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He’d been such a bakaffa. Tariq saw that now. He’d done the very thing he counseled his patients not to do—allow themselves to be drawn into a web of dark whispers and doubts. The healer had failed to heal himself, and in doing so, he’d hurt so many, including Jody. She didn’t deserve his anger or resentment. She was kind, capable, and… he’d finally admitted to himself, extremely attractive. Guilt over his interest in her had consumed his thoughts and sent him soaring into the depths of a dangerous storm.
“You are blameless in this. I was wrong, and I am truly sorry for the way I’ve acted.” He glanced down at her hand where it covered his. Her touch was gentle, and he briefly wondered what it would feel like to have her touch him in other places. That simple thought caused the wall he’d built around his desires to crack and crumble. Years of need crashed over him, and for a moment, he lost control.
One moment they were two beings sharing a moment of compassion. The next, his arm was around her waist as he pulled her up against his body.
If she’d resisted, he might have found the strength to stop, but she came to him willingly, with her head up, eyes wide, and lips parted in surprise.
He released her wrist and moved to cup her soft cheek in his hand.
“Tariq?” she spoke his name as a question.
“If you’re asking what I’m doing, I don’t have an answer.” He smiled and stroked his thumb across her lips. “It might be I’m losing my mind.”
She smiled, her cheeks warming beneath his fingers as she nestled against his chest.
“Lost your mind? No. You’ve finally found it again. Qarf, it took you long enough,” Sulat spoke through their internal link.
“Drink your kabari,” Tariq shot back, speaking aloud.
“Tell Sulat if he has something to say, he should come out here and join us,” Jody said with a light riff of laughter.
Sulat reappeared, grinning and almost radiating smugness. “Did my zurya call for me?”
“She did.” Jody reached a hand toward Sulat. “I’m not sure how this works, but I do know one thing. Whatever happens, we are in it together. All three of us.”
Sulat moved behind Jody, pressing her between them. It wasn’t the same as holding Raenia, and nothing ever would be. Being with Jody would be an adventure of a different kind.
Why had it taken him so long to understand that?
Sulat growled in frustration. “Stop thinking, Riq. Now’s not the time. If you don’t fraxxing kiss her this second, I will.”
It was good advice, so he took it, bending down to taste the lush promise of Jody’s lips. Soft. Sweet. Warm. Kissing her was like flying on a spring breeze.
Her mouth parted beneath his as she rose on her toes, one hand clutching at the fabric of his top as she kissed him back. Heat and need bloomed deep in his chest. His blood sang and his cock went harder than hull plating in an instant.
He slanted his lips over hers, exploring the curve of her mouth until need drove him to take the kiss deeper. Jody moaned, the sound vibrating against his lips and tongue.
Why had he denied himself this pleasure for so long? He couldn’t recall right now.
“Don’t get greedy,” Sulat muttered. “She’s mine too.”
Jody laughed again. “We’ll discuss who belongs to whom another time. Kiss now. Talk later.”
She nipped at his lower lip a second later. “Which means you need to let go of me for now.”
“For now,” he growled. One taste of her wasn’t nearly enough, but Sulat deserved this, too. Probably more than he did.
Tariq loosened his hold enough to allow Jody to turn around, her soft body rubbing against his with every motion. Once she faced Sulat, Tariq moved in closer, his cock pressed against the curve of her back.
She fit between them perfectly, melding the three of them together so tightly he felt her moan as Sulat claimed her mouth.
Still hungry for more, Tariq kept one hand on her hip as he reached up with the other to release her hair from its confining bun. Curls tumbled down around his fingers, and he dropped the hair clip in his hurry to tangle his fingers in the silken cascade.
“Spymaster Yardan has arrived and requested access via the back door. Shall I let him in?” Rae asked.
Sulat cursed almost as loudly as Tariq at the AI’s intrusion. She made a distressed noise and wriggled out from between them. She flashed them a fleeting, rueful smile and hurried toward the breakroom, her hands already busy smoothing out her rumpled clothes and hair.
“To be continued!” Sulat called after her. Once she was out of sight, he glared at Tariq. “So much time wasted because you wouldn’t talk about your feelings. I should have punched you weeks ago.”
