Vicky threw her keys into the ceramic dish on the dining room table. They landed with a loud clang. Oops! Any harder and the bowl would have shattered. She liked that bowl even though it had been a wedding gift.

She turned and sucked in a breath. Talon was unzipping his jeans. His torso … make that, his magnificent torso ‒ it was corny but oh so true ‒ was bare. His shirt lay on the coffee table behind him.

“Wait!” she practically yelled. “We need to talk, and you need to wait until I’m out of the room before you undress.”

“Why?” His brow creased. “You’ve seen me naked.” He pulled the fly back up and readjusted his cock through his jeans.

Vicky swallowed thickly, trying hard not to look. Trying hard not to let her body react to that simple movement. To his near nakedness. To how magnificent his chest was … and his biceps … and those muscles on the sides of … Stop! Oh god! She was beyond hot for him. She was practically salivating for a touch and to be touched. It was ridiculous. So stupid! It was a rebound thing. That was all. Had to be, because she’d never been this attracted to another person. Not ever. She’d been in love with Jeff. Thought he was so handsome. Especially in the early days of them dating, but she’d never felt this. It was like a raw, animal attraction. He couldn’t stay here with her. He couldn’t go to another hotel either. Not until he was more trained, for lack of a better word. He might end up in jail or worse if she made him leave.

Dammit!

She was stuck.

He readjusted his junk some more and she watched him do it. Her eyes wanted to roll back in her head again but for totally different reasons this time. “I feel squashed,” he made a pained face, “and scratchy.” His pained face grew even more pained. “I need to take them off.”

“You can wait five more minutes.” Her voice was a little high-pitched but who could blame her? Vicky put up a hand for emphasis. “I’m sure you’ll live, just a little while longer.” This time her voice was more controlled. Thank god. She folded her arms because her nipples were playing peek-a-boo.

“Is everything okay?” His frown was back. “You don’t seem pleased. I thought I did okay back there, didn’t I?”

She sighed, trying hard to remain professional. “You did great.”

“You don’t look like you think I did great. Why is that?” He narrowed his eyes on her.

“You did. I’m proud of you. It’s just, you planned on going back to her place.” She needed to tread carefully. He could never know that she was attracted to him or their business arrangement would be over.

He nodded. “She asked me to sleep with her and I couldn’t say no.”

“Why not?” she half-yelled. Vicky cleared her throat. “Look, it’s just that I think you can do much better. Okay, she was really pretty, and I suppose for a one-night stand, it would have been okay. Thing is, you said you were here to learn about human women, to figure out how to get to know them with marriage or mating in mind. Not just to spend a night with them.” She was nervous and talking too much.

“I’m still not sure what the problem is.”

“Okay, you’re right. If you want to call her and go over there,” she licked her lips, feeling a bit ill but it was probably for the best, “you can go right ahead. In fact, go just like that because you’ll be naked in no time once you get there. Go get your rocks off. Go clean out the old pipes and get it all out of your system. Make sure you’re back here at eight tomorrow, so that we can continue on our actual quest. The one you came here for in the first place which wasn’t, may I remind you, getting laid.”

Quest?

Where did that come from?

She was acting like his mother or his boss or something. Vicky couldn’t seem to stop though. “You came here to get to know women. Not just any women, but women who actually want you for more than just your dick … oh, and your wallet. Did you notice how much more she wanted you in her pants after you handed out those huge-ass tips?”

Talon’s eyes grew more and more steely. His frown deepened with each second. “I didn’t plan on going over to Sandra’s house to clean pipes. I planned on going over there to sleep with her. With that in mind, I’m not sure what my prick has to do with any of this. Or getting laid. I hatched many years ago. She asked me to sleep with her and I agreed. It was the right thing to do.”

“Are you serious right now?” Vicky pulled on her ponytail, holding onto the bottom of her hair for a second or two before letting go. “Your prick has everything to do with it. You can’t have sex without it, you know? Wait a minute … you do have sex using your,” she pointed at his package, “your thing?”

“Yes, we mount using our cocks.” He grew thoughtful. “Although, we also use our hands and our mouths and sometimes—”

Sheesh! It was getting hot in this room. “I get it … okay, okay. So if you had gone to Sandra’s house, you would definitely have needed your trousers snake then.” More like python.

“My trousers what?”

“Your dick. You would have needed your dick. We’re talking in circles here.”

That’s when Vicky actually saw the light go on in Talon’s brain. “Oh …” His jaw dropped for a second before he closed his mouth. Talon grit his teeth. “You mean she wanted sex, not just to have me sleep in the bed with her?”

Vicky laughed. It couldn’t be helped. Call it relief. Not just humor but complete and utter relief. “I’m sorry.” She forced herself to stop. “Oh, my word! You thought you were going over to actually sleep, as in, close your eyes?” She put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing some more. Pure relief coursed through her. He hadn’t actually wanted sex with that airhead after all. She sank down onto the sofa.

He nodded profusely, looking shell-shocked. “Yes, I thought she was afraid.” He sat down on the La-Z-Boy across from her. Vicky had insisted on taking it in the settlement since Jeff loved it. She never used the thing. It looked so small with Talon sitting on it. He leaned back. “I thought she was too afraid to sleep all by herself and that she needed protection or something. She did not seem like a very strong female. Not like you.”

“Oh great! So I can sleep alone just fine then.” The statement dripped with sarcasm. It was more of that jealousy. Shit!

