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“Hey…” Liosh murmured in her ear. “What’s wrong, Melinda? Why do you smell so sad?”
It was the first time he’d called her by her first name without “My Lady” in front of it, which was nice, but she couldn’t let his comment go unanswered.
“How can you smell how I’m feeling?” she asked, giving him a curious little frown. “I mean, is that even a thing?”
He shrugged. “It’s a thing for Kindred—we have much more sensitive noses than humans. I guess you could say we smell pheromones and translate them into emotions.”
“What—so you could go up to anyone in this mall and sniff them and know how they were feeling?” Melli asked, not sure whether to believe him or not.
“Well—I mean if they were feeling an extreme emotion like pain or fear, probably,” Liosh said. “But we usually only ‘smell’ the emotions of someone we’re extremely attuned to.”
“Oh, of course.” Melli looked down at her hands. “And you’re attuned to me because you’re guarding me. That makes sense.”
“Well yes…and no.” Liosh sounded hesitant. “The truth is…” He cleared his throat and Melli looked up at him. He looked like he was trying to decide exactly what to say next.
“Yes?” she asked, to keep him going.
“The truth is, I think I’ve been attuned to you from the very first moment I saw you,” Liosh admitted in a low voice.
“You…have?” Melli looked at him uncertainly. “But why?”
He shrugged.
“It just…happens sometimes with Kindred. When we find a female who…” He cleared his throat again. “Who needs to be protected. It’s like instinct kicks in and we just…become attuned.” He looked slightly uncomfortable, as though he wanted to be saying either more or less, Melli thought, but maybe she was reading too much into his expression.
“Well, I think it’s nice you became attuned to me,” she said, smiling at him shyly.
“I’m certainly glad I didn’t become attuned to someone like that female that just left us,” Liosh said frankly. “I can see now why the women in your culture feel the need to be too thin—it’s because they are tormented and made to believe their curves are not beautiful.”
“Something like that.” Melli looked down at her hands again.
“Hey,” Liosh murmured and put one finger under her chin so she lifted her eyes to his. “You are, you know—beautiful, I mean,” he murmured, his deep voice soft. “I don’t care what skeletal Amanda made you think—you’re gorgeous, Melinda.”
“Oh…” Melli felt her heart stutter in her chest and her cheeks were suddenly hot. “You…you don’t have to say that,” she said. “Just to make me feel better, I mean.”
“I’m not,” Liosh said simply. “I’m saying how I feel. Please don’t let her ruin our buying binge together.”
Melli couldn’t help smiling.
“I think you mean ‘shopping spree’ and I won’t let her ruin it. Especially not since you’re my ‘boyfriend’ now.” She put comic emphasis on the word, wondering how he would take it. A human guy who was commitment shy would have backed down from that hastily and helped her turn it into a joke. But Liosh only frowned thoughtfully.
“I hope it was all right that I said that?” he asked. “I thought it would be the best way to get rid of her.”
“You thought right.” Melli’s smile widened. “I don’t think Amanda Brannigan has ever been turned down by a guy in her life—you really put her in her place.”
“Which was also the idea,” he admitted, giving her a sly wink. “But you know, it’s a very convenient fiction for explaining my presence near you all the time. Do you think it would be a good idea if we kept it up as long as I’m guarding you?”
“Oh…” Melli bit her lip. “If…if you want to.”
“I do.” His voice had gone low and soft again. “Of course, that means we will have to act like romantic partners. I mean, I’ll put my arm around you, hold your hand…”
“Cuddle me?” Melli asked wistfully and then wished she could take the words back—they sounded so needy.
But Liosh only murmured, “If you like.”
Melli dared to look up at him and saw that his intense, pale blue eyes were half-lidded again. Shouldn’t be doing this, a little voice in her head informed her. It’s not safe. What if he wants something real? Something long-term? You know you can’t give him that, Melli.
But somehow she couldn’t stop herself from nodding.
“Cuddling…might be nice.”
She was thinking of the way he had held her after she broke her leg, of how wonderful it had been to lean against his broad, muscular chest and just breathe in that warm, fresh scent and relax knowing he could keep her safe. She hadn’t felt that way since she was a little girl.
“I think it would be very nice,” Liosh murmured. He cleared his throat. “And of course, it will prove to people that we are romantic partners.”
