Free A Civilized Mating by Marie Harte Page B

but Talzec lost a part of himself when Nalla died. He couldn’t protect her, and she paid the price. His closeness with me still worries him, but he cannot avoid phelthar forever. A good leader does what is best for his people, and being strong and stable comes from loving.”
    She drew him down for a kiss, one that soothed as it aroused. “You know, for a bunch of barbarians, you guys sound pretty darn wise about relationships. Well, except for this nonsense about women not being warriors.”
    “You are both, so I suppose we must be wrong.” He grinned and shifted her to sit over him, angling himself between her legs, then inside her. “Oh, Maker, you feel so good.”
    “So do you. Now make me forget about how weird all this is and come hard. But no babies, right?”
    “No, no babies.” Not yet.
    They lost themselves to the beauty of their joining, and all the while Xav knew his alpha could feel the building lust. And love.
    Yet Talzec stayed away. He didn’t come to Xav’s pallet that night, or the next day. Xav wondered how long Talzec thought he could keep up the pretense of not caring what Skye did. The stubborn man.
    Xav frowned. Sooner or later he’d have to fix things, but not yet. Now when he had a warm woman waiting to spar with him before evening meal.

Chapter Eight
    Skye didn’t know how to feel. Sex with Xav was miraculous. With him, she had no problem submitting or feeling weird about it. Who wouldn’t accede to the demands of a seven-foot-tall warrior with sex on the brain? Especially when he looked like a hot weightlifter and knew how to use his body like a weapon. He was her fantasy made flesh.
    But… For some weird reason, she craved Talzec. She’d never, ever , had unprotected sex. Typically she kept up to date with shots to prevent pregnancy and disease, but those were specific to certain species. At the rate she and Xav continued to fool around, she kept upping her chances for a baby. Though he’d promised he’d never give her his “second seed” and impregnate her, they’d gotten pretty close a time or two. Talk about a lust that didn’t quit.
    The man turned her on without trying, and she had a hard time asking him for anything when he turned all dominant master on her.
    But he couldn’t compete with Talzec’s inherent commanding presence. Even Xav bowed to Talzec, his alpha and sexual master.
    “Talzec, you coward.” She knew it was asking a lot for the man to forget his precious ex. Skye had never suffered loss like that and didn’t know how he felt. She empathized, truly. But Talzec had no problem fucking Xav. She’d watched him several times in just two days. It was a wonder Xav didn’t walk bowlegged from the pounding he’d received.
    So freakin’ hot. Being ordered to watch Xav take it up the ass or blow Talzec turned her on like crazy. They looked like models together, grappling and rubbing and coming on each other. What wasn’t to love? Except Talzec would study her watching him fuck, giving her that superior look as if daring her to compete with him. It made little sense and ruined what should have been a sexy-as-all-get-out fantasy.
    She sighed and walked down to Xav’s favorite spot, the grotto. She knew Talzec might be around, but she forced herself not to care. After that one amazing sexcapade with him and Xav, he’d been avoiding her. What a pussy. She kept mentally insulting him, knowing it was better to dislike him than feel unwanted.
    Jesus, she’d only known him for a few days. Xav too. But that freaky knowing that had grown with her time spent on Ussed tampered with her emotions. She felt Xav and Talzec, knew their feelings if not their thoughts. It bothered her, but she refused to tell Xav the truth, that they had totally connected.
    Since Lisa had described having similar feelings toward Maht, Skye knew she teetered on the brink of making her own life choices. Xav had all but claimed her as his own. Everyone treated her like she belonged to