He loses his easy grin. In fact, he loses any hint of emotion as his face closes off. Backing away, he bows his head, turning so that he’s shielding the side with the scar. “Take your time inside of the facilities. Enjoy yourself. I’ll tell Lolly to have dinner ready whenever you are.”
And then, closing the door quickly behind him, Rys leaves me alone in the room.
If I wasn’t so desperate to refresh my clothes and wash the travel dirt off of me, I might’ve chased after him.
Instead, I let him go.
For now.
The silk is too… too silky.
Ugh.
I guess this is what happens when you haven’t slept on anything but grass or dirt for the last couple of weeks. Before that, I had a narrow cot with a scratchy set of sheets and a flimsy blanket. Now, as I’m lying beneath a comforter too soft to be real, and silky sheets that are caressing my overheated skin, I can’t get used to it.
Or maybe that’s because my skin isn’t the only thing that’s overheated.
I thought the hour I spent luxuriating in the shower box, trying out every option, soap, and shampoo it had to offer, was enough to cool me down. Nope. My hand still tingles from where Rys held it when we stepped through the portal.
I feel itchy. Achy. Like an addict in need of their next fix, I’m almost twitchy.
I want to touch him again. Worse, I want him to touch me.
Dinner was torture. Not the food. Lolly is a kick-ass cook. I ate more than I should’ve, though I might’ve done that because, so long as I had food in my mouth, I wasn’t begging Rys to pay me any attention.
I have more pride than that.
Did I think he was keeping his distance while we were traveling together? It’s only gotten worse since we’ve made it to his house. Now he really can stay away. Apart from the two bedrooms upstairs, there are at least four other rooms downstairs, not including his fancy front room and the dining room where we sat down together to eat.
I get the feeling that, if he thought he could’ve gotten out of it, he would’ve left me to eat by myself. It’s a long table, enough to seat at least twelve, and Rys sat as far away from me as possible. It’s hard not to take a hint.
So why did he bring me back here with him anyway?
The fairy lights in my borrowed bedroom have dimmed. It’s supposed to be soothing, I guess, but it only makes me more frustrated. The night is slipping by, I can’t sleep, and I torture myself with questions I don’t have any answers to.
And that’s when my impulsive nature kicks in.
Throwing back my comforter, I climb out of the bed. Because my poor clothes needed more than just a refresh in the shower box, I scrubbed them, dried them, and folded them on top of the dresser. Meanwhile, I pulled on one of the nightgowns I found inside of it.
Rys was right. It fits me perfectly. Sure, it’s kinda see-through, but I don’t care. Now that I’ve decided that the only way to get any answers is to confront Rys, I don’t want to stop and change.
Instead, stepping lightly on my bare feet, I slip out of my room. I don’t just barge into his —I’m impulsive, not rude—and I give him a chance to pretend I’m not out here by knocking and waiting. He has to know it’s me. All he has to do is ignore the knock.
He doesn’t.
“It’s open.”
Taking a deep breath, I push the door in.
12
Looks like Rys isn’t having an easy time falling asleep, either. He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, elbows on his thighs, head dipped as he stares at the tile on his bedroom floor. As I walk inside the room, pausing only to close the door behind me, he lifts his head so that I can’t avoid the heat in his stare.
It’s uncomfortable at the same time as it is maddeningly arousing. I squeeze my legs together and, chuckling, try to sound like I’m joking when I say, “I couldn’t sleep. And, no, that doesn’t mean I want you to hit me with your faerie dust.” I force out another laugh. “I’m still mad at you for that.”
“I do what I have to.” Rys sighs. The shudder of his breath draws my attention to the fact that he’s completely bare on top. He has on loose white pants, but that’s it. His pajamas? Maybe. “I’ve always done what I have to.”
I’m staring at the lean, muscular chest. His skin is so golden-brown, his nipples are a pair of dark discs just begging to be licked.