Page 15 of Space for More

Phelix’s choked sound of alarm tears me out of that train of thought and I realize that my hand has slid down his back to rest on his ass. And damn, that is a nice, juicy ass. I quickly pull my hand away before I squeeze it.

Ulena clears her throat gently. “I need to go. Thank you for the shirt, Dr. Nafar. I will see you, Mezli, and her colleague next night cycle.”

“See you then!” I call out cheerily as she heads off into the crowd, then plaster on a confident smile and turn to look at Phelix. His strange, beautiful green eyes bore into mine, simultaneously conveying frustration, confusion, and a hint of desire.

The look is so intense that I have to take a step back before I do something dumb like smack it off that awful, handsome face of his. Or kiss him.

“So, Lord Nafar, what are your plans for the rest of the day? Other than giving everyone a free show, of course,” I say, clasping my hands behind my back to keep from touching him again.

He lets out a humorless laugh. “Nothing of consequence. As you said, I’ve already done my part to enhance the convention for the day with my physique.” Phelix gestures to himself, a hint of deepening pink on his neck and cheeks as he speaks.

“If you’d like less ogling, I could give you my shirt. It probably wouldn’t fit though.”

His mouth downturns and the charming embarrassment he displayed a moment ago disappears. “I don’t need you to tell me I’m large. I’m quite aware of my flawed figure.”

Flawed figure? Sure, he’s not thin, but nothing about the way he’s built says flawed to me. He’s probably just saying that to get me to fawn over him. Gross.

I can’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. “Fishing for compliments isn’t attractive, Phelix. You know you’re handsome.”

His eyes narrow. “Am I?”

“No. You’re so ugly that it made me sick the first time we met.” The words are meant to be teasing, but the color drains from his face and he stares at me in horror.

Ah shit, maybe he was serious about thinking he’s not good-looking. I shake my head at him, letting some of my true self through the flirtatious veneer. “Goddess, you are the most attractivexalarI’ve ever met. And that’sdespiteyour personality.”

Phelix lifts a brow at my hasty addendum. “So, it’s my personality that made you vomit all over my mother’s marble floors?”

“Yep!” I say with an emphatic nod. I’m veering off-course from my seduction mission, but I can’t seem to stop now that I’ve let that facade drop.

He snorts in a mixture of disbelief and amusement. “Is there anyway that I can convince you that I’m less nauseating of a person than your original assessment?”

“Probably not.” The truthful reply comes out before I can stop it.

He raises a brow at me, doing his best to suppress a smile at my bluntness. Wait, is being honest with him actually working?

“Start by buying me some lunch. We can see how things go from there,” I say, surprised by how part of me likes the idea of having a real conversation with Phelix.

He smiles at that. A full, genuine smile that lights up his whole face and gets rid of that constipated, “I’m a stuffy, arrogant, rich prick” look almost entirely. “Deal. You’ll have to pick the place, though. I don’t know much about Spire.”

“And what makes you think I do?” I ask.

“You seem like axalawho knows her way around things,” he replies, voice lower than usual.

I laugh, though it comes out a bit breathless. It’s not the best line, but it works.

“Fine. We’ll meet you at the convention entrance in an hour.” I start running through my mental catalog of restaurants in this part of the district. Maybe I’ll pick something run down just to see him squirm. “Oh and try to find a shirt by then,” I add, raking my gaze up and down his bare torso.

Phelix nods, but as I turn to walk away, he speaks. “Wait, ‘we’ll’?”

“Yeah, Dr. Mori and I are a package deal since I already told her I’d take her to lunch. You don’t mind treating both of us, do you?”

I suppress a laugh as surprise flashes across his face, before he schools his expression. “It would be my pleasure. She seems like a lovelyxala.”

A prickle of jealousy runs up the base of my spine. Is he attracted to Eden? And wait, why do I care? I’m attracted to her too.A lurid image of the three of us entangled in my bed pops into my mind.

My lips spread into a grin. “Are you sure? Can you handle both of us?” I say, pitching my voice deeper.

He locks eyes with me and takes a step closer. “I can handle anything you want to give me, Mezli.” We stand there, close enough to touch for what feels like ages before he backs off. “Now, if you’ll excuse me—I need to go get dressed.”

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