“What the hell is a Mating Scent?” Jodi asked, frowning at him.
“A scent—a pheromone-based smell that’s meant to draw a female to you—to a Kindred, I mean,” he explained. “But only the right female. Only one you’d want to bond with for life.”
“Well…” Jodi threw up her hands. “I guess we know that’s a stupid idea. We’d want to strangle each other.”
“If we didn’t fuck each other to death first,” Vorn said darkly. “There’s something about you, little girl. Something that calls to a part of me I haven’t thought of since I left my home world of Rageron. A custom of my home tribe that…” He shook his head. “Never mind. The point is you’re taken by another male—even if he is a sorry excuse for a human—and you hate my guts. So there’s no way my body ought to be making my Mating Scent for you.”
“Well, I wish you’d tell your body to turn it off, then,” Jodi snapped. “Because it’s driving me every bit as wild as the scent I’m apparently putting out is driving you.”
“We’re pushing each other higher and higher,” Vorn murmured, frowning. “This is a vicious cycle, baby. If we don’t break it, one of us is going to snap and I’ll wind up buried balls-deep in your sweet little cunt before the end of the night.”
Jodi felt a thrill of fear…mixed with something else.
“You…you told me Kindred wouldn’t commit acts of sexual violence against women,” she reminded him.
His golden eyes narrowed.
“Who kissed who just now? I didn’t say I was going to rape you—more like we’re going to end up raping each other if we can’t stop this.”
“You could just go back to the Mother Ship,” she pointed out.
Vorn shook his head.
“Already told you, that’s not happening. What if the Varians come while I’m on my way to find a replacement to guard you? I’m not leaving you alone, little girl—especially not at night.” He gestured to the gathering dusk outside the car.
Jodi put a hand on her hip.
“Well then, what are we supposed to do to, uh, break this ‘vicious cycle’ as you put it?”
Vorn looked out the window for a moment before turning back to her.
“Exactly what I wanted to do in the first place,” he said. “We’re going to go into this fucking store and buy you every-fucking-thing your little heart—and pussy—desires. Whatever you need to get off, we’re getting it.”
“I don’t think you understand,” Jodi protested. “Sex toys—at least really good ones—are expensive. And I’m living on a TA’s salary. I don’t have a whole lot to spare from groceries to feed the ‘spank bank’ as I’ve heard some of my male students call your personal fantasy life.”
“Don’t worry about the cost,” Vorn told her. “It’s on me. It’s the only way to save both your relationship with that asshole James and my sanity so I’m more than willing to pay.”
“But…but you can’t just buy me sex toys!” Jodi exclaimed.
“Why not? I broke your best phallus, didn’t I?” Vorn sounded completely reasonable. “And in my culture, when you break a possession of the host while staying as a guest in their home, you pay it back ten times over.”
“Ten times over?” Jodi arched an eyebrow at him. “You do know that the python—that’s the dildo you broke—cost me over a hundred dollars, right?”
“Doesn’t matter.” He pulled a platinum card out of an inner pocket and showed it to her. “Come on, baby—stop beating around the tree and let’s go in there and find something to make your little pussy happy.”
To her utter surprise, Jodi burst into laughter.
“The expression is ‘beating around the bush’,” she exclaimed, through a fit of giggles. “And could you please not talk about my pussy like she’s a spoiled princess who needs a spending spree to keep her happy?”
“Hey, whatever she needs to be happy, she gets,” Vorn said seriously, but she thought the corners of his mouth were twitching too. “Because when pussy’s unhappy, we’re all fucking miserable.”
This only made Jodi laugh harder and soon he joined in, a deep, rumbling chuckle that seemed to vibrate her bones and was somehow extremely pleasant to listen to.
At last, her stomach aching with the unaccustomed laughter, Jodi finally wound down.
“Oh—I can’t remember when I’ve laughed so hard!” She wiped at her streaming eyes and pushed her hair out of her face.
“It’s been a while for me, too,” Vorn admitted, swiping at his own eyes. “Goddess, I’m glad we cleared the air. Living with you when you’re mad is like living with a fucking thunder cloud, sweetheart.”
“Well, you’re not exactly a calm, sunny day yourself,” Jodi pointed out. “And speaking of clearing the air, shouldn’t we get out of this enclosed car? I can, uh, still smell your Mating Scent and it seems like it’s stronger than ever.”