“Perhaps it might benefit us both if I say I am entertaining your interest. Then neither of us needs to deal with the unwanted attention.”
“But you will want a mate.”
I tilt my head. “Perhaps. But I have waited this long. Why do I care if it takes another year or another two?”
Eventually, the interest will die down and our presence in the colony will become mundane.
“Your brothers will all be mated, and you will have no one to have sex with.”
I tip my head back and laugh. “That is true. And what do you do for sex?”
Her cheeks redden. “It’s not considered polite to ask.”
“Then I apologize. Among my people it is quite common for the unmated to find pleasure with the same sex. I was curious if it is the same here.”
“Sometimes. Did you mean what you said?”
“Which thing?” I am teasing because I know she is thinking about my offer. It did not occur to me to make it until she was sitting in front of me confessing that she found the other woman’s attention distressing. Which means a small part of her likes me.
And I like that.
I like the way she laughs and the way she makes me laugh. There seems to have been so little of that in the last few years. We all expected to die crossing the ocean, but it was a grand last adventure to make. We have lived far longer than mostbanished, and since arriving on this continent we found a reason to live.
I don’t know if Harper will be a good mate for me, but she is becoming a good friend.
“About pretending that we’re dating.”
“Dating?” I’m not sure of the word.
“Seeing if there can be more between us.”
I smile. “Encouraging your interest.”
“Does that mean you can discourage my interest even though it is the woman who chooses her mate?”
“Exactly that. The woman may choose, but the warrior has the right to refuse. Some warriors choose to never take a mate because they do not want the lifelong commitment.”
She presses her lips together as she stares at me. “So I want to ask a very personal question.” Her cheeks turn red, and I can imagine the nature of the question. “How does the mating bond start? Is it with the actualmating?”
“That is what we thought, but it seems to be direct contact with pussy juice?—”
Harper smothers a laugh with her hand. “Please never call it that again.”
I scowl, confused. I’m sure I used the correct words. “Then what am I supposed to call your mating channel?”
“Pussy is fine. Juice is a little…” She wrinkles her nose. “I don’t have a better word for it. Damn. There are so many words for men and their junk…what do you call your dick?” Her gaze darts downward. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
My meq jumps at the attention and I hope there are enough shadows to conceal it. To be on the safe side, I rest my elbows on my knee and lean forward. “I do not mind answering. Either mating equipment or meq.”
“So direct contact with my…” She points at her pussy.
“It seems that way. I would rather that information is not spread, as there is potential for misuse.”
“Did that ever happen in your tribe?”
He shakes his head. “You are talking about our most serious crime. More so than murder, because it is something the person must live with for the rest of their life. For a warrior, losing a mate is usually fatal.”
She places the last piece of jerky in her mouth, and I wonder what her tongue would feel like on my meq. I am rock hard and aching to find out.
