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Relief flickered over his otherwise stoic expression. “I will be alright here.”

“Believe me, you won’t.” I gestured with my head. “Come on. The futon sucks, but it doesn’t suck more than the tile.”

He slowly pulled himself back to his feet, blue eyes wary. “Are you sure?”

What a loaded question. Was I sure that I’d be able to keep my hands to myself? No. Was I sure that I wanted Rami to keep his hands to himself? Also no. I chewed on my lip for a minute before answering.

“I’m sure that I’m saving you from a backache in the morning.”

“You can trust me.” He cupped my face between his huge hands. “I will never hurt you.”

I smiled up at him. “I know.” Then the smile faltered. “You don’t sleep naked, do you?” Not that I found the notion repulsive—I could only imagine the body of a Greek god that was hiding underneath his clothes. I imagined it was glorious. But I definitely didn’t need the added temptation.

“No, kulta,” he chuckled. “Not tonight anyway.”

A rush of heat went through me. I grabbed a set of pajamas from the closet and rushed into the bathroom to hide—I mean change. When I came back out, Rami was stretched out on his back on top of the duvet with one arm tucked behind his head and his bare feet hanging off the end of the thin mattress.

He’d taken his shirt off, and I couldn’t do anything but stare at his sculpted physique. My greedy eyes trailed over the swell of his shoulders and the hard planes of his chest, sweeping lower over the defined ridges of his abs to the grooves of his Adonis belt that disappeared under the waist of his low-slung jeans. My mouth went dry.

God, I was thirsty.

My core clenched and heat bloomed between my thighs. My feet grew roots that stuck to the floor, and I was torn between sleeping in the bathroom after a cold shower or subjecting myself to a night of delicious torture, sleeping next to this blond god with his body and scent wrapped around me. The heartstring between us throbbed, coaxing me.

I was screwed.

“Yes. Do that.”

“Shut. Up.” I ground out under my breath.

Rami pulled back the covers as I approached, and I collapsed in surrender, burrowing into the soft cotton sheets. I curled up on my side to face him.

“This is really unfair,” I told him.

“I'm sorry.” He turned to mirror my posture. “We need you to be safe.”

A breath slid out of me. He thought I was upset at having my privacy invaded.

“I know,” I told him without revealing how far off base he was. My gaze slipped to his right shoulder and the tribal ink that wrapped around it, extending over his pec. “This is beautiful.”

I lifted my fingers, hesitating, and he nodded. He kept still while I traced the dark lines.

“It is Otso,” he said, skin turning to gooseflesh under my light touch.

“A bear?”

He nodded again. “Otso is sacred in Finland. He is the king of the forest, respected and feared for his strength.”

I hummed in interest while I continued to trail my fingers over his warm skin. It wasn't surprising that Rami would relate to such a totem. People were probably intimidated by him. But knowing the secret truth made a smile curl my lips. He may have been big and scary to the rest of the world, but for me he was a sweet teddy bear.

“You should rest," he said, gently tucking my wandering hand away. He made no move to join me under the covers, which was probably for the best. The futon was small and Rami was large and we no doubt would’ve ended up in a tangle of limbs.

I took a moment to convince myself that it was a bad idea.

Before I could reach behind me to tap the base of the floor lamp to turn it off, Orion hopped onto the futon. He looked momentarily confused by the arrangement before he stubbornly nosed into the slim margin between us and curled up with his bushy tail over his eyes.

Well, at least he'd make sure everyone behaved.

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