A/N: Oh, Numair. He's always had that reputation with the ladies. He's pretty darn handsome, so I can imagine it's not that hard for him. But there's something about this encounter with Varice in Carthak that lends itself very well to fanfic.

Anyway, it was odd writing this - I've never written Numair romantically (in the loosest sense of the term) with anyone other than Daine. Eep. But he's still a man. Plenty of pre-angst/fluff hints throughout. WARNING: A little more explicit than my usual work.

Words: 1052
Characters: Numair, Varice, (Daine)
Time: During the beginning of Emperor Mage
Genre: Romance/Angst

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Tamora Pierce, not me.

A knock sounded on his richly painted door. Numair rose slowly, still mulling things over in his mind. He hadn't liked Ozorne's sweetness to the Tortallan party, especially to Daine. He didn't trust the emperor. And he hadn't liked the way Kaddar looked at Daine, either, as beautiful as she was. He hadn't liked much about that night, to be honest. However, he was grateful for Daine watching out for him; sending the animals to take his unwanted food had been a blessed relief.

The lateness of the hour didn't occur to him until Numair opened the door and saw who was calling. A full, curvaceous blonde, dressed in naught but a sheer nightgown, stepped forward and leaned against the doorframe. Her eyes, properly downcast, flicked up to meet his in a passable impression of maidenly shyness, if it weren't for their sultry and inviting glow. Varice's hand stretched toward him, tracing over his chest, fingering the edge of his shirt.

"You really haven't gotten a husband in the time I've been away?" Numair said, his voice emerging lower and rougher than he intended. Her hand slipped beneath his belt.

"No. I've missed you, Arram," she said, raising an eyebrow. "No – Numair now, isn't it? Well… have you missed me, Numair?"

Her dark red lips parted slightly. Unconsciously, Numair found himself reaching behind her to close the door, his other arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her against him. She let out a surprised giggle, her nightgown slipping off one shoulder and baring a large breast. Numair palmed it and began to squeeze, while Varice wriggled and let her clothing fall completely away.

"You've grown up," she whispered happily. "Let me see how much."

Something vaguely reminiscent of guilt tingled in the back of Numair's mind, which was foolish, really. They were both unmarried and free, and Varice was no innocent virgin to be taken in, that was for certain. Inexplicably, Numair thought of Daine, and how she would react if she knew about this. He wondered if she'd be annoyed, like he was when he saw her with Kaddar.

No. Numair needed to stop his foolish mind from going any further with that train of thought. He stripped off his shirt and kissed Varice fiercely, her lip paint bitter under his tongue. Her body was warm as he brought her to his bed, and she was curvier than he remembered, any man's dream.

Her lips and teeth found all those places where she remembered he was sensitive – beneath his ear, between his collarbones, even his fingertips. Numair did everything he knew that she liked, too, though her gasps and exclamations stirred him very little, not like they used to. But Varice still knew exactly what to do to make him desperate. Her legs were tight around him, her hands trembling fists against the sheets. Numair gripped her tightly and lost himself in the heat of the moment.

And though the pleasure was a relief to be sure, when he finally collapsed beside her Numair felt somewhat empty rather than satisfied. He watched Varice rise, find a handkerchief in the pocket of her discarded nightgown, and begin to wipe away the sweat and sex from her skin. It was so unlike how he remembered feeling about her. He remembered longing for her every moment of the day, craving her every night, and now he felt almost nothing beyond the physical.

As she turned back toward him, holding her body at its most alluring angle, Numair could only manage a small smile. Nevertheless, she seemed to take it as an invitation. She returned to his bed, rubbing herself like a cat against him, and for a while it felt good enough that Numair didn't bother telling her to stop. But his mind and body were both tired, and he needed his wits about him in this dangerous country.

"Varice. Varice."

"Hmm?" She arched her back, pressing her breasts against his bare skin.

"You… you should go. Before it gets light," he said, as gently as he could. She frowned.

"What? Do I not compare to a woman back home? Or a woman here - is it that girl you're always with?"

"Go," Numair said, his voice suddenly dark. She huffed, left the bed in a hurry, and tossed her nightgown on haphazardly. When she gazed at him, there was something peculiar about her gaze that made him swallow and look away. It was almost like regret, or even jealousy.

"I'm sorry, Varice. I'm not the person you knew back then."

"I noticed," Varice said dryly. "But... I'm still glad I got to see this you. You've become quite the fine man, even if you would never be my man."

Numair smiled weakly. Varice would always be Varice. With one last wink, she swept out the door, leaving Numair to collapse tiredly against the pillows. He was some kind of man, he thought, to send a woman like Varice away. His mind wandered to Daine again. Sometimes she would wake him up in the middle of the night, to tell him of some new creature nearby if they were camping, or warn him of an approaching danger. He'd almost have preferred it to have been Daine knocking on his door a few hours ago, just to study or talk and simply be together.

Perhaps tonight was an off night. His worrying had put him out of the mood for sex. Perhaps when things calmed down, when he didn't have to keep Daine's safety on his mind so much, he'd be back to normal. Though I never seem to stop worrying about Daine.

Numair turned over, buried his face in his pillow, and forced himself to think of absolutely nothing until, at long last, he fell asleep. When he dreamed, he dreamed of Daine, warm in his arms, in his bed, right where Varice had been.

He didn't remember the dream when he woke. All he could remember was that it had been rather nice. Numair sighed and began to clean himself up, wishing he could stay in that pleasant dream, whatever it was, rather than brave the political mire that was Carthak. At least I'll have Daine with me to suffer through it, he thought wearily. All he knew now was that he really needed to get a sounder sleep tomorrow night.