Page 54 of Pulled By the Tail
“I’ve never said anything,” Charl clarified.
“True enough.” His friend never spoke of his past, of his family, of life on Gye or why he left his homeworld. Talen’s history was a painfully open book and in one embarrassing case, an actual book titledThe Lost Princes.
Stupid book, filled with only the worst gossip and rumors. He’d like to punch the author in the nose. Beyond the gossip-mongering, the book was highly inaccurate. The heir of a duke is a marquess and a younger son who would have been an earl. Honestly. Everyone knew that.
Talen waited in silence while Charl continued to weave, but the male shared nothing else about himself.
The mystery of Charl’s past would remain for another day.
“She is scared,” Charl said, breaking the silence.
“Of what? Did she tell you that?” Jealousy flared in his chest that his mate would share her fears with Charl and not himself.
“Hold your stones. She didn’t have to tell me. It’s obvious.”
“Is telepathy a common ability for the Gyer?”
“No. Why would you ask such a dumb question? Did you hit your head again?”
“Because unless she told you how she felt, you don’t know shit. You’re not some magic four-armed guru, doling out wisdom,” Talen said.
“You don’t know what she’s feeling either, but you’re happy to ruminate in your ignorance over there.”
Talen grumbled, because Charl was correct.
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”
“I said she’s been avoiding me,” Talen answered reluctantly.
“So, make yourself unavoidable.” Charl waved a hand dismissively at Talen.
“And how do I do that, exactly? She leaves the moment the conversation becomes…” He searched for the word. Not serious. The other day in the attic was playful and far from serious. Perhaps meaningful.
With that as context, their encounters took on new significance.
“You’re a clever male. Figure it out.”
Georgia
Busy week.Georgia authorized work on the ballroom and music room once she received estimates. The contractor didn’t want to provide an estimate, as he was the only operation in town and felt the business was guaranteed. After a few casual comments about how the next town over wasn’t too far to commute for a new project, a reasonable and competitively priced estimate arrived.
With the rooms prepped for renovation, she set about finding tables and chairs. If she planned to sell Achaval House as an event venue, they needed to provide the basic accommodations, like having somewhere to put your butt.
The attic had a matched set of backless loungers and an incomplete set of chairs with broken seats. Those went out to the makeshift workshop in the stable. She combed the local markets for more furniture, deciding to go with an eclectic decor. Honestly, tablecloths would cover old and battered tables and slipcovers would hide mismatched chairs. Appearances didn’t matter as much as the chair just needed to not collapse the moment someone parked their butt on it.
Super boring, right? She hadn’t gone off the deep end of event hosting, but it was easier than thinking about the way Talen looked at her.
The crazy thing was that she couldn’t describe the way he looked at her, only the way it made her feel like she was at the apex of the first drop on a rollercoaster. Anticipation coiled through her, ready for the fall, clinging to the safety harness but brave enough to let go for a moment and scream with delight.
Yeah. It was bad, already half in love with him and terrified. She thought she had loved Kevin, but she never felt half the eagerness and excitement she felt for Talen. Was that love? Or just lust?
She wanted to claim that hooking up had been a mistake, but they had the most explosive sex. What she had before didn’t compare. Nothing compared. Talen consumed her, drove all thoughts and worries from her mind, and made her feel at peace. He felt like home.
It terrified her.
Home never lasted for her. The people she needed always left. Even Freema, her best friend, planned to leave her for a colony. Everyone left, even sexy feline-esque aliens who liked books and made her laugh. Especially those.
She was tired of being left behind, tired of opening her heart and being disappointed. She could only rely on herself.
