"Oh, I never forgot that, beautiful," Zhiolas replied with a purr to his voice, before leaning closer and putting his mouth next to my ear. "When's the first time you imagined your Dain naked?" he said, just above audible.

Heat spread on my face. "My first revel," I said, with a vivid recollection of how Dain had looked having sex.

"Truly?" he asked, with a tone of great fascination.

"Hey, I don't lie during drinking games," I said, flashing a smile at his smug self. "And what can I say, I'm a curious sort of gal."

Zhiolas grinned and settled back, lacing his fingers behind his head. "You're up, my prince."

"So I am," Dain replied with amusement. He leaned close, his side and thigh pressing up against mine as he put his mouth against my ear and hid it from sight. "Since you're so curious, when's the most recent time you've thought about what it might be like to have sex with me?"

"You're assuming it's more than once, hmm?" I said, looking over at him.

For all his boldness, I'd seen enough of Dain to identify the tension on his face as fear, the same fear he wore any time he edged towards the explored boundaries of our relationship. He was expecting the rejection – "never" or something worse – and he was putting himself in a vulnerable position anyway, even in front of his two closest friends.

I smirked at him, sliding my hand up and around his thigh until my fingertips were trapped between his leg and the leather of the couch, my hand gripping his powerful inner thigh maybe three inches from his groin. I took a moment to really lean into the contemplation of what it would be like to have those thighs put to the task of fucking me until my legs fell off, and licked my lips. "Running monologue right now, romance novel style."

Dain's left hand gripped his glass so hard it cracked. He set it down with great care and breathed like he was meditating, his whole body in the careful tension of someone trying very hard to retain control. His ears kept flicking back against his head and relaxing, and the tail around my ankle coiled tighter.

"I want to ask, but I'm frightened of the consequences," Alluin said with great interest. "Are you enjoying tormenting our prince, your highness?" he asked instead, looking at me.