“It sounds ridiculous,” he finally said. Grudgingly, too.

“I’ll keep an open mind.”

“I’ve been itching to touch you. It’s driving me mad. I’d like to kiss you before we go, if I’m going to share you with others in my castle again for a while.”

Wow.

I didn’t know if his desire was a good sign or a bad one. Maybe it wasn’t either. Maybe it was just a sign.

Maybe it wasn’t even that.

I had no idea. I’d never done the relationship thing before. The closest I’d ever gotten to dating someone was sleeping with a guy I worked with twice before I decided that was a bad call. I’d only even had sex a few times in my life.

Regardless, I wasn’t going to turn him down. I liked kissing him, and I really did want to see what Greta and Platt were like. It might help me get to know Triton better if I saw how he interacted with them after he’d spent so much time dealing with their drama.

“You don’t want to share me?” I asked as I stood. Every part of me still ached, but I could ignore it a bit longer.

“Not even a little.” His eyes tracked me as I closed the distance between us, and as I lowered myself onto his lap. Our gazes were level when I settled into place over his obvious erection.

“You’re hard again, Triton.” My voice lowered slightly.

“Every time I’m around you.” The backs of his fingers brushed a few strands of hair out of my eyes, his touch light and gentle.

“Why don’t you want to share me?”

One of his hands found my bare hip, and gripped me. “Nothing in my life has been my own since I took the throne, until you. The thought of letting my people have even a sliver of the one thing that’s mine makes me feel unfathomable rage.”

“I’m not a book you can hide in your library, though. If I’m going to be here, I have to make friends. I need to understand the dynamics, and figure out where I fit.”

“I know.” He brushed more hair out of my eyes and slowly buried his fingers in the tangled strands behind my head. “I didn’t say it was rational. It’s just… instinct. I’ll try to control it.”

“Does kissing make it easier?”

His eyes darkened again. “Claiming you for myself in any way makes it easier.”

“So you do want to share a bed with me.”

“More than I want to wake up tomorrow.”

I made a face. “That’s dark.”

He chuckled humorlessly. “That’s immortality, Sweetheart.”

When he flinched and reached for his temple again, I grabbed his face.

And kissed him.