The second he says shower, my smell hits me, and fucking hell, how did St. Clare get so close without gagging? I’m grudgingly grateful for Lars breaking up the moment, considering my mouth doesn’t taste good even to me, and kissing would have been a fast way to make sure nothing else ever happened between us again ever.

“After that, I want to go outside and practice some shots with you. If you’re serious about helping me keep him safe, I need to be confident that you know what you’re doing.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“Maybe, but I need to be confident.”

I glance over at St. Clare, and something inside me gives a little skip. I’m serious. There’s no way I’m letting anyone hurt him. So if I need to jump through hoops for Lars, I’ll do it.

Just … not right now.

“Can we rain check for tomorrow?” I ask. “I’m beat. So tired.”

“We need to take shifts in staying awake.”

“Good idea. You take first shift while St. Clare and I sleep, then wake me in a few hours.”

Lars looks like he wants to argue but swallows it all back. “Great plan.” There’s something in his voice that doesn’t sound so great, but I ignore it, too busy calculating how I’m supposed to get up without thrusting my hard-on into everyone’s faces.

Maybe if I shimmy to the edge of the sofa, then do a full one-eighty as I turn?

“Leave your clothes out, and I’ll throw them in the wash with ours,” he says.

“That’s actually … nice of you.”

Finally, I get the smallest genuine twitch of Lars’s lips. “I promise you I’m being completely selfish in not wanting to smell that for days on end.”

“Works for me.” I shrug. “I don’t want to smell this either.”

St. Clare extends both arms along the back of the sofa. “Guess I’m in the minority in not minding the way you smell.”

Heat floods from my gut to my face. “Noted.”

Lars sighs. “Maybe I should take that walk after all.”

“Maybe you should.” I have to choke out the words because while it’s weird that he knows there’s something going on between us, it’d also be weirder for him to not pick up on all this sexual tension. And if confirming it will get him out of here and St. Clare into the shower with me, even better.

“I’ll come with you,” St. Clare says to Lars, and my jaw almost hits my balls it drops so fast.

“Ah, what?”

“Yeah …” Lars narrows his eyes. “What?”

“It’s a nice sunset, and it’ll be too cold to go outside soon. A walk sounds great.”