Page 56 of The King's Man
I slept like the dead only to be nudged awake by a bladder ready to burst. For the first moments of consciousness, I smiled and stretched, my body languid and heated by a warm, heavenly scented cocoon. My pillow was the smooth cushion of a broad masculine chest and—
My eyes flew open and I gasped.
Jann startled as I jerked my head up off his shoulder, frantically wiping at his skin where I discovered I haddrooledon him. I was mortified.
“Oh my god. I’m sorry. I’m so—”
Jann chuckled. “I’m just glad you slept,” he said in a delicious, rough rumble that made my belly clench.
But I couldn’t afford to clench anything. My bladder was ready to explode.
“Sorry. I’m sorry!” I hushed, pushing up when his wingsunfurled, then blinking suddenly against the harsh sunlight bright enough to make the tent walls glow. He’d kept me blanketed in his wings all night, cutting out the dawn light so I’d slept late and…
And if I didn’t find a chamber pot quickly, I would embarrass myself a second time.
Shoving out of his arms—my chest pinching with grief at the loss of his warmth—I hurried to the chamber pot at the base of the bed. Usually I’d leave the tent and use the cesspits, but this was an emergency. My cheeks flamed and I kept my back to him, but I’d learned a long time ago that men were far less unconcerned about the functions of the body, and if I wanted to work with them effectively, I had to be willing to put aside my easy embarrassment and just get shit done.
No pun intended.
When I’d regathered my modesty and the shreds of dignity that still remained, I cleared my throat and turned to face him, praying it was still dim enough that he wouldn’t see the red in my cheeks.
“Good morning,” Jann said easily, his voice still gruff from sleep.
“Good morning.” I wasn’t avoiding his eyes, I had merely found what looked to be a point where my undershirt was thinning and might need a patch soon.
Suddenly uncertain what to do with myself and feeling that his patient attendance overnight needed some kind of acknowledgement, I went back to my side of the bed and sat down. But as soon as I did, Jann rolled off and walked to the chamber pot himself.
Facing me.
My eyes widened as he shamelessly untied the band of his underthings and let the side fall open to free himself.
I was a second too late averting my eyes.
The childish question that had lurked in the back of my mind about the Nephilim and their size and whether they were proportional was emphatically answered as Jann took himself in hand.
I snapped my head away, frowning at the tent wall and mentally casting projections about how bright the sunlight was and what time that likely meant it was.
Meanwhile, Jann merrily relieved himself, sighed happily, unconcerned by the fact that I was so close and could hear every sound. In the corner of my eye I saw his chin rise and felt his eyes land on me. I couldn’t see it, but Iknewhe smiled.
No chance he didn’t see the red in my cheeks now. He probably thought I was some simpering virgin, unaware of men’s bodies or—
“Did you sleep well, Diadre?” he asked quietly, that delicious ragged edge to his sleep-rough voice.
“I did, thank you for… um… keeping me safe.”
“It wasn’t a burden.”
“Well, I am grateful in any case,” I said quickly, then winced. Why did I always regress to my childhood when I was embarrassed? I sounded like one of those prim noblewomen who did everything formally and had probably never had an orgasm in their lives. It was stupid and foolish, and cowardly. I knew that. We were adults, and he’d been very sweet and caring, and not at all inappropriate. I found myself… drawn to him. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my chin and turned to tell him so—only to be greeted by his broad, scarred back bending forward on the other side of the tent and his tight ass bare as a baby’s while he bent over to dig through clean clothing. My eyes widened and my belly tingled at the sight of his heavy balls and the head of that trouser python dangling between his thick thighs—
Mortified, I slipped off the bed and turned to my own bag, kneeling to dig through and find my clothing for the day. Myhands were shaking, but it was the first time in two days that it wasn’t from fear.
Dear god, what was wrong with me?
Nothing, I told myself. I had simply rested properly, and was finding my center again. Jann was a handsome and well-built man.
Soldiers saw each other naked all the time. It was unavoidable in the field, though I usually planned to bathe at different times from my men, so as not to be a distraction. Still, we were both officers and mature adults.
I could admire his form without making an ass of myself.
