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“I…I don’t even know how,” Brandi protested.
“Like this—just think to me. I’ll hear the thoughts you send. I even hear the ones you don’t send,” he added dryly. “You’re really a projector.”
“I don’t know what that means,” Brandi sent back hesitantly.
“Means you end your thoughts really far. See—you’re getting it now,” he rumbled in her head. His mental voice, Brandi thought, was every bit as deep and rough as his actual voice.
“Yeah, mental voices mimic physical voices—or so I’ve heard. I’ve never been bonded before. Didn’t expect to be either,” Slade sent. Clearly he had caught her random thought, though she hadn’t even sent it to him on purpose.
“Sorry about that. I told you—you’re a projector.”
“Stop doing that!” Brandi exclaimed. “Stop…commenting on my thoughts and explain why you’re here.”
“I’m here because, like it or not, we’re fucking bonded,” he growled. “And we need to talk about it.”
“I don’t even know what that means,” Brandi snapped. “And I don’t want to, either! I just want you to leave me alone.”
“Hey, you started this, sweetheart. Remember?” His mismatched eyes were hard as he glared down at her. “I didn’t want to be bonded to anybody either. But you can’t run from this and you can’t hide from it. We’re bonded—at the very least I need to know your name. You know mine,” he pointed out.
“I’m Brandi—not that it’s any of your business,” Brandi sent stiffly.
She knew it was probably wrong to be rude to the big Kindred but she couldn’t help it. She was very conscious of what a stupid thing she’d done yesterday which had apparently affected him too and linked the two of them together in some way. The fact that she’s messed up both their lives made her feel guilty, which put her on the defensive, which made her angry.
“I’m already late for work—I don’t have time for this right now,” she told him.
Slade raised his eyebrows.
“From what I saw when I walked up, you’re not going anywhere, sweetheart. Not in that broken-down vehicle, anyway.” He jerked his head at her ancient Chevy which still had tendrils of smoke seeping out from under its hood.
“It’s fine,” Brandi lied. “It just needs a little tune up and it’ll be right as rain.”
“I don’t know all the Earth idioms yet but unless ‘right as rain’ means broken all to hell, I’m afraid you’re wrong. Why don’t you let me take a look at it?”
Without waiting for a reply, Slade walked over and lifted the hood, finding the hood-latch easily and raising the heavy metal covering as though it was light as a feather, although Brandi always had to struggle with it.
“Hey,” she protested, forgetting to use the annoying mental link as she followed him. “What do you think you’re doing? What do you know about Earth machines anyway? Are you some kind of mechanic?”
“No, I was a fighter in the Blood Circuit,” he said shortly. “But I’ve always been good with my hands.” He winked at her and one corner of his stern mouth curled up into a grin. “Guess you found that out yesterday, sweetheart.”
Brandi felt her cheeks go hot.
“You…you…how dare you imply…”
“Imply what? That you snuck into the Pairing House and had hot, unprotected bonding sex with me yesterday? I don’t think I have to ‘imply’ that—it’s a fucking fact.”
Slade looked up from the smoking motor of her car and gave her a direct stare. Suddenly Brandi was overcome with the mental image of him on top of her, bending her double and ramming that huge shaft of his deep inside her while she cried and gasped and begged for more.
She bit her lip. Was that an actual memory or something Slade was sending her through this bizarre connection that had somehow developed between them?
“Little bit of both, sweetheart,” he growled in her head. “Did you enjoy it as much as I did?”
Her cheeks got even hotter and she had to drop her eyes, looking away from the big Kindred.
“Don’t talk about that!” she sent quickly through their link.
“Why not?” His mental voice was harsh. “It happened, didn’t it? And I’m sure as hell not the only one who made it happen—that’s on you, sweetheart.”
“I’m sorry, okay?” Brandi flared, glaring at him. “I didn’t mean to ruin your life or mine. It’s just been three years since I had sex and I was so damn hungry for a man to touch me, I just…”She trailed off, realizing how pathetic she sounded. “I just…wasn’t thinking,” she finished lamely.
“Hey…it’s all right. I understand being hungry for touch.”
Slade’s mental voice was surprisingly gentle. Brandi’s eyes flew up again but she found that he was staring intently into the guts of the Chevy’s engine instead of at her.
“Here’s your problem,” he said, reaching into the engine and adjusting a few things. “I think one of your hoses came loose.”
