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On Saturday morning, I was tired after the event, but I forced myself to get up and go to the gym.

By the time the last few stragglers had left and Corva had shooed Hustin and me out, telling us that Vee and Moly were coming the next morning to help oversee the furniture hire company collecting their stuff, I knew Nuni would have already been asleep, so I didn’t text him. He was strict with his sleeping schedule, which made sense given how often he worked out.

So for the first time in weeks, I was heading to the gym early in the hopes of seeing him. I didn’t care how obvious it may seem. I’d made it pretty clear that I wanted him now, and he wasn’t exactly pretending to be indifferent either.

I spotted him the moment I stepped onto the gym floor. He was using the vertical leg press, his face tight with concentration and earphones in his ears as he lifted a staggering amount of weight. I stopped in my tracks and stared at him. He was just so… big. And strong. And cut. And… big.

The hollow of his dark throat gleamed with sweat. I wanted to lick it off. I kind of wanted to rip his tight shirt off and run my hands all over his sweaty body right here in the middle of the gym. I wanted to feel how hot he got while exercising. Feel the heat of his sweat-damp hair and scalp while I grabbed his head and crushed my mouth to his.

Gut lurching with arousal, I forced myself to keep walking over to the treadmills. I was too tired to lift weights this morning, but I could go for a run until I casually intercepted Nuni once he’d finished his workout.

Hopping onto a free treadmill, I set down my water bottle and popped in my earphones. My eyes kept drifting to him as I started up a jog. He eventually moved on to the calf raise machine, then made his way over to the barbell rack to start doing front loaded squats.

As he positioned himself in front of the mirror, his eyes lifted and casually swept over the reflection of the gym floor. They flared when he spotted me, before a wide grin spread slowly over his mouth, showing off all his sharp teeth.

My mouth twitched into a tiny smile as I gave him a nod without breaking my stride. His gaze dipped, eyes darkening as they meandered over my frame, before he returned my nod with a brisk one of his own then hoisted the huge barbell onto the fronts of his shoulders.

When he dropped into a squat, my gaze naturally zeroed in on his ass. The back of his sweats had a little fastening at the top to allow for his tail.

He has a nice tail, I thought absently, my gaze still glued to his backside. I’d never paid all that much attention to demiurgus tails before. It would be rude to stare at them, and I’d always lived in cities with high demiurgus populations, so they weren’t an unusual sight for me. But now I was wondering how sensitive his was. How much pleasure he’d get if I jerked it off in my fist, or maybe even feathered my tongue against the base of it…

With great effort, I tore my gaze away to focus on my run. I knew all too well what it was like to be stared at in the gym. He was focusing, and as much as I enjoyed the view of his grey sweats pulling taut over his backside, I consoled myself with the knowledge that I’d soon get to see his bare ass. And the rest of him as well. Completely naked.

When though? I thought impatiently. How much longer must I wait to see Nuni var Rorik naked?

To distract myself, I cranked the treadmill up to a pace that was fast, but one I knew I’d be able to maintain for a while, fixed my eyes on the middle distance, and ran. When I saw Nuni making his way over a while later from the corner of my eye, my pulse leapt. Slowing the treadmill to a walk, I tugged out my earphones and grabbed my bottle to gulp down some water.

He gave me a boyish grin that made my belly squeeze as he reached me. “Hey.”

I smiled back. “Hi. How was your workout?”

“Pretty good.” His shoulders rose in a casual shrug, but I saw the way he tensed his arms and chest to make them pop.

My mouth twitched. Replacing my bottle in the cup holder, I tilted my head toward the empty treadmill beside me. “Got some energy left for another ‘friendly’ running competition?”

He huffed and arched a brow at me. “Obviously, but it’s leg day, so I’ll be at a disadvantage again. We gotta start on an even footing.”

I smirked. “You still won’t win, even then.”

His eyes flashed, competitive spirit flaring to life, but there was heat in his gaze too as it trailed down my front. He casually propped a muscled forearm on the front of the machine. “What’re you doing after this?”

His voice was lower, huskier. My belly dipped.

“Nothing planned,” I said, trying to keep my tone steady. Casual.

He nodded, throat bobbing. His eyes met mine as his ears gave a weak flutter, betraying a tiny hint of nerves that was ridiculously endearing. His voice was rougher when he asked, “Want to come to mine after this?”

My heart gave a mighty thump.

“Yes.” I fumbled to turn off the treadmill. “Let me just go take a quick shower—”

“We can shower at mine.” He shot me a wicked, lopsided grin as my insides tightened up at the word ‘we’. He added, “My shower’s pretty nice. Massage jets, big enough for at least two people…”

“At least two people?” I asked with a dry smile. “Have you invited anyone else from the gym?”

He grinned. “Not this time. Thought I’d keep it small. Just you and me.”

Just me and him. In a private place. Where we wouldn’t be interrupted or spotted or have to keep quiet. Where I could finally get him fully naked and explore every inch of him.