BROOKE

Was ever a man so clueless?

All afternoon, I’ve been testing the waters—so to speak—to see how Taushen would react if I flirted with him. To see if there’s interest at all. And after an afternoon of tossing my hair, using my sultriest laugh, swinging my hips, and generally working him with my magic…

I have no freaking clue.

The man hasn’t given me a single hint that he’s attracted to me. He ignores my attempts to be sexy. He answers my teasing questions with brief, practically surly answers. And he completely shut me down in the stream earlier when I tried to make bathing sexy. Hell, I practically shoved my naked, wet tits in his face and all he did was scrub himself and look at the horizon like he was the most put-upon guy ever.

Gotta admit, it didn’t do much for my ego.

It’s weird because…I really thought he liked me. I have to admit it hurts my feelings that I can’t get him to notice me. I’ve never had that problem in the past. I don’t have a great face, but I do have large boobs and I know how to use ’em. In the past, I could get any guy to notice me. This one? I might as well be a nun.

It’s all the more confusing because of our past together. I remember Taushen holding me close and declaring that I was his mate. I remember how he touched me. Has he…already moved on?

Jesus, the thought’s a depressing one.

I’m not the kind of girl that gives up, though. That evening, when we set up a fire in a hunter cave, I watch his tail flick against the ground, over and over, like an annoyed cat. Hmm. I study him, but I can’t tell what he’s thinking. Is he annoyed at how things went in the stream earlier? Trying to be polite in the face of my cat-in-heat mentality? Wondering how to let me down gently?

Somehow that thought annoys me most of all, so I decide to try another tactic.

Sexy feeding.

It works in the movies, after all. I’ve never tried it before, but it’ll allow me to watch his face this time, because scrubbing his back and guessing his expression didn’t exactly get me places. Of course, what we’re eating makes the “sexy” part a little more difficult. I watch, wincing as Taushen cuts a slit into the belly of the quill-beast and then begins to carefully peel back the skin from the flesh, using his thumbs. Eeesh. Every time I see an animal skinned, it doesn’t get any easier to put it in my mouth. It makes it doubly hard considering that the sa-khui like their meat raw.

Playing it safe never gets a girl anywhere, though. I tell myself that, even as he finishes skinning it and removes the organs so he can make a broth from them later. I wait for him to wash his hands and wipe them clean, and then he begins to cut our dinner into bite-sized chunks for cooking. Before he can skewer them, I put my hand on his. “Wait.”

Taushen gives me a curious look. “What is it?”

“You’ve waited on me all day. I think it’s time I return the favor.”

“Eh?” He glances down at the food he’s preparing and then back at me. “You wish to cook my food for me?”

“No, silly.” I take the chunk of raw meat he’s just cut and hold it up to his lips. “I’ll feed you, though. You can just relax and enjoy.” I make my voice drop to a sexy note and give him a winning smile, even as I press my arms against my sides so my tits plump out. “Sound good?”

“No.” Taushen frowns at me, as if my brain has suddenly stopped working. “Why would you feed me like a kit?”

Like a kit? Seriously? “Oh stop. It’s nice to have someone else take care of you, I promise. Just give it a try.” I raise the food to his lips. “Take a little bite. Just a nibble…or you can use your tongue.”

The look on his face is downright grumpy. “Or I can feed myself, like an adult would.”

I keep smiling, though the urge to shove the food into his stupid face is getting stronger. This is supposed to be sexy, dammit. “Open up.” I wiggle the bit of red meat at him, but it only causes a bit of the blood to roll down my hand and arm.

I’m going to ignore that, too.

Taushen grudgingly opens his mouth and I pop the food inside, making sure my fingers brush against his mouth as I do. I give him a seductive smile as he chews. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

He shrugs his big shoulders, chewing slowly. “Is it supposed to change the taste if you feed me? It tastes the same.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. “You know what? Never mind. Feed yourself.”

“That is what I normally do. You make it sound like it is bad—”

I throw my arms up in the air and stalk outside to wash my hands in the fresh snow.