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Taly sat up straighter. In the place where all that doubt had been, she felt something new—a rush of confidence that steadied her hands as they reached for the hem of her sweater and slowly peeled it over her head.

No, she wasn’t naked underneath. That was how the courtesans at the Dawn Court would’ve done it, all boldness and allure. But she’d lost her nerve waiting for Skye to come to bed.

She’d pictured it once—their first night back. Waiting for him in her favorite red lace. Normally, she didn’t wear things that needed babysitting, but this set barely existed. Nothing to fuss with, nothing to fix.

Silk shorts were her first concession. Her ass had started feeling a little too breezy.

Then her nipples caught the chill, and suddenly the lace didn’t feel bold—it felt like she’d forgotten to get dressed. So, she found his sweater. It was still his. That sort of counted as seduction. At least, that’s how she justified putting on the closest thing she could find to a tent.

Beneath her, Skye went utterly still. She wasn’t sure if he was even breathing. His eyes locked on hers, then drifted lower—over the red lace, sheer and clinging, and the heavy weight of her breasts beneath it. He looked stunned. Wrecked. Like he’d dreamed this and never thought he’d be allowed to have it.

She liked it, being looked at that way. She arched her back, curious—biting back a grin when something close to pain flashed across his face.

“I’m going to hate myself,” Skye said roughly, squeezing his eyes shut like he needed to think and couldn’t. “You’re kind ofsending me mixed signals right now. What happened to ‘no sex’? I know I didn’t imagine that.”

She leaned forward to brush her nose against his neck. Through the lace, her nipples grazed bare skin, and she reveled in the unparalleled wickedness of that slight touch. He smelled good—in a way she’d never noticed as a human. Like sandalwood and suede and cedar…

Her tongue darted out, needing to know if he tasted as good as he smelled.

He did.

“Taly,” he warned, voice catching.

“Just because I’m not ready to cross the finish line doesn’t mean I want to stop moving toward it.” She licked a line up the column of his throat to get more of that taste, ending at his mouth where she whispered, “I’ve imagined you fucking me too.”

She felt the shift in him immediately—the sudden tension in his muscles, the sharp inhale that never fully released.

The next thing she knew, she was on her back. His weight settled over her. Hands braced on either side of her head, caging her in.

Green eyes bored down, fierce with want. His voice was a low, silken rasp that sent a shiver down her spine. “Exactly what have you been imagining, Taly?”

“I, uh…” Her courage slipped.

“Fuck you how, exactly?” he murmured, hips flexing just enough to make her suck in a breath. “With my hands? My mouth? My cock?”

She was too warm. Every part of her. Her skin burned, heat licking down her throat, sinking lower, deeper.

She saw it now—the friend she’d laughed with, fought with, leaned on, finally blended with the man the world whisperedabout. The notorious court flirt who left a trail of women every season.

And now, both were looking at her like she was next.

“Answer the question, Tink.”

She looked away, barely managing a soft, hesitant nod.

“To which?”

“Um… all– a-all three.”

His smile was slow and wicked. “Sounds like you’ve been thinking about me a lot.”

“I had a year in the time loop,” she snapped back. Only after it was out of her mouth did she realize that wasn’t the grand defense she’d intended—more an… admission.

Skye hummed, a deep, pleased, purely masculine sound. “I see.” His fingers circled her nipple over the lace. A featherlight touch, but Taly swore she could feel it everywhere. “Well, you can’t have my cock—your rules, not mine. And I don’t trust myself enough to give you my mouth—if I taste you, I’m going to want more.”

Those fingers slid down her belly, past the waistband of her shorts. She was halfway through letting out a sigh of disappointment when they slipped beneath the fabric of the leg where it gaped.

“We’ll start with the basics,” he said softly, eyes holding hers.