He'd been deluding himself.
Tula had never wanted him. Not really. He'd been a placeholder, a warm body to pass the time with until the one she'd been waiting for finally showed up. And that one, apparently, was Esag—the artsy good-for-nothing Esag, who looked at Tula like she'd hung the moon and stars.
Whatever.
Tony was done moping over her. He was done watching from the sidelines while the woman carrying his child looked adoringly at another man. He was done feeling sorry for himself.
He turned away from the happy couple and picked up a plate from the stack, adding a napkin and utensils.
The line was moving slowly, giving him too much time to think, and he searched for something to distract him. The female in front of him in line was not bad to look at. She was curvy in allthe right places, with a cascade of curly red hair that tumbled past her shoulders like liquid fire. Freckles dusted her bare arms, visible above the sleeves of her dress.
She shifted her weight, adjusting the napkin-wrapped utensils in her hand, and somehow fumbled the bundle. The napkin fluttered to the ground, spilling the fork and knife onto the grass.
"Oh, damn," she muttered.
Tony quickly bent down, closing his fingers around the hilt of the knife just as her hand reached for it.
Their skin brushed, and the contact was electric. Literally electric—a sharp spark of static that made them both jerk back with a startled laugh.
"Ouch!" She shook out her hand, grinning. "That was quite a shock."
"Sorry about that." Tony retrieved the knife and fork, then picked up the napkin and offered her the bundle. "Here you go."
"Thanks." She took the items, her fingers carefully avoiding his this time, and lifted her face to him.
Tony's breath caught.
She was beautiful. Not in the ethereal, almost otherworldly way that the harem ladies were, but in a warm, approachable, almost human way. Her face was open and friendly, dominated by bright green eyes that sparkled with mirth. The freckles extended across her nose and cheeks, giving her a youthful appearance that belied whatever her true age might be. Her smile was crooked, one corner lifting higher than the other, and it made something in Tony's chest loosen for the first time in days.
"I'm Shira," she said, extending her free hand. "I hope I won't zap you again."
He shook her hand, and there was no electrical spark this time, but there was a strange kind of warmth. Like a welcome. "Tony."
"Oh, I know who you are." Her smile widened. "You're one of the men who were rescued from the harem. You're Tula's guy."
The words didn't sit well with him, but he kept his expression neutral. "I was warned that news spreads fast in the village."
"It's a small place, and everyone knows everyone else. Gossip seems to be everyone's favorite pastime." Shira craned her neck, scanning the crowd. "Where is Tula? I'd love to meet Wonder's sister. I've heard so much about?—"
She stopped mid-sentence, her gaze landing on something over Tony's shoulder. He didn't need to turn around to know what she'd found.
"Oh," Shira said softly.
Tony turned anyway, masochistically compelled to witness what she was seeing. There was Tula, her arm wrapped around Esag's waist while his arm was draped across her shoulders, the two of them so tangled up in each other that they might as well have been one person. As he watched, Esag pressed a kiss to Tula's temple, and she leaned into him with a contented sigh.
"Yeah." Tony's voice came out rougher than he intended. "Oh."
Shira turned back to him, her expression shifting from surprise to something that looked too close to pity. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"That Tula had moved on to greener pastures?" Tony forced a laugh that sounded hollow even to his own ears. "I thought gossip traveled fast in the village. That's already old news."
"But isn't she..." Shira's gaze dropped to where Tula's belly was clearly visible. "I thought that she was pregnant with your child. Wasn't that the impetus for the rescue?"
"She is, and it was."
Tony saw the questions forming in Shira's eyes, the same questions everyone had been too polite to ask him directly but that he knew they were all wondering about.
How could she leave you when she's carrying your baby?
