Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
He apparently wants a lot more.
It’s clear to me that I’m obsessing, so I get out of the bath, dress, and head to my cave before someone can stop me and start a conversation. I’m actually disappointed that we’re not hunting today; I was really looking forward to that.
Maybe Hassen will get over his butthurt by tomorrow and we can pick up our lessons.
In the meantime, I guess I’m stuck with—ugh—Asha, Miss Cheerful herself. I guess I can change my clothes, since these smell a bit like sex and I don’t know that I want to get caught smelling like arousal and leather.
I head back to the cave. Surprise, surprise, Asha’s got the privacy screen up. I ignore it again and head in, moving to my furs. I have a change of clothing and I dig around in the small basket of my possessions, all the while trying to ignore my roommate. Asha is in her bed. Again.
She sits up when I start to undress, though, studying me. “What are you doing?”
“Changing.”
“Why?”
“These leathers smell. Who are you, my mother?”
She’s silent at that, and so I pull my new tunic over my head and glance over at her. There’s a knowing smirk on her face.
“What?” I demand, and I can feel my face heating up. What is it she thinks she knows?
“If you take a pleasure-mate, I suggest that you learn to be quieter.” She fluffs her pillow—one that she’s stolen from my bed, it seems. “You and Hassen woke me up.”
Oh, god. Guess we weren’t all that quiet. It’s even more embarrassing to think about considering that the storage cave is a fair distance from my cave. Whoops. Guess that cat’s somewhat out of the bag. “You heard?”
“I would have to be deaf not to.” She smooths a hand along her blankets. Before I can ask if that’s a dig at my sister, she continues, “I do not think anyone else heard, though. I did not see others around.”
I relax a little at that. “So are you going to blackmail me with that bit of information?”
Her head tilts. “I do not understand.”
“Use it against me. Make me do what you want so you don’t say anything.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I was kinda hoping to keep things quiet about the whole situation.”
Asha gives a delicate snort. “Then you must learn to be quieter. As for manipulating you, I have no need. I do not care if you mate with all of the unattached hunters.” She shrugs. “It is your business, not mine.”
She’s got my back? That’s…nice. Unexpected, but nice. “Thank you.”
Asha shrugs. “I was the same, once. Before I resonated, I had my pick of the hunters. They all wanted me. It was enjoyable.” Her expression grows sad again. “Then everything changed.”
I say nothing, because I know she’s thinking about the mate and baby she lost. And really, what can I say to her that she hasn’t heard a million times before? Chin up, kiddo? Everything’s going to work out for the best? Somehow I doubt Asha wants to hear that.
She twists her hands in her lap for a moment and then glances up at me. “I would choose more carefully if I were you.”
“Choose?”
“If you are going to mate with the hunters, pick the ones that will be grateful for any attention. Taushen is young. He will follow where you lead. Harrec, too. Vaza is older, but he will be discreet if you wish it, I imagine, simply so he does not have to compete with the younger hunters.” The look she gives me is calculating. “Hassen is a poor choice in a lover.”
“I don’t know if my girl parts agree with that.” I squeeze my thighs together because, mercy. I’m still all noodly on the inside from the sex. Poor choice in lovers? Not in my book. “I thought he was pretty dang great. I mean, untrained, sure, but I can work with that.” Actually, I kind of like that, because I can teach him to lick a fierce pussy for hours and I won’t hear any bitching if I take too long to come. I dated a guy once who went on and on about how long it took me to get off compared to his previous lovers. It was a real pain in the ass, so he got the boot. Hassen’s a blank slate in bed. I’m kinda turned on by that.
Not that we’re going to have round two, of course. Not if he’s going to be all Mr. Clingypants on me.
Asha rolls her eyes at me. “He is a poor choice in a lover because he is going to want to claim you. That one desperately wants a mate and a family. He is lonely. He will not take whatever scraps you toss him and be content. He will want more.”