Page 21 of Kiss of Steel

His eyes shot open.Shit.

He recapped the bottle. Using the hair and body shampoo in the wall dispenser, he finished his shower. After a cursory toweling, he grabbed his used clothing and padded into the second bedroom. He stretched out on the floor, folded his arms over his chest, and called to oblivion.

Chapter Ten

Honoria’s eyes flickered open to an unfamiliar room.Where am I?She blinked, disoriented until she remembered. The flight from Earth, meeting her Cosmic Mates match, the wagon ride.I’m on Refuge. I’m married.

She rolled over to sneak a peek at Jason, but his side was empty.What time is it?Grayish morning light spilled through the unadorned window.Still early.Until they got blinds or drapes, they’d probably both be crack-of-dawn risers.

Exhausted from the tension of the day’s events, she’d gone out like a light the instant her head touched the pillow, and she hadn’t felt him get into bed. She frowned as she noticed his side was neat and tidy, the covers tucked snugly over the mattress, the pillow fluffy and undented. He wouldn’t have made his half of the bed while she was still sleeping!

He never came to bed at all.

Am I so repugnant he can’t sleep next to me in the only bed in the house?Or did he just feel uncomfortable? Some awkwardness was to be expected, but eventually they’d get used to each other.

Getting up, she pulled on a robe draped over the foot of the bed and eased the door open. She heard no sounds of movement or activity, so she tiptoed into the main room, expecting to find him asleep on the sofa.

He wasn’t there. His jacket hung over the chair, so he hadn’t left the cabin—unless the crazy man had ventured out without a coat. Windows had frosted over, and, through a clear spot, she could see the ground coated in white. Probably, hopefully, not snow but thick frost. Her gaze shot to the stove. The herb cakes he’d set beside it were gone; he must have fed the fire.

She padded into the hall, quietly pushed open the second bedroom door, and peeked inside. Her jaw dropped.

Hands folded on his chest, a morning boner resting on his lower abdomen, Jason lay stark naked on the hard, cold floor. No blanket. No pillow. With dismayed hindsight, she realized they’d been given no extra sheets or covers—they had only what was on the bed.

How can he sleep like that?

Even in slumber, he remained forbidding, unapproachable, his face composed of hard angles, his jaw square, his cheekbones prominent, his nose sharp. Only the crescent of dark lashes resting on his cocoa cheeks and a slight relaxing of his stern mouth conveyed any softness to his face. His lips were fuller than she’d realized.

His skin was the same rich, smooth milk-chocolate color all over. Perfect skin without a single blemish or scar, she thought enviously. His pecs, abs, and biceps were defined without being muscle-bound. A sprinkling of hair dusted his masculine forearms, but his chest was smooth.

He’s stinking hot.And manly. Definitely manly.Wowsa.She snuck another peek.

“Seen enough?”

Her face flamed. “Sorry. Sorry. I didn’t expect—I thought you were asleep.”

“I was until you opened the door. I’m a light sleeper.” He bounded to his feet with acrobatic grace and strength, unabashed by his nakedness or arousal.

Upright, he appeared more impressively built. He couldn’t have been better put together if he’d been genetically engineered.

“You can’t have slept on the floor all night.” Keeping her eyes on his face, she inched into the room.

“Why not?”

“It’s not comfortable!”

He shrugged. “I don’t require comfort.”

“You could have slept on the sofa.”

“Which part of me? The top half or the bottom half? There isn’t room for both.”

How stupid and unobservant of her. The sofa was hardly longer than a loveseat. He could no more stretch out on the couch than he could fit in a toddler’s crib. “We can share the bed. I’m fine with it.”

“That’s your room.”

“It’sourroom. Your virtue is safe with me. I promise I won’t molest you.”

He smirked. “As if you could.”

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