herself before she dropped to the floor. Glaring at him, she straightened.
It wasn‟t as if he‟d been totally up front with her. He‟d actively schemed to get his way.
“Did I mention I didn‟t want to be here? I hadn‟t planned on doing anything to
encourage you and hoped you‟d lose interest in me.” She leaned back resisting the
tugging pull of his hand. He obviously wanted her in his arms, but she knew better
than to fall into that trap.
“Lose interest? You would have been waiting the rest of your life for that to
happen. I‟m going to be your husband. I knew from almost the moment that I caught
your scent.” He tugged again.
She stumbled forward a step and pulled back. “How about looking for someone
who actually gives you some encouragement?”
“You encouraged me, just not verbally.” His hand tightened on hers and gave a
quick jerk.
She tumbled into his lap. His arms closed around her. Laughing he pulled her
against him when she tried to lunge free of his hold. She glared at him and gripped at
the arms banded around her waist.
“Would my telling you that my brother was one of the Shi’ans have changed the
way you acted or what you did?” she asked. She put a hand on his chest and pushed
putting a little distance between them.
His smile widened and his head tilted as he thought about it. “No, it wouldn‟t have
changed what I did. It might have changed how I approached your brother, but not
you.”
53
Rebecca Airies
She rolled her eyes. “What, you wouldn‟t have acted so macho and arrogant? You
practically treated him like an underling who you could order around.”
“And you set up the adversarial relationship between us by not telling me that he
was the Shi’an . It will take time for that to change.” His hand cupped her chin and
forced her to meet his eyes.
“You think it would be any different? He saw the way that I acted, my reluctance.
He knew that I didn‟t really want this claiming.” She pushed his hand away from her
chin. She knew her brother. He wouldn‟t have missed the signs of her hesitance, her
unwillingness.
“You have a brother who is Shi’an and four other probably powerful brothers. Their
presence and strength kept the men from pressing the claim and changing your mind.
That would have probably happened if you didn‟t have that protection. But I‟m happy
you did have it. Now I have you.” He leaned down and closed his teeth over her lip.
A tingle danced over her skin as he slowly pulled back. Her tongue slicked over her
lip. How could that simple touch feel so good? She took a deep breath and the scent of
his arousal filled her senses.
“It didn‟t happen to at least two of my friends and they didn‟t have five older
brothers, one of whom was one of the Shi’ans of my clan.” She gave him a doubt-filled
look.
He was just trying to make believe that the ways of his clan were so normal that
they even happened in her clan. She wasn‟t about to believe that. She‟d have seen it.
How could she have missed the sight of even one man behaving as he had?
“Their brothers or parents did hold a high position, didn‟t they? High enough to
live in the same marrohl as the Shi’an ?” Jarritt asked as he trailed his fingers up her ribs.
“Yes, they lived in the same marrohl , but they‟re still unmarried. And I can‟t
remember even hearing of anything like it.” She firmed her lips and focused on a point
beyond his shoulder.
“They were under basically the same protection as you. And you wouldn‟t have
heard anything about it. All the details of the claiming are kept away from young
females. If you‟d seen anything, it would have been easily explained as a need to talk
alone or something like that.” Jarritt‟s lips brushed along her jawline.
“The women would say something or argue.” She shook her head. There was no
way she could have missed all of the signs of women being claimed as she had
It wasn‟t as if he‟d been totally up front with her. He‟d actively schemed to get his way.
“Did I mention I didn‟t want to be here? I hadn‟t planned on doing anything to
encourage you and hoped you‟d lose interest in me.” She leaned back resisting the
tugging pull of his hand. He obviously wanted her in his arms, but she knew better
than to fall into that trap.
“Lose interest? You would have been waiting the rest of your life for that to
happen. I‟m going to be your husband. I knew from almost the moment that I caught
your scent.” He tugged again.
She stumbled forward a step and pulled back. “How about looking for someone
who actually gives you some encouragement?”
“You encouraged me, just not verbally.” His hand tightened on hers and gave a
quick jerk.
She tumbled into his lap. His arms closed around her. Laughing he pulled her
against him when she tried to lunge free of his hold. She glared at him and gripped at
the arms banded around her waist.
“Would my telling you that my brother was one of the Shi’ans have changed the
way you acted or what you did?” she asked. She put a hand on his chest and pushed
putting a little distance between them.
His smile widened and his head tilted as he thought about it. “No, it wouldn‟t have
changed what I did. It might have changed how I approached your brother, but not
you.”
53
Rebecca Airies
She rolled her eyes. “What, you wouldn‟t have acted so macho and arrogant? You
practically treated him like an underling who you could order around.”
“And you set up the adversarial relationship between us by not telling me that he
was the Shi’an . It will take time for that to change.” His hand cupped her chin and
forced her to meet his eyes.
“You think it would be any different? He saw the way that I acted, my reluctance.
He knew that I didn‟t really want this claiming.” She pushed his hand away from her
chin. She knew her brother. He wouldn‟t have missed the signs of her hesitance, her
unwillingness.
“You have a brother who is Shi’an and four other probably powerful brothers. Their
presence and strength kept the men from pressing the claim and changing your mind.
That would have probably happened if you didn‟t have that protection. But I‟m happy
you did have it. Now I have you.” He leaned down and closed his teeth over her lip.
A tingle danced over her skin as he slowly pulled back. Her tongue slicked over her
lip. How could that simple touch feel so good? She took a deep breath and the scent of
his arousal filled her senses.
“It didn‟t happen to at least two of my friends and they didn‟t have five older
brothers, one of whom was one of the Shi’ans of my clan.” She gave him a doubt-filled
look.
He was just trying to make believe that the ways of his clan were so normal that
they even happened in her clan. She wasn‟t about to believe that. She‟d have seen it.
How could she have missed the sight of even one man behaving as he had?
“Their brothers or parents did hold a high position, didn‟t they? High enough to
live in the same marrohl as the Shi’an ?” Jarritt asked as he trailed his fingers up her ribs.
“Yes, they lived in the same marrohl , but they‟re still unmarried. And I can‟t
remember even hearing of anything like it.” She firmed her lips and focused on a point
beyond his shoulder.
“They were under basically the same protection as you. And you wouldn‟t have
heard anything about it. All the details of the claiming are kept away from young
females. If you‟d seen anything, it would have been easily explained as a need to talk
alone or something like that.” Jarritt‟s lips brushed along her jawline.
“The women would say something or argue.” She shook her head. There was no
way she could have missed all of the signs of women being claimed as she had
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