Whoa. It seemed for a moment that things had escalated quickly. Xiomara closed the space between them, and in the cavern with little ventilation the last traces of her heat was overwhelming. He could not pretend he wasn’t affected by it.

Already tense due to their proximity, he nearly flinched away at her soft words and touch. Damn. His skin tingled where her muzzle had been, and he had to fight his most primal of instincts. He closed his eyes against her and sighed, and then she opened a gap between them once more. Thank goodness. Another moment and he may not have been able to resist the urge to cover her. He’d already had a moment of passion and need with a stranger once this season; some guilt washed over him at the thought. If that tryst had resulted in a child, he most certainly did not need another.

She laughed, and he refocused. He nodded in agreement with the roan. ”No, I agree, wouldn’t want to be too irresponsible, would we? After all, we’re nearly perfect strangers.” He smiled at the thought that the only alternative was, in her words, simple. ”But I don’t think conversation has to be simple. So, tell me, what makes you tick? And where’s everyone else?” He shifted a hind leg in a gesture of relaxation, his expression open and genuinely interested in what she said next.

Gnome