He was handsome, strong, arrogant. Leo had been all those things too…until he hadn’t been.
You said you would try to be more open with him, she reminded herself.Not as cold.
Cruxan knew nothing of what she struggled with. It wasn’t his fault that she’d made a terrible decision in her past, one she continued to pay for.
Still, she didn’t know what possessed her when she commented, “You must have a lot of females who are crazy about you then.”
For once, Crystal heardhissmall intake of breath. It seemed, for the first time, that he actually realized what he’d said, about flirting with numerous females, toher, his supposed ‘fated mate.’
She knew from the others that Luxirian males, once mated, were monogamous. Did Cruxan believe in that same idea? She’d also learned that there were many types of partnerships on Luxiria, even open relationships.
“Crystal…” he trailed off, though out of the corner of her eye, she saw him stop what he was doing completely, turning towards her. So it shocked her when he said, though it seemed to pain him, “There were many females.”
Crystal wasn’t entirely sure why her chest squeezed at his honest admission. But it felt an awful lot like jealousy and she had absolutely no right to feel it. He wasn’t hers. She’d told him she didn’t want a relationship, despite what they may or may not be to one another.
He was free to flirt with whomever he wanted.
At that thought, she dug at the ground a little more forcefully, her piece of bark hitting something with a gentlethud.
Not at all feeling victorious, she pulled her first water gourd from the wet earth, tossing it to the side before she moved over slightly to begin on another hole.
“They are in the past now,” he continued, still talking about his revolving door of females when she just wanted todrop it. “You must know that.”
She paused, taking the time to wipe away some of the accumulating moisture from the foggy mist from her face. When she looked over at him, she tried to keep her tone light and breezy as she said, “It’s none of my business who you choose to flirt with, or sleep with, or have a relationship with. I’m sorry I made that comment. It won’t happen again.”
Cruxan’s face darkened and her gaze flickered away. “Itisyour business,luxiva.”
“No, it’s—”
“Tev,” he bit out. “Just as it is my business if there are other males in your life.”
An outraged breath left her lips and she turned to stare at him in shock.
Leo had been possessive too, she couldn’t help but think.
But with Leo, she would’ve cowered, apologizing in her meek way, anything to redirect his anger, to make him soften. He’d liked when she’d begged for his forgiveness, for something that had never been her fault to begin with.
With Cruxan, she threw caution to the wind and bit out, “That’s where you’re wrong. You have no say. If I wanted to flirt and sleep with other men, it’snotyour business.”
His growl was loud and his shoulders bunched with their strength. His eyes darkened at her mention of other men and it was hot anger that she saw on his face, open and unguarded.
Maybe she was testing him. She didn’t know why she’d tugged on the tiger’s tail, but maybe it was to see how he’d react.
Still, it didn’t stop her body from tensing, her shoulders from hunching, her heart speeding.
Cruxan looked away from her with a soft curse.
“We can argue about this all span and all night,luxiva,” he finally said after a lengthy moment. He seemed to put extra emphasis onluxiva. “But I will not agree with you there. Ever.”
Just that morning, they’d called a truce. And already, they’d fucked it up.
Crystal let out a shuddering breath and went back to work in silence, as Cruxan did the same.
She’d just managed to pluck another water gourd from the ground—Cruxan had a pile of five by that time—when he asked quietly, “Will you tell me something,luxiva?”
That word drifted over her skin, making her shiver. She couldn’t help but glance over at him as she asked, hesitantly, “What?”
“What is it that you want? You say you do not want a relationship with anyone, but you also say you do not want to be alone. So what do you want from your life?”
