Raven's Return - Ruby Dixon Page 0,81

"That only gets you so far. You're cute, but you absolutely suck in the sack. Think of it like fishing. You've got some swell bait, but you've got no hook to keep your catch on the line."

A'tam looks aghast. "No hook?"

"None," I say flatly. "Why would Bridget want to be with you? Look at it from her perspective. She went to bed with you, it wasn't fun, and now the only things you ever say to her are that you can't wait to go to bed with her again. Why would she ever think you're interested in anything but more terrible sex? Why would she sign up for any of that?"

"Our mating was not terrible!"

My brows go up. "That's not what I heard."

He leans forward, shocked. "She…told you this?"

She told the entire camp, but I wisely don't point that out. "When a woman is upset about how a sexual experience went down, it gets around. U'dron didn't win me because he knew how to use his dick. He won me because he listened to me. He courted me. He spent time with me. And when I fell in love with him because of that, then I went to the furs with him…and we figured out together what we liked. You have to be a partner, A'tam. You can't just get your nut off and expect her to be fine with being treated like nothing more than a damn cock-pocket."

A'tam rubs his beard, his movements almost frantic as he strokes it over and over again. "I treated her like a cock-pocket?"

"Do you ever talk to her about something other than sex?" I ask. "What's her favorite food? What's she good at hunting? What does she do when she likes to contribute around the camp? What color is her hair?"

"Her nipples are very pale," he says after a moment.

"That's about sex, A'tam. Try again."

His nostrils flare and I can tell he is irritated. "Her mane is brown," he finally says. "Dark. With little highlights of a reddish color in the sunlight."

"That's a good start. Also a good start? Quit hanging out with Daisy so much. I mean it."

The look he gives me is downright petulant. "D'see said if we spent time together it would make B'shit jealous and she would come running to my arms."

"Daisy was a teenager married to an old man who used her as a beard for his real lover. I'm thinking maybe you don't take her advice on relationships," I point out.

He nods slowly. "I am glad I came to you, then. Will you help me?"

Greaaaat.

30

RAVEN

The next day, I wake up to a scratching at the hut entrance. For a moment, my sleepy brain thinks it's U'dron, and I sit up with excitement. "Babe?"

"It's me," Bridget calls out, her voice muffled through the stone walls. "Did I wake you?"

I'm disappointed. Of course it's not U'dron. He wouldn't knock to get into his own hut. I fight back my disappointment and rub a hand over my face, yawning. "You did, but it's okay. Come on in."

Bridget ducks into the hut, a steaming bowl and a cup in her hands. "I brought you breakfast. Are you hungry?"

"Thanks. I'm always ready to eat." I beam her a grateful smile as she hands the food over to me. "How early is it? I need to head off and drop Juth's supplies with Steph."

She thumps herself down in front of my fire, stirring the coals back to life. "She's already heading out there. I passed her on the way in. She told me to tell you that she's got it."

"Oh. Okay." I take a sip of the tea and watch Bridget over the rim. While I'm not entirely surprised at Steph's actions—she's got a strong idea of how this whole thing with Juth should go down and wants to handle all of it—I am a little surprised to see Bridget on my doorstep this early. Bridget and I get along just fine, but I wouldn't say we're close.

The other woman looks around U'dron's hut with interest. "I think this is nicer than A'tam's hut. He's not the most patient of men." Her face flushes. "Not that I've spent a lot of time in his hut."

"Not my business if you have or haven't," I say, leaning over to pick up a spoon from the utensil basket I have near my cooking items. I take a bite of the food and then offer it to Bridget. "You want some?"

She raises a hand in the air,