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Sought(64)



“Why not? Because you and Lock had been charged with my safety?”

“If you like. It’s as good a reason as any other.”

“No, it’s not.” Kat sat up in his lap and frowned at him. “I need to know the real reason.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Why? Why do you care?”

“Because I need to know how you feel about me—all right?” Kat pushed away from him and stood there trembling, her hands on her hips.

“How can you not know?” His voice was hoarse and he sat there unmoving before her, his hands on his thighs. “We share emotions, remember? We feel each others feelings constantly.”

“But all I ever feel from you are negative emotions—anger, pain, sorrow, irritation…” Kat shook her head. “Lock tried to convince me that you cared about me, but you weren’t admitting it to yourself. Except, I don’t know if I can buy that. How can you not let yourself feel if you care for someone?”

Deep scowled and looked away. “Feeling too much can be a dangerous thing, little Kat. Especially if you know the other person doesn’t feel for you as well.”

“You have to give the other person a chance to feel.” Kat couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with him, but somehow the words kept coming out. “You have to let them believe you could ever be interested in them.”

He gave a short, sharp laugh. “How could anyone not be interested in you? You’re an elite with curves like a goddess.”

“Which is exactly why plenty of the guys on my planet wouldn’t be interested,” Kat said quietly. “I don’t know how much you understand about Earth but most cultures there—especially my culture—don’t go for full figured girls in a big way. They want skinny women—the skinnier the better.”

“What?” Deep stared at her, obviously startled. “So they reject you because of your curves instead of revering you for them?”

Kat couldn’t help smiling. “I know—it’s bizarre, isn’t it? I mean with a body like this, you’d think I’d have the world at my feet.” She made a gesture at her full hips and breasts.

Deep’s gaze flickered over her body hungrily. “That’s exactly what I would think.”

She laughed. “I was being sarcastic.”

“I wasn’t,” he said softly.

“I can tell.” She looked at him seriously. “Look, I’ve been plus-sized all my life. And barring some miracle breakthrough in skinny drugs, it looks like I’m always going to be a size eighteen instead of a size eight. But that’s okay, I’m used to it. I’m just…not the kind of girl you and Lock would be dating back on Earth. You’re big, muscular, good looking guys—you could have your pick. And I guarantee it wouldn’t be me.”

“If you think either one of us would rather be with some stick-thin bag of bones—”

Kat laughed again. “Hey now, no need to get down on the skinny girls. They need love, too.”

“Not from me and my brother.” Deep looked at her, a small frown on his face. “Kat, you’re beautiful—gorgeous. Is that really so hard for you to believe?”

“Not as much as it was,” she said carefully. “But then, I’ve always known you and Lock found me attractive. I could, uh, feel it pretty clearly when I was between you.”

“You mean the way our bodies react to yours,” he murmured. “Of course. How could we help it?”

Kat cleared her throat. “To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t kick you two out of bed for eating crackers either. So the physical aspect isn’t an issue.”

Deep shook his head. “I don’t understand your reference. Are you trying to say you find my brother and me attractive?”

“Very much so.” Kat ducked her head, having a hard time looking him in the eye. “But you already knew that.”

“I knew that your body reacted to ours,” he said softly. “But physical attraction doesn’t always equate with compatibility.”

“Exactly.” Kat took a deep breath. “Which is why I still don’t know why you took that beating for me. Did you do it out of a sense of duty? Or just because you wanted me—felt lust for me? Or was there another reason?” she said, before he could answer. “A deeper reason?”

“Come here.” He reached for her and Kat went willingly into his arms. He was so tall that, even though he was still sitting and she was standing, they were pretty much eye-to-eye. “You have to understand,” he said hoarsely. “You’re so beautiful…so high above me. What good does it do a male to love a goddess? I might as well love the sun or the stars or anything else that’s forever out of reach.”