Again, he leveled her with that chilling gaze. He remained silent. She said coolly, “Whatever.” She would deal with Tair after she dealt with Liken. She was saving all her energy for the confrontation with Liken.

They walked in silence until they reached the pathway to the house. As they approached the doorway, Tair paused and put a hand on her arm. She stopped and turned to face him with a questioning glance. He searched her face and then said with cool precision, “You never greeted me. You will do so now.”

“What?” She was totally confused.

He smiled grimly. “I am your link. You never greeted me, Sharon.”

Her eyes widened in response and her mouth fell open a little in surprise. He wanted her to kiss him? Now?

His mouth came down on hers ruthlessly before she had a chance to respond. He thrust his tongue past her parted lips and explored her mouth like he owned it. Her hands came to his chest to reflexively push him away. He merely wrapped his arms around her tightly and continued the punishing kiss.

She realized that her heart hadn’t been carved out of her chest. It was beating frantically. She could feel treacherous arousal begin to spread through her body. Without conscious thought, her lips and tongue began a dance of response. She wanted him, but only in a physical sense. She didn’t love him. He wasn’t Liken. Just the thought of Liken and the pain in her chest ached like a dull tooth. The kiss gentled, and finally, he lifted his head. “You will remember this.”

She was totally confused again. “What?” Did he mean remember him after she left for Earth?

His smile was wicked and the warmth had come back into his eyes.This was the Tair she remembered well, not the cold, cruel man from the eatery.“Goodbye, Sharon.” He walked away from her in the direction of town.

Sharon stood there, feeling perplexed. Mentally throwing up her hands, she turned and walked to the front door. She hit the button and it slipped open in immediate response. She braced herself and walked in.

Walking into the living room, she saw Liken casually sitting on the sofa. He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow as she strode to the center of the room. He didn’t look upset. He looked perfectly calm.

How could he look so normal when she was dying inside? It was the last insult to her battered heart. Her voice could have cut glass. “I am going to discuss this morning with you. While we do it, you are keeping your hands to yourself. When we’re done here, you’re packing a few things and staying somewhere else. With Tair or with your girlfriend, I really don’t care. But, you are not touching me again. On the twenty-first, we’ll go back and file incompatible. I deserve better than a faithless liar.”

His face never changed. They might have been discussing the weather. It pushed her fury up a notch.

With infuriating calm, he said, “You want to discuss this morning. What is there to say?”

His voice was soft, so even-tempered, and she could not feel a trace of emotion coming from him.She could feel the dam holding her temper spring several leaks. “I’m your pactmate. How could you be with someone else? You may not love me, but you should have had enough respect for me to…”

He cut her off. “You want to talk of love and respect?” He gave a cynical laugh. “Perhaps we should begin by speaking of trust.”

Her voice rose. “Maybe we should. I trusted you, you bastard!”

Suddenly, she realized Liken was not as calm as she had assumed. He was sitting on the sofa, but the hand resting on the arm was gripping it so hard his knuckles were white. It was the only warning she had of his real state, before he burst into motion.

He sprang from the couch and grabbed her by the arms. She looked up into his face and saw pure fury. He shouted, “You know nothing of trust!”

She felt the dam burst open and white-hot fury broke free. “I know you were kissing that redhead and enjoying it! I know you have feelings for her! I know I feel like a fool and it’s your fault! I know you’re an asshole! Take your hands off of me!”

His face went white. “I will touch you whenever I like. I will do whatever I like! I am your pactmate!”

“And she’s your lover!” The accusation rang in the silence of the room.

He shook her until her teeth rattled, then abruptly let her go. Taking a step back, he said flatly, “I am her link.”

The words took a moment to register. As he stared at her in furious silence, she echoed, “Her link?”

He gave one swift nod. “Yes, her link. Her name is Elana and she has been pledged to my friend, Revka, for over three years now.”

“But you love her…and you were kissing her…” Her anger was fading into confusion.

He told her grimly, “I do not love her, at least not in the sense you mean. I am her link. I care for her as Tair cares for you.”

Suddenly, the little scene with Tair outside the house took on a new meaning. His words ran through her mind again.“I am your link. You did not greet me. Remember this…”

“Are you saying she was greeting you, that you’ve never had sex with her?” She couldn’t keep the doubt from her voice.

He looked exasperated. “Yes, she was greeting me. As for sex with her, it was on one occasion during the initial link.”

When Sharon would have responded, he lifted an eyebrow and said, “Not everyone is as uncomfortable with the thought of a threesome. The linking process is different depending on the participants.”

Sharon felt the color rise in her face. Her heart picked up speed as she suddenly focused on something he said earlier. “You don’t love her.”

She nearly sagged with relief. He wasn’t in love with the redhead. The truth in his voice had been obvious. She believed him.

She thought of Liken’s lack of jealousy regarding her actions with Tair. Shimerian culture was very different from Earth. The linking partners shared intimacy but it was not considered a threat or a betrayal. She felt the last of her anger die. Embarrassment and sorrow rose up in its place.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She felt guilty as she considered what had happened from Liken’s point of view. She hadn’t trusted him, hadn’t even let him explain. Her hurt and anger had been too great.

He nodded stiffly. “You could not know. You did not wait for an explanation.”

The accusation in his voice was easy to hear, but she could feel anger radiating from him without it. Underneath the anger was a layer of hurt. She had hurt him. She was surprised at how much her distrust had hurt him. She stepped forward and placed a tentative hand on his chest. “Liken, I really am sorry. I couldn’t think, I was just so hurt and angry.” She thought she detected a slight relaxation of his tense shoulders at the sincerity in her voice.

He sighed, and his face lost some of its grimness. “You have no cause for jealousy, Sharon.” He sounded tired now. “Why were you at the office today?”

Sharon swallowed. Here was the tough part. Her emotions felt raw. She had been on a roller coaster of feeling today, and she was worn out by the experience. “I wanted to talk to you.” She wasn’t going to chicken out, but she needed a moment to work up her nerve. His hurt was proof he loved her, at least a little. She had to take the risk and be honest.

He continued to stare at her in silence. Sharon tilted her head back further to get a better look at his eyes. He looked impatient. Taking a deep breath, she let it out in a rush. “I came to the office because I wanted to tell you that I love you. I want to stay. I’ll pledge with you.”

He looked like she had hit him on the head with a shovel. When he continued to stare at her, dumbfounded, she felt her nerves leap. “I mean, if you want me to stay. I…”

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed the rest of her words right out of her. His voice boomed next to her ear. “How could you think I would not want you to stay?”