It wasn’t just the sex, either. Now that the tension was broken between them, they talked constantly—finding they had more in common than Vorn ever would have believed possible when he first met the pretty, prickly little Earth female. They had the same interests, liked the same kinds of foods—Jodi had introduced him to Korean barbeque—which he loved, and Vorn had cooked her a version of Tch-pah, a specialty from his home world that was spicy and delicious—which Jodi had enjoyed immensely. They watched entertainment programs together, cuddled on the loveseat after “playtime” was over and generally really enjoyed each other’s company.
Considering all of that and how hot they continued to be for each other, it had seemed reasonable to assume that when James came back, Jodi might finally hand him his walking papers. But now she seemed to be saying just the opposite—it was Vorn she was planning on showing the door.
What he couldn’t figure out was, why?
“James is my fiancé. You and I…we never should have started playing like this in the first place,” Jodi said now, pacing across the room in a way that made her nearly-naked breasts sway and made Vorn’s shaft jump to attention, despite his irritation with her. Damn it to the Seven Hells, did she have to be so fucking gorgeous?
“This isn’t really ‘playing’ and you know it,” he growled. “What we’ve been doing here is serious business, little girl. We’ve been meeting each other’s needs. Is James gonna do that for you?”
Her cheeks got even redder but she lifted her chin.
“It’s none of your business what James and I do!”
“Well, is it going to be his business what you and I have been doing?” Vorn demanded. “You’ve basically been cheating on him, Jodi, and I’ve been helping you do it. But I never would have kept it up if I thought you were going to go back to him the minute he came back into town.”
For a moment she looked deeply ashamed.
“I know that—I know what we’ve been doing is wrong,” she whispered, looking down at her shoes. “Which is why we have to stop.”
“No, it’s why you need to tell James he’s not needed anymore,” Vorn growled. “You don’t belong with him, little girl—you belong with me. You know it and I know it. We understand each other—we have the same needs.”
“We have the same kinks, you mean,” Jodi said flatly. “You can’t build a relationship on kinky sex, Vorn.”
“Why not?” he demanded. “You can’t build a relationship on vanilla sex either—especially if that’s not what you’re craving. What are you going to do the next time you want to be spanked, little girl? Or tied up and talked dirty to? Is James going to let you be his ‘sex kitten’ and wear that little collar and put that long furry tail butt plug in your hot little ass while he rubs your pussy to make you purr or—”
“Stop—stop it!” Jodi held up a hand. “Vorn, please!”
“I’m just saying what we both know is true,” he growled. “James won’t be into any of that and you know it. He’s going to leave you wanting night after night. Hell, he wouldn’t even come home and meet your needs the night before he went out of town for almost a week!”
“He was busy,” Jodi said, making excuses for him as she always did. “He didn’t have time.”
“Damn it, baby—a male who cares about you will make time to meet your needs,” Vorn told her. “Not just your sexual needs, either—all of your needs. Can’t you see James is never going to do that for you?”
“You don’t know him.” There was a stubborn set to Jodi’s delicate jaw and a crease between her eyebrows that Vorn had learned meant he shouldn’t push her.
He pushed anyway.
“I know enough to know he’s not the right male for you,” he told Jodi. “Baby, you’ve got a sex drive that’s set to light speed and ol’ James is poking along in the slow lane. He’s never going to even want as much vanilla sex as you do, let alone be willing to get nasty with you.”
Jodi flushed.
“I am not nasty. I just enjoy exploring alternative sexualities. But I won’t need to do this anymore once you’re gone and I’m not constantly smelling your Mating Scent anymore.”
“Oh, no? You don’t think so?” Vorn arched an eyebrow at her. “You think you’re going to be able to put the naughty side of you back in the box? Just fold it away and forget it?”
“I don’t know what I think, okay?” Jodi burst out, her hand clenched into fists at her sides. She took a deep, trembling breath, as though trying to calm herself. “Vorn, try to understand, after my dad left my mom, I swore I’d never do that to a partner. I shouldn’t have cheated either, but at least we never, um…never actually had sex.”