His magic briefly sparked and he dematerialized the winter coat he’d had on when he’d come to Evira and me earlier. I grinned as he tugged at his black muscle tee that was doing awesome things to emphasize all that carved-from-marble physique of his.
“What?” he asked, eyes narrowing.
Yeah, he was really worked up. More than I’d actually thought possible for him. That terse response, instead of his usual unflappable demeanor, then him actually sweating when I thought Basilisks could regulate their body temperatures when it came to the heat of it all. I mean, he’d obviously needed that big coat that Win had conjured for him when they’d headed to the mountains, but cold was different to heat. I should know.
“Too much for you, huh? This place?”
“We’re here on a mission, not to… indulge.”
“And all the stuff happening around is threatening to impact your focus?”
He looked away. “Just continue to lead the way to this specific site within this locus of unchecked debauchery.”
Despite everything, a laugh burst from me.
I felt a slap to my back, a rush of sensation rolling through me that had me choking down my laugh. I shot a look over my shoulder and my gaze locked with Vaxan’s. “I wouldn’t do that again. I’m really fucking worked up. I’m guessing your senses are on overload right now with all this so you’re not sensing it from me. But, yeah, right on the edge, Your Majesty. So, unless you want to deal with that, I’d avoid physical contact until we get out of here.”
“Please. You have wished for me to‘deal with that’for you since the moment I made you overhear my fornication with Winter.”
He had me jolting then as he gracefully eased himself to my left side, strategically forcing the throngs of people around us to make room for us to walk side-by-side, rather than single-file as we had been since we’d entered the place.
And he remained with his shoulder pressed against mine.
Obviously on purpose.
My punishment for calling him out.
How had he managed to so smoothly and effortlessly turn his own uncomfortableness into screwing with me?
He was… another level.
And it was hot as all fuck.
Of course, he knew that.
Knew that I saw it that way.
And him that way.
“Fuck,” I uttered.
His lips twitched with amusement.
And a little sadism. He liked that he was able to impact me this way, the control it gave him over this part of me, maybe. Normally, I’d run from that, but lately… with Evira... altering toward Winter too… it just didn’t cause that panic in me.
I blinked back to the immediate as we reached our target, and passed through the magical curtain into the private rooms section of the club.
“It’s that one,” I informed Vaxan, gesturing at the private room right in the left corner.
“All right.” He broke delicious shoulder contact with me, and started toward it.
“Wait!” I called out, snatching his bicep.
Another shot of heat went through me. I’d meant to grab his wrist, not something so… erotic. Especially on him with the way they bulged and flexed and—get a grip, man.
He swung back to me in question, eyeing my hand on him, before flicking his sexy serpentine gaze to mine.
“You need to brace yourself,” I warned him.
