Amusement glints in his eyes. “Is that so? And here I thought you were admiring myotherassets.”
My face burns hotter than the coals in a blacksmith’s forge as I scoot to the edge of the mattress. I press myself against the canvas wall of the tent, even though every muscle in my body screams to close the distance, to feel his warmth against me.
The bed dips as Cenric settles beside me. He’s close enough that I can count his eyelashes and see the faint stubble along his jaw.
Don’t you dare move, Everly.
You are a boulder.
An immovable oak.
Oh, he smells good!
“Scared?” he asks.
I lift my chin. “No.”
My fingers itch to trace the lines of his chest, to tangle in his hair. I clench them into fists instead, willing them to behave.
“Then, why are you hugging the tent wall?” Cenric asks, his voice a low rumble that I feel in my bones.
Because if I don’t, I might do something incredibly stupid.
Like kiss you senseless.
“I’m giving you space,” I say. “Your arrogance takes up most of the bed.”
He lifts his brow. “My arrogance?”
“Yes. It’s so massive that I’m surprised it fits in this tent.”
His lips twitch. “Is that so?”
I nod. “I’ve seen smaller palaces.”
The bed creaks as he shifts closer, and my skin heats even more. “Perhaps you’d prefer if I slept outside, then? To make room for you and my arrogance?”
I roll my eyes. “Your arrogance would follow you out there.”
“You wound me, Everly,” he says with mock severity.
“I doubt it.”
He leans even closer, his face mere inches from mine. “You’d be surprised what can get through my defenses.”
Don’t look at his lips.
Don’t look at his—
I look at his lips.
Damn it.
“I…I….” I stammer, my wit deserting me entirely.
Cenric’s gaze flicks to my mouth, then back to my eyes. “Yes?”
Say something clever.
