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“But it’s good. Here.” I shoved the mug toward him. He grimaced and a laugh bubbled up from my throat.

Lukas’s expression sobered. I was going to ask what happened, but he cracked open my book and started reading. I pulled my knees up to my chest and sipped my tea, basking in the silence and listening to his steady breaths.

I wasn't sure exactly how much time passed. Enough to finish my tea, but I wasn't focused on how long it had been.

Instead, I was letting my eyes bounce around the room, my body finally relaxed.

The water outside flickered with moonlight. Sea life swam by the window, some blowing curious bubbles toward the window, saying hello to the god of the sea.

Lukas was a steady force next to me. I could feel his gaze brand my chin, my neck, my shoulder every so often.

Our eyes locked and my breath stilled. "You won't finish my book if you keep getting distracted."

Lukas looked at me with a lightly amused expression. "I'm always distracted."

Before I could press, his eyes were back down on the pages. He brought his thumb up to his lips, his tongue darting out to brush against the pad in a slow swipe.

The book was well worn. There was no need for him to do it, but I wasn't going to point that out.

I'd be stupid to when the image was sending heat through my limbs. Lukas didn't even spare me a passing glance, just went back to reading.

Fine, I could just go back to my tea.

I turned away from him with a poorly concealedhmph, letting the hot water steal my focus away from him.

When I finished, I hopped over to the bathroom to freshen up then walked back toward the bed.

“How was your tea?” Lukas asked, more to my bare legs than my face. He was touching me and staring at me with a dark expression, but he wasn’t fuckingdoinganything about it. I didn’t understand him.

“Good,” I said. “Thank you.”

Lukas looked genuinely pleased. “You’re welcome, baby.”

“Why are you calling me that again?” I blurted, then immediately had the urge to hide under the bed.

Lukas set down my book then looked at me like he saw the outline of my soul. Looked right through me. “You like it. Don’t you?”

Honesty, I told myself. I could be honest with this one tiny thing to see how he’d react. I could play it off as him fulfilling his original promise to make me like it, but nothing more. But I forced myself to answer him. “Yes. I do, Luke.”

“Good.”

Something sparked between us, like the crackling pop of firewood. My breath turned heavy. Lukas’s chest expanded with deep pulls of air.

I could lean over and kiss him. It would be easy enough, with his hand inches away from my hip. With thatlookon his face.

My resolve was seconds away from slipping from my fingers when Lukas said, “I need to sleep. And you need to heal.”

There it was. The emphasis onneedagain. I forced the mask back up, hoping it hid the sheen gathering in my eyes.

“Okay,” I breathed. The lights dimmed a second later, bathing us in darkness.

I could feel, more than see, Lukas sliding fully over the sheets, relaxing. “Go to sleep, Daph.”

That got me moving. I laid down but couldn’t get comfortable. I was so aware of how little space separated us. No more than a foot apart. Mere inches at some points.

“Good night, Luke,” I whispered. Lukas hummed, a sound deep in the back of his throat that slid down my body in a heated caress.

I turned on my side, needing to move. Lukas fell asleep in moments, his breathing moving slow and deep. I was tired, but my body was too alive. I needed more time to calm down.