Her laugh draws one out of me as well and I duck my head, feeling the heat in my cheeks flare up again. It's shyness though not embarrassment and not anything that's going to send me skittering away. It's just very nice to hear her laugh and be able to join in without feeling like I'm doing something wrong.

Hopefully that feeling doesn't hit me later and won't sit on my chest, bringing me feelings of suffocation and pain in the aftermath.

I move easily when she gives me a nudge, dropping down onto the edge of the bed and reaching to curve my hands around her sides, unable to stop myself from stroking my thumbs over her bare skin. My fingers are rough, a bit scarred from the torture by the Warden, but I forget about all that when I touch her.

I forget even more when she kisses him and my hold tightens, fingers brushing up against the waist of her pants again but going no further. Not yet. Not until she's ready no matter how much I want to touch more.

"Not once since I've been here," I say, blinking up at her and shaking my head. "This is the first time's someone other than me has been in here. I haven't been with anyone for years."

Part of that was due to how busy being a Mask kept me and the other part was purely me, purely knowing that I was a Veturius and I didn't want to inflict myself on anyone.

"I haven't wanted to be with anyone," I say quietly, shaking my head. I'd thought about Laia like that once or twice but she'd had Keenan and I'd turned all my focus to her brother and getting him out of Kauf.