I'd half-expected him to get as tense with me undressing him as he'd gotten undressing for me, but apparently the context was different enough that it didn't trigger his insecurity at showing his body. Perhaps it was only that I could stop at any time—I was the one choosing to continue taking his clothes off. Rather than offering himself, Dain was getting claimed, as he'd said, and I was only too happy to get a chance to go sightseeing.

He had three layers of shirts on—the sleeveless doublet, the matching violet silk long-sleeves underneath (that lacked most of the shirt, being only sleeves, shoulders, and a collar), and a short-sleeved cotton undershirt that was damp with sweat. None of the blood had made it through all the layers, and once I got the undershirt off, I had to take a moment to really admire Dain's shirtless body.

I ran my fingers down the contours of his chest as he started breathing harder, across the dusting of dark gray hair on his chest and those powerful pecs, then down along the solid strength of his sides and the edging of slick black scales. I drew one finger down through the trail of hair that darkened to black as it dipped below the waistband of his pants, then dragged my fingers along that waistband. I settled my hands on his hips for a moment, resting my thumbs in the grooves of his fuck-me lines, and smirked at the navel piercing. Silver with a teardrop-shaped black opal in his bellybutton. Incredible.

"You know," I said, flicking my gaze back up to the smoldering wolf eyes of an almost-panting Dain. "In my world? Guys with navel piercings tend to be both slutty and gay."

"One of those was true," Dain said in his purring flirtatious voice. "Does it still count as slutty if I only want one woman, but would likely have sex with her anytime and anywhere she desired?"

"I'll allow it," I said with a smirk, and started to divest him of the rest of his clothing.

A small groan escaped his throat as my hands went to his pants and started unbuttoning the double-row of buttons down his front. Dain was very obviously hard again, his desire pressing against the dark violet silk, and before I'd gotten three buttons in, Dain took my hands off of his pants and dropped a kiss on my knuckles instead. "I think perhaps I should finish this task," he said with roughness edging the words. "Otherwise I may beg you to break your promise, and for things I don't think I can bear to have without having them forever."

"Alright," I said with a smile. "No more playing with fire. I'm gonna go acquire some underwear from my suite." I paused, and made a face. "Guess the guards are gonna see me naked."

"No need. I'll glamor away the adjoining door for now," Dain said with a smirk.