Unbreakable Bonds by Aliyah Burke, Taige Crenshaw

going to find the information great.”
    “I like learning things.” Like how you taste. He started at her lips.
    “I bet you do.” Ta-Mara swept her lips with her pink tongue and Levi wanted to follow with his.
    He lifted his gaze and met hers. The desire in her eyes made him even harder. Ta-Mara averted her gaze.
    “There are also many physical books I have. Feel free to check them out, as well as my e-reader.”
    “I will,” he promised.
    She glanced at him again then lowered her eyes to the screen. Levi observed her as she read before he went back to watching television. He had to get this need for her under control because it wasn’t fair to either of them. Ta-Mara was helping him out without expecting anything in return. For him to take of advantage of that wasn’t right.
    I won’t let my libido rule me.
     
    * * * *
     
    The next day Levi reminded himself of that as he followed Ta-Mara, staring at her bare shoulders and back in the pale yellow shirt she wore. The skin was oh so touchable and he wanted to taste before heading south to more succulent flesh. Levi let his gaze wander down to her butt, which was well displayed in her jeans. The hem stopped just below her knees and left her lower legs bare. Levi appreciated the open toes of her footwear, which showed her nails painted a lovely shade of red with a design. He’d never seen anything like it before. Before they’d left, he’d asked her what was on her toes, and he still didn’t understand her explanation as to why she painted them. But it looked good on her—really good—and tempted him to have a closer look. Maybe even head north to get to the same destination that he wanted to taste. Either north or south, he didn’t care where he started just that he got to taste Ta-Mara where he knew she was wet and lush.
    What happened to keeping yourself under control? He’d been doing well all yesterday, keeping things light between them. By the time he’d gone to bed, he’d been convinced he could have Ta-Mara as just a friend. That was until she’d come down in the clothing she wore. He was convinced whoever made women’s clothing during modern times did it to tempt a man into doing things they shouldn’t. He glanced at a woman passing him and noticed she too had on clothing that showed off her skin, yet he felt nothing. Levi returned his attention to Ta-Mara and instantly his breath caught. He tightened his grip on the handles of the cart he pushed.
    “How about these?” Ta-Mara held up two packages. “Boxers or briefs?”
    Levi stared at them then went around the cart and took them from her, looking at the image on the plastic then her. “Underwear,” he said quietly then glanced around to make sure no one was listening before looking at her again. “Ta-Mara, you can’t just be picking up things like this for me.”
    “Underwear.” Ta-Mara frowned. “You need them.”
    “I do, but you just can’t .” He shook his head.
    “Why?” Ta-Mara tilted her head to the side, studying him.
    “Because it’s just not done,” Levi said firmly. “It’s not proper.”
    “Oh…oh.” Ta-Mara grinned widely then moved closer, whispering, “This is not during your time, Levi. You don’t need to be uncomfortable with my picking up men’s underwear. It is done during this time and no one will think it isn’t proper.”
    “I can pick my own.” He narrowed his gaze.
    “Okay.” Ta-Mara lifted her hands and stepped back. “Then pick some. Get a few of them. Maybe both boxers and briefs, so you can see which you like more.”
    She walked away. Levi watched her for a moment then started to pick his underwear. He was amazed at how many different kinds there were. He picked up a few types, noticing that there were different logos on it. He’d learned on television that there were many companies competing for your money, enticing you to pick them when making purchases. Levi frowned, wondering again about letting Ta-Mara pay for his things, but