Hannah's Hero - Ruby Dixon Page 0,60
fruits, and the warmth caresses my skin like a blanket.” He closes his eyes and pretends to tilt his face up to the light. “I have nowhere to be but here, so yes, it is a good day.”
This is more like the J’shel I know—always cheery, always talking, never in a bad mood, never met a person he didn’t like. I take another drink of water and when he taps my arm, I reluctantly hand the skin back to him. I squeeze one eye open and glance at my companion…and I’m surprised to see he’s a dark green.
I put a hand to my eyes, rubbing them, and then look at him again. “You’re green,” I say, pointing out the obvious.
He glances down at his impressive chest, then shrugs. “I was climbing while you were sleeping. Old habit.” He touches his naked chest with one big hand, drawing my attention to rock-hard pectorals that I vaguely, vaguely remember licking last night…which is alarming. “Back in the trees, I would automatically shift colors so I would not be seen by predators. It is a habit I have gotten out of here in this cold land, but the scents and the vines bring me home again.”
“Neat,” I croak out, feeling like death warmed over. I want to ask him if I really did lick his chest, but I worry that the answer is going to be “yes.” My brain is reminding me of a lot of stuff I did last night. “Hey, uh, does chakk cause you to forget what you did?”
“Forget?” He tilts his head, his braid swinging. “Do you not remember who you are?”
“No, I mean, forget in general.” I rub my brows, wishing the throb behind them would stop. “Humans drink alcohol so their brains get fuzzy and when they wake up the next morning, sometimes you don’t remember all the crazy shit you did.”
“Ahhh. No, chakk does not do that. If you did something, you will remember it.”
Oh good. So I licked his chest like a wanton, but nothing more than that.
Well. I also told him to fuck me.
And I rubbed myself.
And I distinctly remember some “booping” which I thought was hilarious last night and seems ridiculous this morning.
But…I also remember that J’shel did not touch me. Not even when I rubbed myself up against him. Not when I demanded that he fuck me, or jerk off in front of me, or any of the other lewd things I was suggesting.
I even remember him straightening my clothes.
Basically…I made a damn fool of myself and he didn’t take the bait. He treated me kindly and ignored my terrible attempts to seduce him. And god, the booping. How embarrassing. I almost wish I’d forgotten everything that happened last night. That probably would have been kinder. I close my eyes again. “Thank you for being a gentleman.”
“I do not understand what you mean. I will always be gentle with you.” He brushes my hair back from my brow with careful fingers.
That’s sweet. I smile, leaning into his touch. Without anyone else around, it’s so easy to like this guy. There’s no pressure to be anything other than Hannah, a somewhat out-of-shape bossy person who’s not good at making friends. J’shel doesn’t care. He never tries to make me feel like I’m being difficult or pushy. And that’s…nice. “A gentleman is a guy that doesn’t take advantage of a situation.”
“Ah,” he says, understanding. “I would never push you to do something when you were not thinking clearly.” His thumb strokes along the curve of my cheek. “More water?”
I nod and open my eyes and lift my head just enough to take a few more sips.
“How is your mind now? Clear?”
“I think so. It hurts like the dickens, but I’m guessing that’s just a temporary hangover. If you’re asking if I feel like booping anything, the answer is no.” I give him a wry smile and lie back down, relaxing. The water’s definitely helping the throbbing behind my eyes. Maybe I’m just dehydrated.
“I am glad your mind is clear…because I wish to play our game again.” The look he gives me is intense, his expression utterly serious.
I lick my dry lips. “Uh…what do you mean?”
“The game. Truth to dares.”
Oh shit, that’s right. Leaf-drunk me convinced him to play games. I’m suddenly nervous. “You want to play again?”
“I want to play the same thing, now, while your mind is clear.” And he strokes my cheek once more, the look on his face making my breath