Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 130947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
“I have a question about that,” Liv said. “Why divide the weeks up like that? I mean, I get that the name of the week tells you what you can…can do to me, uh, to your bride and when. But why name the fourth week the bonding week? I mean, what if the woman you’ve chosen decides not to have bonding sex with you? What can you do then?”
Baird raised an eyebrow and gave her a long look. “The bonding week is the week when I can legally make love to you, Lilenta.”
“But…but I thought you couldn’t…couldn’t do that to me, that you couldn’t have bonding sex with me until I agreed to it,” Liv protested.
“I can’t. Just as I can’t do any of the other things proscribed by the four weeks until their proper time. Unless you give me permission to do them early.” His eyes gleamed. “But make no mistake about it, Olivia, on the fourth week, I am allowed to enter you and fill you with my shaft. And if you can feel the intimate connection between our bodies and minds night after night and still refuse to have bonding sex with me, well…then you’re free to go.”
Liv felt like her heart had stopped beating for a moment. “So we’re actually going to—you’re going to be in me?” God, what else can he do? What can bonding sex be if he’s already allowed to do that? But she couldn’t bring herself to ask.
“Those are the terms of the contract,” Baird said. “Although you can allow me to make love with you and bond you earlier if you wish. I understand that many Earth brides don’t wait the entire four weeks to make that decision.” His voice was soft and deep and his eyes wouldn’t leave hers.
“That’s not going to happen.” Liv wished her voice wasn’t shaking so much. She dropped her eyes. “What happened in the old days if a male couldn’t convince a female to bond with him?”
If he couldn’t…” Baird shrugged his broad shoulders. “She was allowed to leave him and allow her mind to align with another male. Of course, the weeks on the Kindred home planet were about the length of one of your Earth years, so a male had considerably longer to convince his bride they ought to stay together.”
“Wow.” Liv didn’t know what to say. Here she was worried about holding out for one month and Baird was telling her that the original Kindred brides had had to withstand the blatantly sexual claiming period for four years. “That’s…a long time,” she managed at last.
“Not nearly long enough to be with the woman you love.” Baird caught her gaze with his own until Liv bit her lip and looked away. “Of course, in time traditions grew up around each week,” he continued. “During the holding week a male keeps his bride safe in the circle of his arms and holds her close to prove he can protect her from any danger that might come.” He looked at her steadily. “I wanted to do that for you, Lilenta, but I didn’t want to scare you away or frighten you—any more than you already were, anyway.”
Liv started to deny her fear as she had from the start but something made her stop. It was true—she was afraid of Baird. Of what he represented, of everything and everyone she could lose if she let herself fall into his arms and never look back. Instead she said quietly, “Go on.”
“During the bathing week, a Kindred male cares for and pampers his bride by worshiping her body,” he continued in a low voice. “He washes her hair and bathes and massages and oils her to show her what their life will be like together if she consents to bond with him. The care he takes with her symbolizes how precious she is to him, how beautiful and perfect he finds her.”
Liv cleared her throat. “Sounds, ah…intense.”
“It can be.” Baird gave her a serious look. “Although I hear some females find it most relaxing to be bathed and pampered. Don’t you Earth women go to special places for it?”
“Uh, you mean like a spa? Sure, I guess.” Liv shrugged uncomfortably. “But usually the emphasis there is on relieving stress and the attendants are all very professional and impersonal.”
One corner of Baird’s full mouth twitched. “Afraid I can’t promise you that, Lilenta.”
“I didn’t think so,” Liv mumbled. She tried to imagine a spa staffed with Kindred warriors waiting to bathe and massage the women who came there and thought that it would probably be sold out for years in advance. And here she had her very own ticket for the Kindred spa treatment and she would have done anything to give it away if she could. “God,” she muttered. “This is going to be really interesting.”