unwanted

chapter twentythree

unattractive

Her sleep was interrupted by an invisible fist to her stomach. As soon as she could open her eyes, she glared at the man who was floundering in pain next to her.
"Hey jackass, making moves on me while I'm asleep? That's real stand up of you."

"I swear I didn't. I was only touching you the way I did all night long. You're arm, your hand." He sat up, but he was still clenching his stomach. "I would never take liberties with you. Late during the night, I put my arm around you, but everything was still fine till this morning."

"Well, you must have done something."

He blushed.

"What?"

"My touches remained pure, but my thoughts might have been less than pure."

She chuckled as she climbed to her feet. Her pain was already gone but she knew his would last longer. Tying her hair back up in a bun, she reached for his slender water pitcher. "Serves you right. I told you to lay off. The last thing I need is another man in my life. I have a mate who can take a flying leap into hell and I have a sort of boyfriend. Who knows where in the hell he is. Then there's Adrian. I don't even know what he is. Hell, I don't know what any of them are. Or where they are for that matter."

After drinking the whole jug, she started to polish off half of the food he'd never gotten to last night.

"A saint couldn't have held you and not have a few pleasant, naked thoughts of you. Some pain is a small price to pay to know the feel of your skin. On my planet we share our women. We want them to experience all the pleasures there are to offer. You have a selfish mate if he doesn't feel the same. Not only that but he allows you to feel the pain as well? He is no true gentleman. If I ever see him, I'll make him rule the day he claimed you for his own."

"Get in line, buddy. I plan on doing that myself."

Since these rat asses wouldn't know what a napkin was if it bit them on the ass, she looked around for something she could use. Finding nothing, she looked down at her jail rags. It was the best she had.

Jess tried to tear a piece of her pants leg away but couldn't manage it. She looked at William.

"I would gladly be of an assistant but just glimpsing that small portion of your leg has already put more naked thoughts of you into my head. You are most beautiful, karza. I've never seen such thick, dark brown hair. No one on my planet wears their natural hair color anymore and they change it daily. Promise you'll leave yours just as it is."

"You're most beautiful, karza." She mocked him. "I can't help you because I'm too busy pretending you're naked. Thanks a lot, pal."

Seeing nothing else to do, Jess shoved the left-over meat into the hem of her pants leg. These days you couldn't be too picky.

"I can't even wash my hair. How in the hell would I dye it? So how am I getting out of here without getting caught?"

"As soon as they are seeing to breakfast, I will escort you out of here. Take the ale and the plates. They will just assume you're returning with breakfast dishes. When will I see you again?"

"Are you really going to look for Julian?"

"I will."

For some stupid reason, she knew she could trust him. He'd been honest so far. "I'll trade off again with Tamar in three days."

"Keep your head down and no matter what, don't talk." He instructed before he took one last longing look at her.