“It sounds to me like it’s Merrick who won’t give it a chance,” Lauren said, frowning. “Am I right, Elise?”
Elise nodded again. “Unfortunately, yes. He says that since he’s a hybrid, there’s no way we can regrow the bond we lost, so there’s no point in taking a risk on him traumatizing me. He’s content for us to be celibate for however long it takes for me to feel ready—but now he won’t believe me when I say I am ready.”
“That’s right—you’re living together unbonded, aren’t you?” Kat said and all the girls made wordless noises of sympathy.
“Bonding sex is a big deal for the Kindred,” Olivia said thoughtfully. “I guess if Merrick feels you have no hope of having a bond, there’s no reason to put your emotional health in danger just to have sex.”
“But I want to,” Elise burst out passionately. “I mean, I didn’t at first, I’ll admit. I’ve been through kind of a lot in the past few months.”
“Isn’t that the understatement of the year,” Kat murmured and Sophie shushed her.
“I’ve been through a lot—both bad and good,” Elise amended. “And even though the bond between us was wrong and had to be broken, I think that was the best part of it.” She took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears. “There at the end, I could even feel Merrick’s emotions and…and hear his thoughts, and he could do the same for me. I…I miss it so much—that closeness.” She gave a soft sob. “And even though I know sex would just be…be a pale shadow of that intimacy, I still want it. I want something with him. Something more than just lying there in the dark, side by side every night, afraid to even touch each other for fear things will get…will get out of hand.”
She was outright sobbing now but there was no condemnation on the faces around her. Instead, to her surprise, Elise found herself suddenly enveloped in a group hug.
“It’s okay, doll,” Kat murmured. “Just get it out.”
“We’ve all been there,” Lauren said gently. “Some of us more recently than others—I should know.”
“I just wish there was some way of convincing him to touch me—to at least try and have a normal relationship with me,” Elise whispered hoarsely, blotting her eyes on someone’s shoulder. “But he just won’t—he’s too afraid to hurt me.”
Kat frowned and sat back from the group embrace. “Then maybe you should put him in a position where he needs to help you.”
“Kat, please don’t tell me you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking,” Liv said, frowning.
“And what would that be?” Kat asked innocently.
“Bonding fruit.” Sophie pointed at her friend accusingly. “That’s what she’s thinking.”
“Well as a matter of fact, it is. And why not?” Kat shrugged. “It’s a delicious, nutritious part of a balanced diet.”
“Not to mention it makes you horny and stretchy as hell,” Liv pointed out.
“Hey, some of us need to be stretchy, cuz.” Lauren raised an eyebrow at her haughtily.
“You tell ’em, sister.” Kat moved over to link arms with Lauren. “When you’re married to a man who’s hung like a Clydesdale, a little extra help in the stretchy department never hurts.”
“I don’t know about this, Kat,” Sophie said doubtfully. “If you’re planning to have Elise eat some bonding fruit so Merrick will have to touch her…I mean, that’s kind of manipulative, don’t you think?”
Kat raised an eyebrow at her. “And your point is? You told me how you seduced Sylvan into sexing you up the first time.”
“Well, yes, that’s true,” Sophie admitted, blushing.
“But in Elise’s case, seduction won’t work because Merrick is so afraid he’ll hurt her.” Olivia sounded thoughtful.
“But if he feels he has to touch her in order to help her or stop her from hurting…” Lauren continued the thought.
“It just might work,” Olivia concluded.
Kat snorted. “Of course it’ll work.”
Elise frowned. “I still don’t understand. How will eating a piece of this fruit make Merrick think he has to touch me?”
“Let’s just say the effects of the fruit can be…extreme if you eat too much of it,” Liv said. “It acts like an aphrodisiac.”
“It makes you crazy for sex,” Kat said bluntly. “But that’s only if you overdose on it, like I did the first time. You could just eat a little bit—just enough to need a man’s touch, if you know what I mean.”