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“And when you saidmeeting—was that a meeting of the minds or a meeting of the genitals?”

Aiden just sighed.

Oh Shards, this was amazing. Taly was practically bouncing on her stool.

Scratch that—she was definitely bouncing. The vibrations shook the table, waking Calcifer up with a snort.

“You’ve worked three night-shifts this week! Aiden, youhussy.”

He snorted. “That’s rich coming from the woman I caught on her knees in a storage closet yesterday afternoon.”

Taly just shrugged. Skye had figured her out. No shirt, just sweat dripping over muscle, and suddenly she was imagining licking him clean like some feral salt-addict. She swore he waited around for her now. She’d found him hammering away at the forge four days this week. Heneverworked at the forge.

Aiden said, “Please keep this to yourself.”

“Why?”

“Because I like her. Which means that my sister will try to ruin it.”

“I don’t understand,” Taly said and took the cauldron off the warming plate.

Aiden rubbed the back of his neck. “Aimee is… protective. And in her mind, no one is ever good enough. I once had a woman physically run away from me after two minutes alone in a room with her, so please, Taly… I’ll get on my knees if I have to. Just please, keep this to yourself.”

Taly slid the cauldron across the table, gesturing for Aiden to hang it on the cooling rack by the entrance. “I kind of want to see this now.”

“Please, Taly.”

“C’mon, you’re not the least bit curious? What is Aimee saying to them? Does she have some sort of weird hypnotic eye power? These are the important questions.”

“Please.” True to his word, Aiden knelt, clasping his hands in front of him. “What do you want? Name your—”

“Am I interrupting something?”

As it always did now when Skye entered the room, Taly’s heart gave a little skip and a flutter. Maybe she was smitten, or perhaps they were just still in that can’t-get-enough-of-you, sex-on-the-walls, the-couch, really-any-available-surface phase of their relationship. Either way, he looked good enough to eat with rain-soaked hair, a fitted leather coat that accentuated perfect, well-muscled shoulders, and a light gray tunic fit to show off the broadness of his chest.

Aiden pushed himself to stand. “It’s okay, Skye. Taly was just threatening me.”

“So dramatic,” Taly said with a roll of her eyes. “He’s exaggerating. It was just a little bit of light extortion between friends.”

Skye’s gaze locked onto hers, and a pulse of heat traveled through her, pooling in her stomach and making her feel suddenly, stupidly aware of every inch of herself. “Is that so?”A slow, teasing smile spread across his face. “You know, I don’t know how I feel about you threatening other men.”

“Well, this is fun,” Aiden said, glancing between them. “Time for me to find somewhere less... couple-y.” Then he took his chance to escape, slipping past Skye as he ducked into the tent. “Please try to keep your clothes on,” he said in parting before practically bolting out of the tent.

When Skye was close enough, he looped an arm around Taly’s waist, sitting her on the table. Her legs parted for him as he leaned in for a kiss.

His tongue slid against hers. Shards, she was never going to get tired of this.

“I don’t like your new schedule,” he said with a final nip to her lip.

“I’m sorry. I can’t just laze about all day and be your personal sex slave.”

“If your priorities were in order, that’s exactly what you would do.” His voice, that low, velvety rasp, rolled over her like a bad idea she was entirely too eager to entertain.

Skye was right about one thing. Taly’s days started early now. True to her word, she’d taken on the arduous, somewhat questionable task of training her not-quite-so mortal enemy and was now facing the consequences. Those hours she would have preferred to spend with Skye between her legs were now spent kicking Aimee’s ass around the training hall.

She wouldn’t say she was in withdrawal. Skye took care of her well enough at night. Asking for more would be greedy. But she was missing her usual morning fix, and the ache was sharp.

Strong hands gripped her thighs as he pressed against her, leaning in to murmur in her ear, “If I thought for one second I could get away with it, I would have you bent over this table.”