Page 62 of The Stone Secret
Across the table, Shar arched a brow, a slight smile playing on her lips.
“Levi pulled me aside for a chat today,” Curi said.
I quickly swallowed my mouthful. “Oh?”
“He’s convinced we’re not a real couple.”
“No!” Palia set her bread down. “You two have done an amazing job of pretending. If I didn’t know better, I would totally believe you two were an item.”
Curi smiled dryly. “Master Halle’s nose says different.”
“Shit,” Shar said. “We didn’t think of that.”
I looked between them. “Think of what?”
Ginia leaned forward, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Pheromones.”
I winced. “Please…”
“It makes sense,” Palia said. “Lovers would exude a certain scent around each other, or at least carry the other’s scent on them.” She narrowed her eyes in thought. “Just holding hands and hanging out won’t be enough. This scent is a skin-on-skin kinda thing.”
Curi choked on his water. “Fuck. No.”
“Hell no.” My cheeks burned.
Serath would kill him. It didn’t matter that Selas had advocated me having sexual relations with someone other than my fated mate. That was not an option for me. “There has to be another way.”
“Oooh.” Palia sat up straighter. “Curi, do you have a sleep tee?”
“No.”
“Undershirt?”
“No.”
“PJ bottoms, or shorts?”
He gave a weary sigh. “Nope.”
“Then what do you sleep in?”
He gave her a flat look which she returned in confusion.
Ginia groaned. “He means he sleeps naked, Palia. No clothes. Everything hanging free.”
She said it with a little too much enthusiasm.
Palia’s cheeks went pink. “Oh…Oh right. Um…Okay, what about…the tee you wore to the gym?”
“You want my sweaty gym top?” Curi asked, lip curling slightly in disgust.
“It’ll have your scent all over it,” Palia said. “Cam can sleep in it, and next time she sees Levi, there’ll be no doubt that you two are…together.”
“Sweaty pheromones,” Ginia said, shooting a wicked look my way.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Fine. Curi, give me your most recent gym top.”
“Whatever. But I still think it’ll take more than that to convince your ex. He’s like a dog with a bone when it comes to you. I don’t think he’s going to quit digging.”
