“I guess so.” Danielle’s soft voice drifted over his shoulder. They had their backs to each other as they changed. The illusion of privacy seemed to make her feel better, even though Brav had basically seen all of her beautiful body the night before when she was wearing the see-through feasting dress.
And don’t forget after the feast when you saw her breasts bare and sucked her ripe nipples until she came for you, whispered a little voice in his head.
Brav did his best to shove it aside. He and Danielle had agreed that it was best for them to remain friends and colleagues and that was all. They might have to act like mates and lovers in front of the H’rakens, but that didn’t carry over to their alone time together.
It would be easier to stick to their arrangement if she still annoyed him, Brav thought ruefully. But now that they had agreed to be friends and she had turned out to be so easy to talk to, it was even harder to put his attraction to her aside. Still, he had to try, he reminded himself. After all, he had nothing to offer her—he couldn’t bond her to him or give her children—though he didn’t know if she wanted them or not. So he might as well put any idea of a permanent relationship with the curvy little Earth female out of his head.
“You ready to go?” she asked and he realized that he was just standing there, thinking things he shouldn’t, instead of getting dressed.
“Just let me put on my boots,” he told her. “And we’ll go out and play the happy couple for Navii.”
“She really is a sweetheart,” Danielle said warmly. “Bringing us all these clothes and showing us around. There’s a real sense of community here. I mean, the way they feast together every night and have a communal kitchen to make bread together—it’s almost like a big commune.”
“Or like a cult,” Brav said darkly as he finished putting on his boots and turned to face her. “This all looks good on the surface, but I have a feeling that something else is going on. Something’s not quite right here.”
“You think so?” Danielle looked surprised. “I think the H’rakens just seem like a really nice, happy, peaceful people.”
“Well, let’s hope you’re right, little girl.” Brav smiled down at her. “You look beautiful this morning, you know. The H’raken style of clothing really suits you.”
“Oh, this?” her cheeks got becomingly pink as she gestured down to the plain white linen dress. It wasn’t as see-through as the feasting gown she’d worn the night before, but it still clung to her curves beautifully. Gods, he loved a full-figured woman, Brav thought to himself, admiring her wide hips and large breasts.
“Yeah, that,” he said, giving her a half-lidded look. “You really fill it out, little girl.”
“Thank you, Bravik, but you don’t have to compliment me when the H’rakens aren’t around.” Her cheeks went even pinker.
“Can’t I say nice things to my ‘wife’?” he asked, grinning at her. Such a gorgeous, mature Elite ought to be told how beautiful she was—he had the feeling she didn’t get the kind of adoration she deserved from the males of her own species who didn’t appreciate full-figured women like they should. “Do you really mind, little girl?” he asked her.
“I…I guess not.” She nibbled her lower lip—which made Brav want to nibble it himself. Damn, she was gorgeous!
“Good, then I’ll tell you how beautiful you are whenever I want to.” He put an arm around her and drew her close to his side, loving the way her small, curvy body fit against his much larger, harder form. “Come on, Navii is probably waiting for us.”
“All right.” She put an arm around his waist and they left the bed chamber together.
Twenty-Four
“And there is the Butchering Shed. The men should be gathering there to go open the gates and see what the Mother Stone has left for us this morning,” Navii pointed to a large, low structure made, as usual, from many slender trees growing close together.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye for a while,” Bravik rumbled, looking down at Danni.
“I guess so.” She looked up at him uncertainly. They still had their arms around each other—somehow they just hadn’t let go. Even when they’d gone to pick a fruit in the kitchen area of their little cottage, Danni hadn’t wanted to stop touching the big Kindred. Bravik seemed to feel the same way because he’d kept his arm around her shoulders even as they ate their breakfast fruits and walked and talked with Navii.
Now, however, they had come to a parting of ways and it was time to let the big Kindred go.
I don’t want to, though, Danni thought, looking up at him. I don’t want to let him go and not see him again until tonight.