Page 78 of Shadow

“Are you hungry?” I was doing my best to focus on her face and not the way her wet skin glistened under the lights.

“Starving.” The look she gave me said she was hungry for more than food.

I ignored the heat in her gaze.Foodwas the only thing either of us was getting tonight, and I was suffering enough for both our sakes. Explaining why would only lead to questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

I climbed out of the pool and offered her a hand. She took it, and I led her to the stack of towels. Tossing one her way, I focused on drying myself off, deliberately turning to the side to avoid watching her as she toweled her body.

She placed the brightly flowered cover-up over her shoulders again and started toward the door. I snagged the fabric before she got too far and held it open for her, then wrapped it completely around her, knotting the thin waist tie so it wouldn’t come undone. The last thing I needed was one of my Warriors catching a glimpse of her, wet like this, with my lust at a solid ten. Beast would lose it, and I wasn’t in the mood to fight.

She had noticed the Warriors behaving differently around her, and I knew she was trying to piece it together. A council meeting was inevitable. We needed to decide how to move forward and figure out a way to protect Marinah, negotiate with a Federation that seemed hell-bent on killing both of us, and extract what they knew about hellhounds. At some point, Marinah would need to be brought into the discussions. The challenge lay in deciding what to tell her and how much we could trust her.

When we reached her room, I planned to wait outside while she changed. Marinah opened the door, stepped inside, and paused.

“Come in,” she said over her shoulder, irritation creeping into her tone when I shook my head.

“You’ll dress faster if I’m standing out here,” I replied, leaning against the wall.

She gave me a look I had come to recognize all too well. It was a mix of sexual frustration and burning impatience to figure out what was going on.

By the time she reemerged, her wet hair was combed, and her clothes were fresh. We headed to my quarters, where dinner was already laid out. Marinah wasted no time, whipping the lid off the nearest plate. She breathed in deeply, her expression shifting to one of pure bliss.

“Steak?” she said with appreciation. The frustration from earlier melted away as she looked at me with wide eyes.

“We don’t have as much beef as I’d like,” I admitted, settling into my chair.

Without waiting for permission, she picked up a knife and fork and dove in. I leaned back, watching her eat. Normally, I enjoyed seeing her savor her meals, but tonight, her hunger was so ravenous it made me wonder if she had eaten at all today.

“Did you have breakfast and lunch?” I asked, keeping the question casual.

“Yes, and a snack,” she replied between bites. “I can’t get full. I’m not gaining weight either. It must be the exercise. I’m even enjoying my meat rare, which I never did before.”

She finished the steak in what felt like ten bites and looked at my plate with longing. With a small smile, I pushed it toward her.

“Take it. I’m not that hungry.”

She stared at the steak longingly but ultimately pushed it back. “Don’t tempt me. My baked potato and steamed carrots will do.”

That was debatable. When she finished her meal, her eyes still strayed to my plate.

Trying to distract her, I lifted the lid off the last covered dish on the tray. Two generous slices of pumpkin pie, topped with whipped cream, waited underneath.

Her face lit up. “Oh my god, pumpkin pie! It’s my favorite!”

“It’s all yours,” I said with a small grin.

“How can you pass this up?” she asked, staring at the dessert.

“It’s more fun watching you enjoy it.”

“So refined, your majesty,” she teased.

I let out a low growl, and her laughter filled the room. She eagerly dug in but avoided the whipped cream, carefully scooping it off to the side so she could get to the pie. She ate every crumb with enthusiasm, leaving only the untouched lump of white on the plate.

She didn’t like whipped cream. Noted.

There were other uses for it.

Shit.

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