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room, he filled the large tub. Normally, he showered, but he had a
feeling that wouldn t work with Keenan. His fragile mate wouldn t
like the rush of a shower, but a bath was far more likely to comfort
him.
Bound by Lust 95
When Keenan refused to get into the water, Oco begged, Please.
We have very little time together, and I would rather not spend it
fighting. Please just get in, allow me to go and talk to my counselor,
then I will join you.
For a moment, it looked like Keenan would take the same
determined stance he had in the bedroom, but something softened in
his gaze. Reluctantly, he climbed into the tub. He managed to look
very small and alone in there all by himself, just like he had in his bed
last night.
Oco turned away before he could change his mind. He grabbed a
robe and walked swiftly toward his private office. Once he d locked
the door, ensuring his privacy, he contacted Lisstera.
Keenan is no longer in the room with me.
I am sorry about this Oco, honestly I am, but the laws are clear.
You don t own him. If you want to make a claim of cheating you can,
but it s unlikely you ll be able to get any magistrate to listen to you.
Then I shall lodge a complaint at Millitrex s.
That won t help.
Oco debated telling her about his bonding with Keenan.
Ultimately, he decided he had nothing to lose. There s more.
Lisstera was silent.
I don t even know how this happened. Oco took a calming
breath that simply didn t help his agitated state of mind. I mean to
say I know but it never should have somehow I found alignment
with Keenan.
You what? Lisstera was the most calm and focused Alzimian
Oco had ever met. That he was able to shock her told him in no
uncertain terms just how stunning what had happened with Keenan
was.
I had no idea it was even possible with a member of another
species. Oco had been quite literally astonished by the turn of events.
It s rare among our own kind.
I know.
96 Anitra Lynn McLeod
You ll die without him.
I know that, too.
Oh, Oco. I don t know what to say.
Say that you ll do anything to help us stay together.
When Lisstera didn t answer, Oco s hopes sank. There was
nothing anyone could do. He could try to appeal to the Grorer s
empathy, but he had a feeling that would likely lead to the Grorer
wanting Keenan even more desperately. Oco hadn t been around the
Grorer long, but his vicious streak was well and truly visible in
everything he did. If ever a situation looked hopeless, this was it.
Bound by Lust 97
Chapter 11
Keenan didn t want to sit in the tub like a chastised child, but he
also didn t want to cause Oco any more pain. Blurting out while he
was talking to his lawyer had seemed like a good idea at the time, but
now Keenan regretted not behaving like an adult. That thought only
angered him more. Did being an adult mean he was just supposed to
take whatever life threw at him? Was he expected to just stand idly by
while life stomped all over him? Somewhere, he remembered a saying
about being a doormat. It took a moment, but it came to him. If you
make yourself a doormat, you can t be surprised when people wipe
their feet on you.
Right. If he didn t want life to wipe its feet on him, he sure as
shit wasn t going to just lie on the floor like a damn doormat. Inspired
by his little self-talk, Keenan slumped back into the water when he
had no idea what he could actually do. Oco had a lawyer, and he was
clearly doing everything he could, but things still looked dismal.
When Oco came into the bathroom, Keenan automatically smiled
at him. Oco flashed a strained smile back, slipped off his robe, and
entered the tub.
Let s run away.
This time, when Oco smiled, it was genuine. Where would we
go?
I don t know. Anywhere. You know the universe far better than I
do. You pick.
I would take you to Alzim, and there we would go to the sea that
matches your eyes.
What would we do there? Keenan moved to his side, settling
98 Anitra Lynn McLeod
into the hollow created by his uplifted arm and chest.
We would indulge ourselves in the fine art of doing nothing.
Nothing?
Nothing at all. We would grow lazy as we wallowed in idleness.
We wouldn t even have sex?
Ah. Perhaps we would do one thing.
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