happens.
"R'ven?"
I fight a little shiver as he says my name. "Hmmm?"
"Did you wish to stay another day or two? To wait for Juth and Pak?"
"Oh. Uh, no, I guess it wouldn't be fair."
"Fair?" he echoes.
"You know why." I mean, I don't want to have to be the one to point out to him that he should really care if his new mate misses him. "If you think Pak and Juth really won't come back, then we should go ahead and return to the others."
He thinks for a moment, toying with the empty waterskin. "From what I know of the outcast tribe, I do not think they will return, no. They will watch us, I am certain, but they will not return to our camp." He nudges my shoulder, and I'm reminded just how warm his big body is. It hits me through the layers of tunic and fur and sends goosebumps through my body. He's like a great big space heater, this guy. "Those are ready. If you can pull them out, I will get more snow to melt for our waterskin."
I use a pair of twigs like tongs, retrieving the ground nuts from the fire as U'dron moves to the far end of the camp. His feet slide on the ice, which gives me a little chuckle. For all that he's big and brawny, he has no idea how to walk on ice. It's kind of charming to see him skitter across, knowing that it's utterly unfamiliar to him. He goes to where the ice is thickest and begins to fill the skin, so I turn my attention to the waiting ground nuts. They smell amazing, like roasted nuts from a carnival, and my stomach growls furiously. I surreptitiously run a finger over the surface of one creamy bulb and taste it, unable to resist.
The taste is bliss—hot peanut butter and hazelnut mixed into one, and I can't help the moan that escapes my throat. A short distance away, I see U'dron fumble with the skin, nearly losing his balance on the icy ground. He straightens and glances over at me, to where I'm sucking the oils off my fingertip, and I swear…
If I wasn't positive the guy had already resonated to someone else, I'd say he was trying to scorch my panties off.
Damn him for being taken. Not that he'd want to be with me if he knew who I was…but still. Damn.
I continue sucking on my finger as he returns. Maybe it's the devil in me making me do it, but I noticed how he looked at me. Maybe I want him to regret what he can't have. Maybe I'm a bad person, because I know he's taken and I still want him anyhow, and what does that say about me? Nothing good.
I won't touch him, but maybe I want him to suffer a little. So I lick my fingertip and offer him a too-cheerful smile. "I couldn't resist a taste."
"It is fine," he tells me, voice slightly hoarse. I notice he drops down next to me and immediately tucks the blankets over his lap, hiding his erection. "Eat your fill."
I offer him one and take the other as he sets the skin near the fire for the snow to melt. I devour mine quickly, eating it with messy haste. The oils get everywhere, and once it's gone (far too quickly) I lick my fingers and sigh. U'dron promptly knocks another against his horn, splitting it, and sets it on the fire.
"Should we save them?" I ask, worried we're going to burn through all our food.
He shakes his head, glancing over at me. "I would rather share them with you than anyone else."
His words fill me with the same hot yearning as before, and for a moment, I'm sitting under the stars with my best friend, laughing at how bad we are at seeing the star pictures. It's so unfair that he won't be mine, not even for a minute. To my horror, my eyes fill with tears, and I rest my head against his arm, like I used to do before. "Just tell me who it is? I swear I won't press. I just…need to know."
"Know what?"
I let out a bubbling laugh, despite my tears. "Oh, come on."
"I am serious, R'ven. I do not know what you speak of."
I sit up, meeting his gaze. "Who did you resonate to? Was it Steph? I bet it was Steph." She's kind and clever and has a beautiful smile.