sat up. The royal bedchamber, if you could call it that, was incredible. But I would have liked an adjoining bathroom. As itwas, I had to stumble down a flight of stairs to use the bathroom on the floor below. And I had to put on my pants to do it because there was a Dragon knight on duty down there.
“Fucking stairs,” I muttered as I flopped downward. “Hey, how ya doing?” I muttered to the knight as I passed him.
“Good morning, Master Sebastian.”
I blinked and looked back at him in shock, but he was facing out, toward the stairs. The only knight who'd ever spoken to me had been Gunrel, and it had taken him forever to use my name, much less my title.
“I guess fucking the King gains me some respect,” I muttered after I closed the bathroom door.
Once I had seen to my bladder, I started to leave the bathroom. But then I saw the bathtub.
An enormous gold basin stood beside the window so the King could bathe with a view of his city. The tub was so deep, there were marble steps beside it, leading up to the rim.
“Fuck yeah.” I changed direction.
With amazing water pressure, the King's bathtub filled fast. I was soon submerged in hot, fragrant water, my arms stretched along the tub rim and my stare on the city. What a life. And it would be mine for a little while. How amazing was that? I was going to soak it up—the hot water, the food, the clothes, the King. I'd enjoy it fully while I could. Sure, it was looking more and more like my heart would pay the price later. But that was later.
I languished in the hot water for a bit, then grabbed a cloth and soaped up. I was working on my toes when the King stormed in. As soon as he saw me, his tense body relaxed.
“Good morning,” I said. “Sorry, I couldn't resist. I'm a bit achy after last night. And dirty.”
“Of course. Feel free to use anything you need,” he said and strode past the tub as if his intention had always been to head to the toilet room.
I smirked after Shale shut the door. I knew that expression. He thought I'd left. He was about to lose his shit. But then he saw me and that calmed him.Calmedhim. I called that progress.
Humming to myself, I finished my feet. I was shaking them in the water to rinse them when the King emerged from the toilet room. He was naked, divine, and erect. But he acted unaffected, climbing the steps as if there wasn't a huge penis bobbing before him, right at the level of my face.
Not that I'm complaining.
Shale climbed into the tub and sighed.
I chuckled. “I'm glad I'm not the only one achy after last night.”
“It's been a while since I've moved my body in those ways. My muscles need time to adjust.”
“Good,” I said with a grin. “Because my muscles need time to recover.”
His eyes popped open. “Are you injured? Did I hurt you?”
“No, I'm good. I just need to soak awhile. Why? Were you thinking we'd have sex in the bath?”
“Did you not see my erection?”
“Oh, I saw it. It was kinda hard to miss, what with you sticking it in my face. I almost gave it a kiss.”
He huffed a laugh. “I did not stick it in your face.”
“Maybe you didn't intend to stick it in my face, but it got stuck there. I looked it in the eye. Man to dick.” I waved my hand back and forth as if it were in front of me again. “And it won.”
