Page 38 of Trove’s Purpose

“They’re not offering you tea and cookies. They were offering sex! You don’t just say, ‘oh, another time perhaps’,” she mocked him with a fake hoity-toity accent before snapping- “Especially when your mate is standing right there!”

“I didn't want to be rude. They’re friends of mine.”

“They’re not friends, Trove! They’re nice to you because they’re paid to be.” She laughed, though there was no humor in it, as the tears fell faster. “And apparently, they’re paid very well. I can’t even imagine how much you had to give them for them to come begging for you to come back.”

“I believe in tipping for good service,” he said softly.

And he must have known that was the wrong thing, especially when she started laughing harder. The false mirth turning into sobs as her head dropped.

“I cannot believe this…”

“Chee.”

He reached for her again, but she stepped out of the way, putting space between them as she cut him a hard glare.

“No.” Her voice was firm, even as she was shaking. “Trove, this is not… I cannot be with someone who is so cavalier about sex.”

“It’s not like you’ve never been with someone.”

“I haven’t!” She yelled, throwing out her arms. “I’ve been waiting for my true love! Because,” she laughed wildly again. “Because I thought somehow, that maybe my true love would be out there somewhere. I didn't expect him to be waiting for me, but I also didn't think he’d consider sex to be just another commodity to trade.”

“Is it not?”

The soft question, so genuinely confused, brought her up short. It was all she could do to just stare at him in disbelief.

She knew he had an unusual past. She knew he was a murderer. But surely he couldn’t be so out of touch that he really thought sex had no other meaning except the exchange of pleasure. That it couldn’t be something more.

Shaking her head, she walked past him. Unable to keep talking to him. Unable to even look at him. She had to get away.

And to her great relief, he let her. He didn't try to step in or hold her back. She didn't even hear him following as she took the ladder steps up to the second floor. Which was good because she couldn’t bring herself to look back as she made her way to the guest room.

It wasn’t until the door shut and locked behind her and she sagged against it that she let out the sob that had been building in her throat. Crying desperately, she sank down to her butt.

Her mate.

That was her mate.

A male who bought sex and didn't care about discussing prospects with prostitutes right beside her. He didn't even have the good decency to hide it from her. He just thought she’d be okay with it happening right in front of her face.

Or maybe, the kind of woman he’d want to be with would. Maybe an open relationship was the kind he’d want. The kind he expected.

But Chee couldn’t do that. She couldn’t share the man she wanted to spend her life with. She couldn’t sleep with other men while she had him. She couldn’t just treat sex as something casual and easy like that. It wasn’t. Not to her. Sex was important. It was meaningful and intimate. It had to be. If it wasn’t, then…

Chee held her legs to her chest, shaking as she cried. Hating that she wished, even now, that Trove was there to hold her.

Even despite everything. Even knowing he was the cause of her pain, he’d already cracked her heart enough to reach her.

Maybe that’s what the mate bond was. This weakness to this person. Was he going to corrupt her to be like him? Was he going to twist her thinking, convince her that this was okay. That him being with prostitutes was normal? Would he convince her to fuck other males?

Other people might like this, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t reduce sex to this!

The cheeping of the combot Hyde gave her was what finally lifted her head. She wasn’t used to carrying the device with her, so she’d left it in her room. It was beeping at her from its place on her desk.

That wasn’t Trove…

Was it?

Weakly, on shaky legs, Chee stood and walked to the desk. When she touched the combot, however, the signature it flashed at her wasn’t Trove’s.