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“Couldn’t we have done that in one of the springs?” Payim asked.

“No, they’re too hot today.” Elena shook her head, grabbed a flat stick and went to the corner of the cave. “Scrape off the mud here.” She removed her dirty shoes and smacked them on the nearby rock.

“I can do this outside,” Payim offered.

“No. It’s okay. I’ll use the mud to transplant some of my plants. Which reminds me, I need to trade these for the ones surrounding the entrance. They need to get some light…”

The words died in her mouth as Payim sat on a rocky ledge and started taking off his boots, giving her a perfect view right up his kilt. She hadn’t merely imagined the beast dangling between his thighs.

No. It’s as big as I remember and just as nice. Fuck me!Her cheeks heated and she spun away from him.

“If we knock off most of the dirt, it won’t take as much water to wash away the rest. I’ll grab a bowl.”

Desperate, anxious need coursed through her, making her tremble as she headed to the recycler and filled the water basin. As she grabbed a few rags, an immense shadow fell over her shoulder.

“I must apologize,” his deep voice rumbled.

Payim stood so close she could feel the heat radiating off of him, sinking into her back.

“Um, okay,” she said nervously when he started brushing mud off her.

“I really got you dirty, though I think digging up the roots added to it.”

She tugged in a sharp breath, goosebumps rising on her skin as his large hands skimmed down her back, getting painfully close to her ass.

“Do you have other clothes?” he asked. “I think these have met their end.”

Her heart sped up at the thought of getting naked with Payim and all she could manage was a nod. Then his large fingers grazed the waistband of her pants and she anxiously gripped the table.

He’s going to take them off me.She pulled in a ragged breath of anticipation.

“I will clean up at the cavern entrance.” His hand abruptly disappeared from her waist, reached past her and grabbed a rag from the bowl.

Disappointment struck as he retreated and her stomach dropped. She turned around to find him unaffected, his gaze not even focused on her.

How could I be so stupid?She watched him leave the main cavern, her eyes stinging.

She sighed and hung her head, her gaze landing on her tragic clothing.

“I better clean up while I have the chance,” she murmured, swiftly tugging off her muddy clothes.

She grabbed one of the rags and scrubbed her bits and pieces, before fetching a new one to tend to the rest of her.

SIX

MORE PLEASE

Payim quo Desero

You will not pounce on her like a rutting animal!

Payim stood at the cavern entrance, just behind the plant curtain, pulling in deep calming breaths. He’d been too close to Elena, practically pressed against her lush rear. Repressing his growing erection was torture. All it would’ve taken was a slight dip, and he could’ve buried his canines into her neck. He salivated at the thought, the spicy mating hormone filling his mouth. He could’ve shredded her clothing in an instant and completed the bond.

I was holding it together until we returned here.He aggressively scrubbed his shin, though the way he clenched the rag it was more like he was punching away the dirt.

Her scent.He groaned. That delicious scent had spiked again. Elena always smelled intoxicating, but this was different. It was a particularly irresistible aroma that made his head spin. What was it about it that drove him insane?

It dawned on him like a bolt of lightning and his head popped up. How could he have been so foolish to not recognize any of it? The maddening perfume, the awkward bouts of silence, the stolen glances, the look of disappointment in her eyes as he left just now, all suddenly made sense.