He held up a hand. “Don’t
get so hostile. In my world, there are plenty
of people who feel attracted to their own gender. A few of them even feel they were born in the
wrong body—the wrong sex.”
Her eyes lit with eagerness. “Really?”
He nodded. “Sure. There are men who want to be women and women
who want to be men.” He waved a hand. “With the right surgery, they can get it
straightened out. Sometimes they even
fall in love, get married, and adopt some kids.”
She blinked. “You mean
that a woman could become a man and then marry another woman?”
“Sure. Why not?”
She grimaced. “I have
no interest in women.”
The comment left Joe at a loss. “Well, if you don’t want to truly be a man,
then why do insist on acting like one?”
“I don’t know,” she said, despair in her voice.
“Maybe the dragon is right, and it’s the necklace?” Joe said.
“The Great Mage could help you take it
off.”
“No!” Despair had
morphed into anger. “Don’t you dare
suggest that to him, or I’ll kill you!”
Joe stared at her in surprise. “Sheesh!
You’re really something.”
Phillip looked abashed. “I’m sorry, okay?” she said, enunciating the
word carefully.
Joe was surprised into a laugh. “Hey, that was pretty good.”
She smiled at him, and Joe thought she had never looked more
appealing. After they had cleaned up
from their meal he watched the way the flickering firelight made her face look
almost delicate. After a while, he let
his mind drift onto other thoughts as he stared into the fire.
“What are you thinking?”
Phillip said.
“I don’t think I should say,” Joe said.
“Why not?” she said, curious. “Is it something bad?”
“I don’t think so. You
might not agree.”
“What is it? Tell me!”
“Well,” Joe said, “I was remembering that blue gown the Great
Mage had—the one he threatened to make you wear.”
“Why would you think about that?” she asked, amusement in her
voice.
“I was wondering how you’d look in it. I had decided you’d look pretty damn
spectacular.”
She sat up. “I don’t
wear dresses.”
“I know.”
“You think because you saved my life a couple of times you
can make me do things I don’t want to do?”
“No.”
“Because I won’t! I
won’t be a woman for you!”
Joe sat up beside her. “I know that.
Unfortunately, I can’t stop thinking of you as a woman. I’ve tried, but I can’t.”
“So what do you expect me to do about it?”
“Nothing. It’s not
your problem. You don’t need to worry
about it.”
She turned her back to him. “I thought you were someone I could trust.”
The pain in her voice alarmed him. “You can trust me.”
“No, you’re like Lord Marcellin’s soldiers. All men are interested in is forcing women to
rut with them.”
Having his feelings lumped in with the impersonal lust of
nameless mercenaries made Joe mad as hell. “Just because the men in Lord
Marcellin’s guard have no respect for women doesn’t mean every man is that
way. I never a touched a woman unless
she wanted me to touch her. And people don’t
rut, they make love—if they care about each other.”
Phillip spoke with her back to him, her voice muffled. “So you’ve—you’ve made love to lots of women?”
“I wouldn’t say lots.”
“How many?” she asked, still with her back to him.
“I don’t know,” he said, mystified. “Does it matter?”
“I was just—just wondering if there’s been anyone since you
came to the Great Mage’s palace.”
Still confused, Joe hedged. “Three years is a long time.”
“So there is someone?”
“What’s going on here?”
Joe knit his brows in a tight frown. “I told you I can’t stop thinking of you as a
woman, and you jumped on me for that. Somehow we’re now tallying up my sex
life. If I didn’t know better, I’d say
you were jealous. Why are you acting
this way?”
Finally she turned around to face him. “I’m not acting any differently.”
“Like crap.” Joe frowned.
Her eyes had welled up, and her face looked red and splotchy. “You look as if you’re about to cry.”
“I never cry.”
“Maybe not, but you’re damn close to it now.”
She turned her head away, and Joe put one hand gently on her
shoulder. “What’s wrong, Phil?”
As soon as he touched her, he felt her body stiffen. She gasped, and all at once she seemed to
have difficulty in catching her breath.
“Are you okay?” Joe asked in alarm.
“Oh yes! It’s so
different now!”
“What?”
“Don’t let go,” she said throwing her arms around him as she twisted
to face him. “Whatever happens, don’t
let go of me!”
“I won’t.” Joe folded her into an embrace to offer comfort
and was surprised when she lifted her face and kissed him. “Damn,” he said when
the kiss ended. “I never saw that
coming. What are you up to, Phil?”
She pulled his shirt open and ran one hand over his torso. “Don’t let go of me, and everything will be
fine.”
Stunned, Joe grabbed her hand. “You want to make love? Right here?”
“What’s wrong with right here?”
“Nothing,” Joe said, throwing his scruples to the winds. “So long as you’re okay with this, right here
is just fine.”
“You talk too much,” she said, and she pulled his head down
to kiss him again.
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