Page 127 of Tamed By Her Touch

“Are you well, Clair?” he asked.

She nodded.

“It’s spicy—but in a good way.”

He frowned.

“You said it was sweet.”

“It is. Then it gets warm.”

“Unpleasantly warm?” Kaelus still looked worried.

“No.” She licked her fingers. “Actually, it’s kind of sexy.”

“Sexy?” Kaelus looked at the fireplum he had been about to eat. “How can a fruit be sexy?”

Clair laughed.

“Try it and find out for yourself.”

“But is it going to act as some kind of aphrodisiac? Like the Bonding fruit from Twin Moons?” he asked, examining the plum.

“No, nothing like that!” Clair exclaimed. “Look, just try it—you’ll like it, I promise.”

“Very well—I’ll try it.”

Kaelus tried a bite of the fruit and his eyebrows went up.

Clair grinned at his reaction.

“See? It’s good right?”

“It is…interesting,” he rumbled.

“You like it,” she teased.

“I did not say that.”

“You don’t have to. Your face did.”

Kaelus scowled.

“My face says nothing.”

Clair laughed again.

“Your face says lots of things. Mostly grouchy things.”

Kaelus shook his head but finished the fireplum.

They ate companionably for several minutes, trying the different fruits and dipping pieces into a pale green cream that tasted like vanilla custard mixed with lime. Somewhere along the way, Clair realized she had relaxed completely.

Sitting beside Kaelus, sharing strange food while the lavender evening light filtered through the translucent walls of their suite, felt right in a way she couldn’t explain. Being with the big Hybrid put her at peace for some reason. Maybe because she felt safe with him—felt like she could be herself.

It was almost like they really were a married couple coming home after a day at work to talk about their day and relax together.

She pushed that thought away quickly. She’d had enough of married life to last her—and besides, Kaelus was a Hybrid which meant he could never bond with a woman. So there was no point even thinking about making their current fiction a reality.