He felt her brush his damp hair around his shoulder, arms draped lazily over his neck as a soft heat and single cloth separated his back from her front, her head tilted quietly against his, 'Yue, I want a nap, and it 's hot, I 'm not one of those palace girls who 's gonna jump you, and you know better than to frighten me. Just be as gentle with me as you were with Ling and you 'll be just fine. '

He huffed a laugh, 'What? You 're saying you want me to scrub you down too? '

The twitch, intense silence, and heat of her cheek to his temple spoke volumes.

****

Whelp, the desire for touch was quickly outweighing the heat.

Yue rubbed her arm lightly, 'Maomao? '

He needed confirmation, there had been too many times when they weren 't on the same page. Her arms closed around his shoulders in a squeeze before she started backing away, 'It 's fine, I 'm gonna lay down.

She froze when he held her arms and pulled her back, 'Yes, or no Maomao? '