Page 19 of On a Barbarian World

“If you call me fat, I’ll punch you.”

“Fat?” His brows pulled together as he handed the clothes over. “You have the body of a goddess. Our women don’t have the generous curves you possess.”

“Oh.” She clutched the leather to her chest. “I’m not really into skirts. Hard to be a good scout in a skirt.”

His lips quirked again. “There are skirts in there…but also trousers.”

“Thank you.” When he just stood there, staring at her, she waved him off. “Go, I’m not changing with you standing there.”

He took a few steps and sank into a deep armchair.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

He rested his arms on the chair. “You said you wouldn’t change with me standing…now I am no longer standing.”

“Barbarian,” she muttered. Fine, she wasn’t a prude. Besides, she wouldn’t mind getting a little revenge for his high-handedness.

She moved back to the bed and set the clothes out. There was a pair of soft leather trousers in a deep brown. They looked like they’d fit her like a glove. She sifted through the shirts and only found form-fitting corsets like the women who’d dropped the food off had been wearing.

Spinning, she eyed Kavon, then she dropped the sheet.

Fire flared in his eyes and he leaned forward.

“Uh-uh.” She waved a finger at him. “No standing.”

With a growl, he sank back into the chair. “I give orders, I do not obey them.”

“You just need a little practice.” Damn, she enjoyed playing with him. That annoyed groove on his forehead did nothing to detract from his attractive face.

Aurina finger-combed her hair, taking her time, excruciatingly conscious of him watching her. There was a flimsy pair of underwear and she pulled them on. They were made from a delicately woven fabric that looked like a spider web.

“Woman, you are…exquisite.”

Her gaze flew to his. He was watching her with an intensity that made her skin flush, and a low heat ignite deep in her belly. No one had ever looked at her like that before.

“Your curves, your hair, your skin—” His gaze traveled her body, before coming back to meet her eyes. “Even that brain you bribed me with is interesting.”

God, the man was driving her crazy. She took her time pulling on the trousers. Whoa, they really did fit like a glove, slicking over her curves. She tugged and twisted into the corset. It pushed her breasts up. Not to galactic-pornstar proportions, but you couldn’t miss the fact they were there. Belatedly, she realized there was no way she could get the ties at the back done herself.

“Barbarian?”

In a blink, he was beside her. His hand went to the ties. “I am better at undoing these, than fastening them.”

She snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”

He took his time tying them, seemingly absorbed in the task. She was surprised to find the corset was quite comfortable.

“Thank you.”

His fingers trailed over the nape of her neck. An involuntary shiver ran through her.

“Will you leave your hair loose?”

She did sometimes, but when she was working, she almost always tied it back. “Okay.” Her voice was a little husky.

“All right, my sweet skyflyer, let’s get this dispute handled, then I will show you where you crashed.”

He took her hand, his large one engulfing hers, and she let him tug her from the room.