He nodded. “You are a very strong and capable female. Sandra seemed weak and needy.”

Vicky had to stop herself from fist-punching the air. “Oh, well in that case. Look,” she glanced down at her shoes and then back up at him, “if you still want to head over to Sandra’s house, you should go right ahead. It’s your decision. Don’t let me—” She stopped talking when a look of horror crossed his face.

Talon shook his head. “I told you I’m not here for that … for sex. I was going to sleep with her. I would not have laid so much as a finger on her.”

“I’m pretty sure she would have laid more than just a finger on you if you had gone over there. A whole lot more.”

“Thank you for saving me from what would have been an awkward situation.” So sincere. She felt like a total bitch since her reasons were completely selfish.

“Sure. Anytime, although I’m sure you would’ve gone there and it would have been enjoyable. I mean, it’s only natural. We all have needs and—”

He shook his head. There was this look in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read. Was it sadness? Anger? Something else? “My mate died ten years ago. I told you.” His voice was a deep rasp of emotion. He must have really loved her so much.

“I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t say I know how something like that must feel. Was she … expecting?” Now she was prying. The question had just slipped out.

He nodded, his eyes clouding with such sorrow.

It made her heart clench with sadness for him. She really couldn’t begin to imagine his pain. Vicky swallowed. “I’m so sorry. To have carried this. Have you been alone since … since she passed?”

Talon nodded once.

“Of course you have. Silly me! Sorry. It’s not like you have other Feral women or anything.” She paused and gathered her thoughts. “Thing is, it’s okay to feel things for other people. To maybe have sex again.”

“No!” Talon almost shouted the word. It came out sounding deep and wounded.

“Yes, Talon.” Vicky nodded. She also rose to her feet. “You can’t possibly stay alone for the rest of your life. That would be terrible.”

“You don’t understand.”

“No, I don’t.” She shook her head. Talon had become somewhat of a friend. Even if she was attracted to him. She wanted to help him ‒ and not so that she could have him for herself. It wasn’t like that. “You’re still so young, with your whole life ahead of you. You—”

“No. You don’t understand. The Feral mate for life. For always. I can never take another.”

“That’s a crazy rule, Talon.” She shook her head. “Is there no way around it? I mean, if you were to fall in love with someone else. It could happen you know. You don’t live in a vacuum.”

He shook his head. “It will not happen.” He growled the word not.

“Okay, well, I see you feel strongly about it. I think it’s sweet. I don’t mean to belittle your culture or the way of your kind. I guess I just feel bad for you.”

“Do not feel bad. It is what it is. I am destined to walk alone.” His eyes clouded and he looked down. When his gaze locked back with hers, the intensity of what she read there made her hold her breath. Made her clench her teeth and clasp her hands in front of her to stop herself from reaching for him. From trying to console him. Deep sadness. Such sorrow. Talon pulled in a heavy breath through his nostrils. “I am lonely.” Oh yes, she could see that in him too. “I am comfortable with my fate though.” In an instant, his eyes turned steely. Hard and resolute. “I have resigned myself to my future. I embrace it with honor.” His jaw tightened.

“I still think—” She stopped talking when he shook his head again.

“Even if I wanted to … be with someone else …” Guilt flashed in his eyes for the briefest second, although she could not say why. What did he have to feel guilty about? Then his jaw tensed. “It can never happen. We mate for life and that is final.”

“Final?” She wasn’t sure what he meant.

“Yes. It is not something I wish to speak about anymore. It is what it is. I am still mated.”

Vicky frowned. It would be wrong of her to keep arguing the point. His culture was his culture. “That’s so sad. It’s so … I feel bad for you.”

“Don’t,” he practically growled the word. “I don’t need you to feel sorry for me.”

“I can’t help it, Talon. You’re still holding onto someone who is long gone. Dead and buried.”

“Lark is still my mate. That she is dead matters not.” He looked pissed. “Stop talking about something you have zero understanding of.”

Well, that put her in her place. Thing was, she could see the anger, sheer frustration and pain rolling off of him. Vicky knew that his anger was a result of those emotions rather than anything she had said.

Talon turned away and began making his bed. “It is the way of my species. It is how it has always been. We mate for life.” He glanced back at her, his whole stance still tense.

“That’s beautiful and tragic.” Vicky’s heart bled for him. It wasn’t because she couldn’t ever have him. If she was honest, there was a part of her that had been … hopeful.

Destined to walk alone. She would never forget that look of loneliness, of such sadness. Oh, how she felt for him. She wanted to say something, offer him some sort of reassurance ‒ a hug maybe. She really wanted to put her arms around him so badly, but she knew he wouldn’t want it.

“Goodnight then.” Her voice was thick.

“Sleep well.” Talon was still busy with his bed. He was putting up walls.

“Thank you for confiding in me.”

He turned back to face her and nodded once. “Thank you for helping me.”

She smiled. “You are paying me. Not nearly enough though,” she teased.

He raised his brows. “I can give you more.”

Vicky smiled. “I don’t want any more of your money. Goodnight.”

“Sleep well, Vicky.”

“You too, Bright Eyes.” Vicky went into her bedroom and changed into her pajamas. After the events of this evening, it was more than evident that Talon needed to stay here. He was clueless and gullible. He was also sweet, caring and far too generous.

Agreeing to sleep with a woman because he thought she needed protecting. Vicky smiled. So darned sweet. So sad. The need to protect, to help him somehow, rose up in her. She was going to do her job to the best of her ability. Teach him everything she knew.