regretfully, “Even if you still wanted to go, which I
suspect you don’t, last night notwithstanding.”
“You’re right, I do still love Terian,” I
said grumpily. “Damn it to hell.”
“Then talk to him,” Lash advised, stretching
happily. “He seems reasonable from what I’ve heard, though I’ve
never met him face to face. He must still care about you, to not be
with a woman in all this time. That or he’s really gay, and he’s
harboring a crush on Theo.”
I wanted to remark that not all men went from
one woman to another like stepping stones on a path, but held it
in. He’d get testy for sure.
“I’ve got to go,” Lash said with a little
groan and a lot of reluctance. “We are supposed to leave on Monday
at first dark. It’s Saturday morning. Fuck, I’ve got so much shit
to do.”
“You sure?” I said teasingly, kissing his
neck. “I don’t have to work tonight, so I could stay in bed for
another ten hours or so.”
“You must be part were,” Lash said in awe as
he got out of bed. “I never met a human woman who liked sex as much
as you do.”
“You must have not known many human women
then,” I replied, laughing.
He laughed too, but his eyes were sad. “Not
many,” he said almost inaudibly. “Mostly other weresnakes.”
“I need to ask a favor,” I said quietly,
changing the subject.
Lash looked at me expectantly.
“Can you keep it to yourself that we were
intimate? I don’t want Devlin to know I’m back here, even if he is
leaving.”
“Sure,” Lash said, nodding. “But it’s not
really him you’re worried about, is it? You never asked me to keep
it to myself I was meeting you for drinks these last months, though
I knew not to say anything to him. You just don’t want Terian
finding out about you and me, now that you know he’s
available.”
Damn, why couldn’t he be
oblivious like every other man I’ve ever known? “That, too,”
I said, nodding. “He won’t understand. He’s never had sex with a
friend; he’s just not that way.” That was an understatement. What
I’d done casually with Lash would be appalling to Terian, with his
strict moral ways, even with Lash being more than a friend to
me.
“Then it never happened,” Lash said flatly,
reaching for his pants. “No one will know but you and me.”
I got up and hugged him. “It was good with
you, both nights,” I whispered. “Don’t think I regret it, because I
don’t. I’m glad I was with you, that we were together. And I still
wish you were staying, and not leaving. I’ll miss talking with
you.”
I hugged him close. Fuck
it. “I’ll miss what might have been between us,” I said
very, very softly.
Lash hugged me, and let out a breath. “I’ll
miss you, too,” he hissed tenderly. “You’ve been a good friend,
Sun. You were the best human lay I’ve ever had. That’s saying
something, all the years I’ve been alive.”
I laughed and he did, too, as we located our
clothes here and there around the room.
“So are you going to call him?” he said,
pulling on his clothes.
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “What
should I say?”
“Tell him you want him, that you missed him,
and you’re waiting here in bed naked for him to come to you,” Lash
advised, buckling on his weapons. “It’d work for me and most men I
know, if a woman called them and said that. It will certainly work
on a half-demon. They like sex as much as weres do as a rule,
though maybe not as much as weresnakes.”
My grimace became a smile against my will. He
had a good sense of humor, Lash did. “Okay. I’ll do that.”
“But shower first and wash your sheets,
before you call him,” Lash hissed in warning. “Or he’ll smell my
scent on you and be pissed off. Demon’s noses are as good as weres
and snake scent is the strongest, especially the scent on you now
from being with me all night.”
I nodded, appalled. Like I’d call Terian up
as soon as Lash was gone. Men...
suspect you don’t, last night notwithstanding.”
“You’re right, I do still love Terian,” I
said grumpily. “Damn it to hell.”
“Then talk to him,” Lash advised, stretching
happily. “He seems reasonable from what I’ve heard, though I’ve
never met him face to face. He must still care about you, to not be
with a woman in all this time. That or he’s really gay, and he’s
harboring a crush on Theo.”
I wanted to remark that not all men went from
one woman to another like stepping stones on a path, but held it
in. He’d get testy for sure.
“I’ve got to go,” Lash said with a little
groan and a lot of reluctance. “We are supposed to leave on Monday
at first dark. It’s Saturday morning. Fuck, I’ve got so much shit
to do.”
“You sure?” I said teasingly, kissing his
neck. “I don’t have to work tonight, so I could stay in bed for
another ten hours or so.”
“You must be part were,” Lash said in awe as
he got out of bed. “I never met a human woman who liked sex as much
as you do.”
“You must have not known many human women
then,” I replied, laughing.
He laughed too, but his eyes were sad. “Not
many,” he said almost inaudibly. “Mostly other weresnakes.”
“I need to ask a favor,” I said quietly,
changing the subject.
Lash looked at me expectantly.
“Can you keep it to yourself that we were
intimate? I don’t want Devlin to know I’m back here, even if he is
leaving.”
“Sure,” Lash said, nodding. “But it’s not
really him you’re worried about, is it? You never asked me to keep
it to myself I was meeting you for drinks these last months, though
I knew not to say anything to him. You just don’t want Terian
finding out about you and me, now that you know he’s
available.”
Damn, why couldn’t he be
oblivious like every other man I’ve ever known? “That, too,”
I said, nodding. “He won’t understand. He’s never had sex with a
friend; he’s just not that way.” That was an understatement. What
I’d done casually with Lash would be appalling to Terian, with his
strict moral ways, even with Lash being more than a friend to
me.
“Then it never happened,” Lash said flatly,
reaching for his pants. “No one will know but you and me.”
I got up and hugged him. “It was good with
you, both nights,” I whispered. “Don’t think I regret it, because I
don’t. I’m glad I was with you, that we were together. And I still
wish you were staying, and not leaving. I’ll miss talking with
you.”
I hugged him close. Fuck
it. “I’ll miss what might have been between us,” I said
very, very softly.
Lash hugged me, and let out a breath. “I’ll
miss you, too,” he hissed tenderly. “You’ve been a good friend,
Sun. You were the best human lay I’ve ever had. That’s saying
something, all the years I’ve been alive.”
I laughed and he did, too, as we located our
clothes here and there around the room.
“So are you going to call him?” he said,
pulling on his clothes.
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “What
should I say?”
“Tell him you want him, that you missed him,
and you’re waiting here in bed naked for him to come to you,” Lash
advised, buckling on his weapons. “It’d work for me and most men I
know, if a woman called them and said that. It will certainly work
on a half-demon. They like sex as much as weres do as a rule,
though maybe not as much as weresnakes.”
My grimace became a smile against my will. He
had a good sense of humor, Lash did. “Okay. I’ll do that.”
“But shower first and wash your sheets,
before you call him,” Lash hissed in warning. “Or he’ll smell my
scent on you and be pissed off. Demon’s noses are as good as weres
and snake scent is the strongest, especially the scent on you now
from being with me all night.”
I nodded, appalled. Like I’d call Terian up
as soon as Lash was gone. Men...
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