and
intrigued. She decided his bashfulness was cute. She wasn’t used to
seeing men blush, not when they looked like Thor anyway. She
couldn’t imagine him suffering a moment’s self-doubt.
If possible, he looked even more
uncomfortable. “It seemed, before, that you found me …
threatening.”
Alexis’ eyes narrowed to slits. “We
are NOT going to be friends if you refer to last night, EVER again!
I was not in my right mind. Adonis had hypnotized me or
something.”
Thors brows rose. After a moment, a
faint smile curled his lips. “I was referring to when I was trying
to ... ah … coax you to come with me.”
“ Oh.” Alexis blushed but
looked at him suspiciously.
“ You said I looked big
enough and angry enough to break you in half.”
“ Oh.” Alexis thought about
it a moment, though she would really have preferred never to
remember the previous night, again, as long as she lived. Her lips
tightened. “I didn’t say that. Maybe I was thinking it, but you had
no business prying into my private thoughts, damn it!”
Thor fought a round with his patience.
“I was not prying. It is hard to tell the difference when you are
accustomed to living as we do. I do not set out to ‘read’ your
mind--mostly not, anyway--it is just there, as if you have
spoken.”
Alexis wasn’t sure she believed
him.
“ It is truth. I swear
it.”
She supposed it sounded reasonable. It
was a little hard to judge when she couldn’t do it herself. That
didn’t mean she liked it. She resented the hell out of
it.
“ I was only curious to know
if my size is something that offends you.”
“ How could it offend me?”
Alexis asked, not that she was more than half listening. She was
still irritated about the lack of privacy for her
thoughts.
“ Threatens you
then.”
Alexis shrugged. “Now, no. When you’re
pissed, definitely, but don’t think just because you’re bigger than
me that I’m going to let you bully me around.”
Thor stopped, pulling her to a halt,
tugging at her arm so that she was looking at him. “You have no
need to be so antagonistic. No one here will offer you
harm.”
Alexis took leave to doubt that. “I
suppose you think rendering someone unconscious isn’t
violent?”
“ You were
harmed?”
Alexis was obliged to admit that he
hadn’t hurt her, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d
manhandled her and dragged her, naked, into public.
“ This bothers
you?”
“ It bothers me a hell of a
lot that you people keep reading my mind. I find it very, very
rude!”
“ You have the ability to
prevent it—but I was referring to a discomfort regarding a lack of
clothing.”
Alexis stopped, ignoring the last
remark, which, in her book, hardly deserved an answer. “I
do?”
“ You were not aware of
this?”
“ Must you always respond to
a question with a question?”
Thor chuckled. “I thought we were
conversing.”
“ Not very well. How do I
prevent it?”
“ I must suppose much the
same as we do.”
“ Which is?” Alexis asked
with determined patience.
“ Hard to explain,” Thor said
meekly.
“ That’s so
helpful!”
“ You are
welcome.”
“ You are familiar with
sarcasm, I assume?”
“ Not very, but I do
recognize it,” Thor said solemnly.
Despite her irritation, Alexis
couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I’m still not forgiving you for
dragging me in front of the council naked as the day I was
born.”
“ My humblest apologies. I
had not realized it was so important to outworlders.”
“ Hmm. I had noticed nobody
around here worries much about it,” Alexis said dryly.
“ We have no need to feel
shame about our bodies. Many wear clothing to adorn themselves, or
shift, depending upon their abilities and nature. Some wear
clothing because they are old and feel the cold or damp more than
the young. But there is no real need to cover ourselves. The
climate is maintained at a temperature comfortable to
most.”
Alexis wondered how he could
intrigued. She decided his bashfulness was cute. She wasn’t used to
seeing men blush, not when they looked like Thor anyway. She
couldn’t imagine him suffering a moment’s self-doubt.
If possible, he looked even more
uncomfortable. “It seemed, before, that you found me …
threatening.”
Alexis’ eyes narrowed to slits. “We
are NOT going to be friends if you refer to last night, EVER again!
I was not in my right mind. Adonis had hypnotized me or
something.”
Thors brows rose. After a moment, a
faint smile curled his lips. “I was referring to when I was trying
to ... ah … coax you to come with me.”
“ Oh.” Alexis blushed but
looked at him suspiciously.
“ You said I looked big
enough and angry enough to break you in half.”
“ Oh.” Alexis thought about
it a moment, though she would really have preferred never to
remember the previous night, again, as long as she lived. Her lips
tightened. “I didn’t say that. Maybe I was thinking it, but you had
no business prying into my private thoughts, damn it!”
Thor fought a round with his patience.
“I was not prying. It is hard to tell the difference when you are
accustomed to living as we do. I do not set out to ‘read’ your
mind--mostly not, anyway--it is just there, as if you have
spoken.”
Alexis wasn’t sure she believed
him.
“ It is truth. I swear
it.”
She supposed it sounded reasonable. It
was a little hard to judge when she couldn’t do it herself. That
didn’t mean she liked it. She resented the hell out of
it.
“ I was only curious to know
if my size is something that offends you.”
“ How could it offend me?”
Alexis asked, not that she was more than half listening. She was
still irritated about the lack of privacy for her
thoughts.
“ Threatens you
then.”
Alexis shrugged. “Now, no. When you’re
pissed, definitely, but don’t think just because you’re bigger than
me that I’m going to let you bully me around.”
Thor stopped, pulling her to a halt,
tugging at her arm so that she was looking at him. “You have no
need to be so antagonistic. No one here will offer you
harm.”
Alexis took leave to doubt that. “I
suppose you think rendering someone unconscious isn’t
violent?”
“ You were
harmed?”
Alexis was obliged to admit that he
hadn’t hurt her, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d
manhandled her and dragged her, naked, into public.
“ This bothers
you?”
“ It bothers me a hell of a
lot that you people keep reading my mind. I find it very, very
rude!”
“ You have the ability to
prevent it—but I was referring to a discomfort regarding a lack of
clothing.”
Alexis stopped, ignoring the last
remark, which, in her book, hardly deserved an answer. “I
do?”
“ You were not aware of
this?”
“ Must you always respond to
a question with a question?”
Thor chuckled. “I thought we were
conversing.”
“ Not very well. How do I
prevent it?”
“ I must suppose much the
same as we do.”
“ Which is?” Alexis asked
with determined patience.
“ Hard to explain,” Thor said
meekly.
“ That’s so
helpful!”
“ You are
welcome.”
“ You are familiar with
sarcasm, I assume?”
“ Not very, but I do
recognize it,” Thor said solemnly.
Despite her irritation, Alexis
couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I’m still not forgiving you for
dragging me in front of the council naked as the day I was
born.”
“ My humblest apologies. I
had not realized it was so important to outworlders.”
“ Hmm. I had noticed nobody
around here worries much about it,” Alexis said dryly.
“ We have no need to feel
shame about our bodies. Many wear clothing to adorn themselves, or
shift, depending upon their abilities and nature. Some wear
clothing because they are old and feel the cold or damp more than
the young. But there is no real need to cover ourselves. The
climate is maintained at a temperature comfortable to
most.”
Alexis wondered how he could
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