Page 22

“Say my name again.” Rallan doesn’t stop his tongue from lashing against my lips. No, he does it again when I don’t start freaking out. “You know I want you, Simone. Tell me you want me, and I will take care of you. I will be honored to do it.”

I open my mouth and lick my lips in an attempt to taste him on my tongue. His eyes watch all of my movements, and when I only open and close my mouth a few times, his lips quirk up at the corners.

“Next time, perhaps you will make me the most blessed male.” He sits back up before I register that he’s not about to take all of my clothes off.

I should be grateful for him not pushing when I’m so close to breaking and letting him sleep with me. Instead, I’m livid. Not at him. Even though he’s the one who’ll be getting all of my anger. No, I’m pissed at myself for letting my stupid heart fall for Rallan, for still clinging to Vex, and most of all, for not listening to me when I told it we were done falling for aliens.

“You may be mad at me when I am done with your feet,” Rallan says, almost like he can read my mind.

“I can do it myself,” I snarl, wrenching my foot free of his hold, and this time he allows it. His teeth grind against one another before he puts the smile back on his lips and beams at me. “What could be amusing about this?”

“I have all of the supplies,” Rallan says, his hands moving to the bandages and salve that he brought with him when he came to my room. He pulls it all closer to him and keeps his eyes on me as mine flare with outrage.

He’s right that he has all the supplies, but what he doesn’t have that I do is the stomach to watch me hurt myself instead of admitting defeat. I throw my legs off the side of the bed and wince as my blistered and cut feet hit the rough stone floor. Rallan hisses as a gasp leaves my lips, but it doesn’t stop me from standing and starting to walk toward the door.

“What are you doing?” Rallan hisses from the bed. He grabs my wrist as I try to pass him. He doesn’t pull me back toward him, doesn’t even tighten his loose grip on me.

As upset as he is about my feet, he’s still going to let me do whatever it is I want to do. Just like he has every single day when he’s let me walk my feet until they’re bloody and I’m on the verge of exhaustion before I let him carry me. I take in a shaky breath, not wanting to pull away from him, not wanting to admit that I want him to take care of me.

“Will you help me without all the jokes?” I ask, so quietly I don’t know if he’s heard me until he’s plucking me off my feet to cradle me before laying me back in bed.

“No more jokes,” Rallan says, his smile softening to one that shows me there’s no more teasing that’s going to happen. “I will always take care of you, Simone.”

I close my eyes and swallow hard. “No more saying my name either.”

“For tonight,” Rallan murmurs, his fingers working against my feet as he applies the salve and wraps them in new bandages. “I plan on returning to wooing you as soon as I can in the morning.”

I’m tired and lonely, and I want more than anything to admit to Rallan that I want him. I just need to figure out all of my options. I need to know what to do about Vex before I do anything at all with Rallan.

I tell myself it’s the exhaustion—mentally, emotionally, and physically—that has me needing Rallan even more. It’s all of that exhaustion that has me sighing and moaning when he crawls into bed next to me and begins to care for my hair.

He’s barely started on my hair before I undo the ties on my shorts and shimmy them down my body. I leave the tunic on because I’ve grown used to wearing it to bed. Rallan hisses when I throw the shorts onto the floor but doesn’t make anyremarks about it. It’s been days since I’ve been able to fall asleep comfortably since I’ve been dressed in tight shorts every night that we’ve been travelling.

“I need to grab something really quick,” Rallan says as he lays my locs back down next to my head. I mumble something incoherent since I’m so close to falling asleep. I hear him walk over to the wardrobe, open it, and grab something before closing it again. Then he’s crawling under my blankets. I don’t miss how I can feel even more of his cool scales than I should.

“If you do not have to wear pants, I should not have to either,” Rallan whispers in my ear.

My eyes flash open, but the look of anger I want to give him is dulled in its intensity when my lids are only hooded, and lust is simmering under my skin. Rallan must know because he takes mercy on me.

He holds up a silky-looking material and tells me what it is. “This is for your hair, I believe.”

This time, my eyes fully open, and I sit up in bed, a smile splitting my lips. “Is this a bonnet?” I ask, taking the silky material from him and looking it over. It definitely is a bonnet, and I’m quick about securing my hair and tightening it around my head. I turn back to Rallan when it’s secure and throw my arms around his neck.

“Thank you.” I hold him close to me, my face buried in his neck as I thank him a few more times.

Rallan groans deep in his chest, his arms wrapping around me and holding me just as tight with one of his hands cupping the back of my head so I keep myself buried against him. Then, as though it pains him, he pulls away from me and lays us both down so we are facing one another in bed.

“I would love to take credit for how happy you are now, but this was not a gift from me.”

My heart stops for a second. I’m pretty sure not a single pump of blood happens. Then, it beats rapidly like I’m about to die.

“Vex?” His name is barely a sound as I say it, and I see the way it has Rallan’s nostrils flare.

“Yes, I am sure it was him. He is the one who built this house, and he is the one who made this room for you.” Rallan’s voice is softer than I expected since I’m pretty sure he hates Vex. The way he’s talking about him now, it doesn’t sound like he hates him. In fact, it kind of sounds like he appreciates that we’re currently sleeping in a house that my ex prepared for us. “He cares for you very much.”

My teeth clamp down hard because I don’t know how to take Rallan’s words. Rallan hates Vex. He’s made it clear everytime I’ve ever talked about Vex. He tells me that I can do better, that Vex doesn’t deserve me, and that I shouldn’t ever think about him again.

Now, after talking with him for a few hours, he’s not mad at him anymore. No, I don’t believe it. This must be another joke, and I don’t know what Rallan thinks will be funny about it. I’m not going to ask him so he can laugh at me and my emotions.