take chances by sleeping right beside him.
“Are
there beds upstairs?” she asked.
“One.
You want to sleep up there and share?” His face stayed impassive.
She
wasn’t buying his neutral expression. “Uh…no. Is there a reason we’d have to?”
“I
think, given our little discoveries today, it is best if we stay close to one
another. I know it must be painful for you to have to share the same air and
space, but you will have to bear with me.”
“Now
you’re just being nasty,” she said, planting her hands on her hips. “I want to
think you mean one thing, but your body language and tone’s all off. I’m done
trying to read you.”
He
grunted and tilted his head, studying her as one would a strange new species.
“I thought I was making the best of a poor situation. If you’d rather us sleep
upstairs, we can.”
“That’s
not what I meant and you know it. You ain’t that dense.”
He held
his heart, looking stricken. “I’ve never had the pleasure of sharing a woman’s
bed. You’d be my first.”
Jasmine
laughed and abruptly stopped. “Now I’m to take you seriously that you’re a
virgin. You’ve never had sex with a woman?” She wondered how long they’d been
without any women at all. He looked mid-thirties. It was possible he’d grown up
without access to any females at all—which just left men to experiment with.
She burned with the desire to ask him what he’d done all this time, but decided
he didn’t look like the type who would share.
His
voice dropped an octave and rumbled in his chest with sexy undertones. “That I
did not say. I thought we established we weren’t interested in sex? I’m sorry I
cannot oblige you. The walk has tired me. I meant sleeping. Isn’t it obvious?”
In spite
of his words, she had the distinct feeling he was flirting with her. Had he
only been playing socially awkward this whole time? She wasn’t sure of anything
anymore. Sitting on a pallet, she divided her attention between him and the
fire. She shrugged, noticing the bedding was clean. The house looked like the
former residents had just walked out and would return at any moment. She
scooted around and faced him. “Why would someone just leave everything like
this anyway?”
Dar sat on
the couch, watching the fire with his long legs extended. What was it about a
military man lounging and looking relaxed? He’d kept precise movements, stiff
and straight until now, and the contrast between his rigid disposition and one
of ease were stark and noticeable. His bold features looked impossibly harder,
his jaw squared like cut stone in spite of the lax position.
“War.
Death.” He raked a hand through his silver-streaked black hair, looking as
spent as he’d claimed. “Disease ravaging our women to the brink of extinction.
It is easier to pool our remaining resources into a few cities. There aren’t
enough of us left to people this world. That will change with new blood.” He
paused, sliding his gaze toward her. She could see her silhouette limned by
fire in their depths. Something in his eyes made her shiver inside in spite of
the warmth bathing her back. “With women.”
“With breeders,”
she said, swallowing and averting her gaze when she realized she sounded
breathless. Her stomach grumbled. She attributed her mooning on low blood
sugar.
“If you
want to call it that.”
“I don’t
see any sense in trying to hide what you want from us.”
“Breeding
would be the first step to recovery,” he said quietly. “It is a natural thing.
Pleasurable, though I’m sure you already know how much pleasure can be had in
the arms of a man. Are you ready to be bred?”
Her
heart thudded dully. Or maybe it was her stomach knocking her ribs for
attention. She swallowed audibly. “No.”
“Holding
out?” he asked.
“Sure.
Why not? I’ve only been around one man here.”
“Maybe
that’s all you need. There’s no need to be greedy and have more than one of us.”
She
lifted an
“Are
there beds upstairs?” she asked.
“One.
You want to sleep up there and share?” His face stayed impassive.
She
wasn’t buying his neutral expression. “Uh…no. Is there a reason we’d have to?”
“I
think, given our little discoveries today, it is best if we stay close to one
another. I know it must be painful for you to have to share the same air and
space, but you will have to bear with me.”
“Now
you’re just being nasty,” she said, planting her hands on her hips. “I want to
think you mean one thing, but your body language and tone’s all off. I’m done
trying to read you.”
He
grunted and tilted his head, studying her as one would a strange new species.
“I thought I was making the best of a poor situation. If you’d rather us sleep
upstairs, we can.”
“That’s
not what I meant and you know it. You ain’t that dense.”
He held
his heart, looking stricken. “I’ve never had the pleasure of sharing a woman’s
bed. You’d be my first.”
Jasmine
laughed and abruptly stopped. “Now I’m to take you seriously that you’re a
virgin. You’ve never had sex with a woman?” She wondered how long they’d been
without any women at all. He looked mid-thirties. It was possible he’d grown up
without access to any females at all—which just left men to experiment with.
She burned with the desire to ask him what he’d done all this time, but decided
he didn’t look like the type who would share.
His
voice dropped an octave and rumbled in his chest with sexy undertones. “That I
did not say. I thought we established we weren’t interested in sex? I’m sorry I
cannot oblige you. The walk has tired me. I meant sleeping. Isn’t it obvious?”
In spite
of his words, she had the distinct feeling he was flirting with her. Had he
only been playing socially awkward this whole time? She wasn’t sure of anything
anymore. Sitting on a pallet, she divided her attention between him and the
fire. She shrugged, noticing the bedding was clean. The house looked like the
former residents had just walked out and would return at any moment. She
scooted around and faced him. “Why would someone just leave everything like
this anyway?”
Dar sat on
the couch, watching the fire with his long legs extended. What was it about a
military man lounging and looking relaxed? He’d kept precise movements, stiff
and straight until now, and the contrast between his rigid disposition and one
of ease were stark and noticeable. His bold features looked impossibly harder,
his jaw squared like cut stone in spite of the lax position.
“War.
Death.” He raked a hand through his silver-streaked black hair, looking as
spent as he’d claimed. “Disease ravaging our women to the brink of extinction.
It is easier to pool our remaining resources into a few cities. There aren’t
enough of us left to people this world. That will change with new blood.” He
paused, sliding his gaze toward her. She could see her silhouette limned by
fire in their depths. Something in his eyes made her shiver inside in spite of
the warmth bathing her back. “With women.”
“With breeders,”
she said, swallowing and averting her gaze when she realized she sounded
breathless. Her stomach grumbled. She attributed her mooning on low blood
sugar.
“If you
want to call it that.”
“I don’t
see any sense in trying to hide what you want from us.”
“Breeding
would be the first step to recovery,” he said quietly. “It is a natural thing.
Pleasurable, though I’m sure you already know how much pleasure can be had in
the arms of a man. Are you ready to be bred?”
Her
heart thudded dully. Or maybe it was her stomach knocking her ribs for
attention. She swallowed audibly. “No.”
“Holding
out?” he asked.
“Sure.
Why not? I’ve only been around one man here.”
“Maybe
that’s all you need. There’s no need to be greedy and have more than one of us.”
She
lifted an
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