Page 24 of Captain's Companion

“Hand me the shampoo, I’ll wash your hair,” he offered.

“You really want to wash my hair,” she asked twisting around to frown at him.

“It means I keep my hands on you,” he said. She handed him the bottle which he took and started rubbing the shampoo into her hair. She tipped her head back so he could massage her scalp. The more she hummed and sighed, the calmer he felt. After ten minutes of him rubbing her head, she sighed and reached for the sprayer.

“I’m pretty sure it’s clean,” she said handing him the sprayer.

Rinsing her hair out, he kissed her shoulder, her neck. “I love the feel of you,” he said. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tight against him.

“You shouldn’t use that word,” she whispered.

“Why not,” he asked. He told her she was his mate. Clearly, she didn’t understand what it meant.

“I don’t want to have children,” she said. “Not as part of any contract.”

“What about outside a contract,” he asked.

“Once I’ve saved enough, I’ll stop working as a companion,” she said.

“Will you want children then,” he asked.

“I… I doubt it,” she said. “I don’t want to be a single mother.”

“Not all men walk away from their children,” he said. “Sinivite men do not.”

She leaned against him silently considering. “You’ll get bored,” she said. “My mother said all men get bored.”

“No,” he said. “You’re my mate. I will always want you, always need to be near you.”

“We have a contract,” she said softly. Inside her heart hurt to think of it but she said it. “Once the contract is done, I move on.”

“You’ll only stay with a contract,” Ulrik asked frowning.

“It’s the way companions work,” she said even as her fists clenched and her stomach tightened.

For a long time, they lay in the water, silent. She feared his response to her rules, and he tried to find a way around her rules. “We’ll talk about it,” he said.

“Tell me what being a mate means,” she asked.

“It means our souls are joined,” he murmured into her ear hoping to tempt her away from her rules. “It means I care for you in all ways. You know about the sexual connection.”

She snorted and rubbed against him. “Little Ulrik isn’t very little,” she said.

“You’re my heart and my soul,” he said smiling at her humor. “I want to take care of you and protect you.”

“If I don’t want to have children,” she asked.

“We don’t have children,” he said. “When you become fertile, our sex life will get more intense.”

“More than the last few hours,” she asked.

He snorted uncertain how to answer her. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never been with a mate before. My brothers say it’s the best time especially when the woman is unprotected and trying for a baby.”

Her hands rubbed his arms which wrapped around her. He felt the tension in her. “Why do I ache so much when you’re not near me,” she asked.

“Pheromones,” he said. “I emit pheromones which affect how you react to me.”

“Do these pheromones affect other women,” she asked wondering how he managed to get anything done if all the women felt as she did.

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