That startles a laugh out of me. He’s not really wrong. I haven’t exactly kept up on my stamina, and the only reason I’ve maintained my strength is because Zane is a gym addict, and it’s the only place he ever wants to hang out. “Fuck you, dude,” I say with a grin.
He cocks his head to the side and frowns. “We don’t fuck. That is a human thing.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” I finish off my coffee and stuff the rest of the pastry in my mouth, letting my lips graze Rathyn’s fingertips as I do. I hear the hum he gives when I do that.
He may not admit it, but it’s obvious he likes it. I’ve started to wonder if the no-fucking and no-pleasure thing is bullshit because he seems to really enjoy it when I touch and kiss him.
“Was that another form of a kiss?” he asks as he stares down at his fingers.
“I mean, sort of, I guess. Here,” I hold out my hand, and he places his in it. I lean forward and press my lips to his fingertips, making sure to give him a proper kiss on two of them.
He watches it all, his ears fluttering, and then when I pull away, he stares for a long time at where our bodies met.
“This seems…inappropriate for public or private.”
I snort a laugh. “Trust me, kissing can get a lot filthier than that.”
His eyes flash to mine as I pull back and sink beneath the water to scrub my hands through my hair. When I emerge, Rathyn is gone, leaving me to dry off alone.
I’m feeling a bit better now that I’ve eaten, had some caffeine, and had a long soak. I’m annoyed when I realize he still hasn’t brought any clothes, though, so I wrap up in a towel and pad through the apartment until I find him.
Rathyn is at the kitchen counter, his eyes still on his fingers, and I wonder if maybe my kissing broke him.
It makes me slightly giddy at the thought, though I have no idea why.
I shake myself out of that thought and clear my throat. “Clothes?”
His gaze flicks up to mine, and he stands, tucking his arm behind his back. His tail is still wrapped tightly around his thigh, and I wonder if he’ll wrap that around me again. He did it last night when I wouldn’t stop trying to wrap my legs around his neck.
He held me down with it, and god help me, I loved it.
I don’t tell him that, though. I watch as he snags a bag from the counter and holds it out to me. After a beat, he mimics me, clearing his own throat and says, “Get changed and then we can go.” His voice is oddly tense, but I don’t ask.
Instead, I give him a mock salute and then drop the towel right where I am. His gaze catches on my dick, and he looks at it hungrily for a second, then turns to give me privacy.
It’s strange. I feel almost rejected, but I also appreciate that he’s learning humans do like a bit of privacy from time to time. But I wonder why he cares now.
My face burns as I pull out a pair of loose pants and a button-up shirt that are nowhere near my size. The pants hang off my hips until I tighten the drawstrings, and I have to roll the sleeves up to my elbows to keep them from hanging past my fingers.
They’re not ideal, but they’ll do.
“Alright. I’m ready,” I say as I do up the last button. Rathyn turns and gives me an irritated look. I know he doesn’t love it when I’m dressed, but I don’t care. I’m not going to be showing everything off to a bunch of strangers at City Hall.
He sighs quietly, then offers his hand out, and I take it. His palm is warm against mine, and I have never stopped liking the odd feeling of his skin. His touch settles me until he tugs me forward so hard I almost stumble into him, but I catch myself on his arm.
He looks down at me, his jaw working like he wants to say something, but in the end, it’s just more silence. I don’t know why that bothers me so much, but I can’t help it.
I suddenly feel very alone.
nine
EVEREST
The clothes Rathyn got for me are ill-fitting, but at least they cover more than a t-shirt at a sorority wet t-shirt contest. I adjust the pants as we walk and keep trying to right the loose sleeves as they unfold. The collar is also too wide and keeps falling off one shoulder.
The clothes don’t do much to keep me warm, but Rathyn stays close and his body heat is…a lot. Enough that I keep edging closer to his seat for warmth as we head toward City Hall.
It used to be an open building with the DMV and utility offices on the ground floor, but since the portal opened up there and the monster relations offices formed, they put up a big wrought-iron gate and have guards standing outside twenty-four seven.
