Finding the Jewel Read online

  “If that’s true, then he’s not a guy you want in your life anyway,” Olivia said firmly. “And it’s better to know that now than wonder about it the rest of your life.”

  “Liv is right, doll,” Kat said, nodding. “You don’t want to be wondering ‘what if’ the rest of your days. Sometimes you just have to go for it.”

  “You’re right.” Chloe nodded firmly. “I just need to get the nerve to go after what I want. But…” She nibbled her lower lip, some of her self-confidence leaking away. “But what if he doesn’t want to see me?”

  “Oh, he’ll see you all right—especially wearing that outfit,” Kat said dryly. “Of course, you’re going to have to wear a cardigan over it when you go to find him but once you’ve got him someplace even semi-private, just let it fall open and…viola—instant sex kitten!”

  “Just talk to him,” Liv advised. “And get him to talk to you. This is all a big misunderstanding—he thinks you’re mad at him because the perverted mattress made the two of you do the nasty and you’re afraid he’s angry because he used the crystal on you instead of himself. Once you get talking, you’ll get it all settled.”

  “And once you get sexing you won’t care about talking so much anymore,” Kat added, grinning.

  “But…but the whole point of his quest when he found me was to cure his stutter,” Chloe protested. “He wasn’t able to do that and all because of me. I mean, I’m a speech therapist and I can help him work on it, but I can’t cure it immediately like that stupid rainbow crystal could have done!”

  “Oh yes you can!” Kat said firmly. “You know how to get him to talk without stuttering? Bond with him. There are no speech deficiencies in mind-speak.”

  “Mind-speak?” Chloe frowned.

  “She means once you two have bonded, you’ll be able to send and receive thoughts—sometimes feel emotions too—through the soul-bond you’ll share,” Olivia explained. “And I do believe she’s right—I’ve never heard of anyone’s speech problems carrying over through the link. It’s a much purer form of communication.”

  “I never thought of that,” Chloe murmured. “Even if he could only communicate with one person—with me—without his stutter getting in the way, I think it would help.”

  “You’re damn straight it would help. And so will a good old fashioned boink-fest,” Kat said, wiggling her eyebrows theatrically. “There’s nothing to put a man in a good mood like bonding sex.”

  “Well, Kat is right about that—even if she does have sex on the brain.” Liv laughed at her friend. “Well, Chloe—what are you going to do?”

  Chloe took a deep breath and looked at herself once more.

  “I’ll do it,” she said, decisively. “I’ll get Tark to bond with me. I mean…at least I’ll try to convince him to.” She sighed. “I was feeling so confident there for a while, before he refused to see me at the med center. But now I’m back to where I was before—wondering why such a huge, gorgeous guy would want Plus-sized me.”

  “Don’t feel like that, doll,” Kat said earnestly. “I know—I felt the same way too with my guys—especially Deep, my dark twin. Both of them look like they stepped off the pages of the latest male fashion vlog and back in high school, I was always ‘the fat girl.’ It was really hard to believe two amazingly hot guys would want me.”

  “But they did,” Liv said, smiling. “Deep and Lock nearly drove themselves crazy wanting her. Most Kindred seem to like girls with a little more to love but Twin Kindred or anyone raised on Twin Moons idolizes them.”

  “Really?” Chloe looked at herself in the viewer again. “I own my curves,” she said out loud, trying to feel the same body-positivity she had worked so hard to win back on Earth—that feeling of confidence that the Commercians and their damn weight-loss house had stripped from her layer by layer when they held her captive.

  “You own them, girl,” Kat said, giving her a supportive smile. “You’re freaking gorgeous and don’t you forget it. Any man would be lucky to have you!”

  “Thank you.” Chloe grinned at her tentatively in the viewer. “I used to be better at this before I spent time in the fat-shaming house from hell with the Commercians. But I’ll get back to where I was.”

  I hope, she added to herself. She had to remember that Tark had always seemed to like her curves. He had called her an Elite—had said she was perfect. Did he still feel the same way?

  Chloe certainly hoped so or she was about to make a monumental fool out of herself.

  “All right,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I’ll go to him.”

  Chapter Twenty-five

  All right, Tark thought to himself. I’m as ready as I’m going to get—I’ll go to her.

  He looked at himself in the viewer one more time. He was dressed in a dark red uniform shirt, black trousers, and high black boots. His wild hair had been tamed somewhat and his beard was neatly trimmed. The wounds from the Slimerian’s sucker-teeth had healed neatly and cleanly, not even leaving a scar. He looked about as good as he was going to get—it was time to go ask Chloe’s forgiveness and hope she would grant it to him.

  * * * * *

  “Come on, Chloe—you can do this,” Chloe told herself. “Get out there and give it your best shot. And if he doesn’t want you, then it’s his loss.”

  Lifting her chin high, she smoothed down the see-through blouse and sexy, flirty skirt. She was wearing high heels and thigh-high hose with garters as a final touch. Kat had recommended them before she and Liv left.

  “Remember, back on Twin Moons you’d be a super model,” she had advised Chloe. “Strut your stuff and don’t be afraid.”

  She and Liv had given Chloe parting hugs and made her promise to call them the next day and let them know how things had gone between her and Tark.

  “Why the next day?” Chloe had asked. “Don’t you want to know sooner than that? I can call you both tonight.” She tapped the thin wire circlet called a "Think-me" which Kat had given her and taught her how to use.

  Olivia had laughed.

  “Honey, if you really understood how long bonding sex with a Beast Kindred takes you wouldn’t offer to call us until next week.”

  “Liv is right—any kind of bonding sex takes time,” Kat had said. “So don’t worry about us, we can wait until tomorrow to hear the dirty details.”

  “Thank you again for everything,” Chloe told them. She had been full of confidence but now that they were gone, she wasn’t so sure of herself.

  “Super model,” she told the image in the 3-D viewer. “Sex kitten. Go for it, Chloe! Come on—go now before you lose your nerve!”

  Taking a deep breath, she pulled the lightweight, black cardigan around her to hide her breasts, which were fully visible under the sheer pink blouse, and stepped to the door of her suite.

  The door slid open…revealing a surprised looking Tark who was just in the act of knocking.

  “Oh!” Chloe took a step back, her heart thumping with surprise. God, he looked amazing—and taller than ever—if that was even possible. His wild, shaggy mane had been tamed into almost neatness and he was wearing a dark red shirt that went well with his dark tan skin tones.

  His golden eyes widened as he took her in and Chloe realized that the black cardigan had come open and was showing her breasts.

  “Um…” she took a step back, feeling a burst of embarrassment. She had to resist the urge to snatch the cardigan closed and cover herself.

  I’m supposed to be a sex kitten—not a prude, she reminded herself.

  “M-muh-may I c-come in?” he rumbled, raising an eyebrow at her.

  “Oh. Oh, yes! Yes, of course…” Chloe realized she was just standing there staring at him like an idiot. Making a sweeping gesture with one hand she stood to one side, inviting him into her guest suite. She kept a smile fixed on her face but inside her mind was working a thousand miles a minute.

  What is he here for? Does he want to tell me it’s over officially? Ask me to leave him alone and stop botherin