Page 75 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Soul

"It's the truth, just not the whole truth." He threw the items he'd collected into the bag and took it from her. "How are you holding up? Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She let out a breath. "Qué será, será."

"That's the spirit." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Negal suggested that I pour you a glass of wine to soothe your nerves."

She chuckled. "That's not a bad idea. You know what I like."

Karen wasn't a big drinker. She had the occasional glass of wine, and when she was in a mood to celebrate, she liked a Moscow Mule, with just a tiny bit of vodka and a lot of ginger beer.

"I do, but this time, I'm going to pour double the vodka in your Mule. You need it to take the edge off."

She smiled up at him. "I'm not going to argue."

When he was done mixing the drink for her, he added ice cubes and handed it to her. "Here you go."

"Aren't you going to make one for yourself?"

He shook his head. "I'm doing mental gymnastics to not let myself get overwhelmed with unwanted feelings, and I need to stay sharp until Negal gets here and takes us both out of our misery. It would be nice to forget that he's about to intrude on our intimacy."

"He can't intrude if he's invited." Karen took a long sip of her drink and sighed. "This is so good. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I mixed it with love."

"I know you did." Karen reached for his cheek and cupped it. "So, how are we going to do this? I mean technically."

"Well, I think you should be on top." He swallowed. "Wearing a dress. I don't want him to see you naked even if you do think that he's not attracted to you."

"He's not." Karen frowned. "He said that my scent is unpleasant to him because I smell of you, but you haven't bitten me yet, so I don't know how that's possible. From what I was told, it's the repeated venom injections that affect the body odor."

"That's both reassuring and worrisome." He puffed out his chest. "The ape in me is very happy that I marked you with my scent, but now I'm worried that Negal won't be able to bite you because he'll be repulsed by the smell."

Karen's cheeks turned a deep shade of red. "He said he would hold his breath and do it quickly." She grimaced. "I'm so glad that I'm not the male in this relationship, or I wouldn't be able to get it up." She eyed him from under lowered lashes. "Will you?"

Gilbert threw his head back and laughed. "Do you have to ask? Since my transition, I have had the libido of an eighteen-year-old. My problem is getting it to go down, not up."

That was true, and she felt guilty for not being able to keep up with him. It was just one more reason to stop pussyfooting around and just do it. "Let's grab a shower and scrub really well. Hopefully, the aroma of the soap and generous spraying of perfume will overpower the scents Negal finds objectionable."

Gilbert winced. "In that case, we should shower separately. Otherwise, I won't be able to keep my hands off you, and we will have to get another shower. I don't think it's fair to Negal to keep him waiting."

"Right." She stretched on her toes and kissed him lightly on the lips. "See you in ten minutes."

He nodded. "I'll text Negal and tell him to be here in fifteen."

After taking a quick shower in Cheryl's bedroom, Gilbert put on a pair of nylon pants and a T-shirt. He straightened the room and covered the bed with the decorative cover that Cheryl had taken off. Negal would hopefully use the armchair in the corner, but just in case he wanted to use the bed, Gilbert planned on changing the bedding tomorrow.

When Karen emerged from their bedroom, her hair was wet, and she had a long nightgown on that would do well for what they had in mind but was too sexy, in Gilbert's opinion. It was made of satin, sleeveless, with only thin straps holding it up, and even though it wasn't form-fitting, it draped over Karen's body in a most enticing way.

"You look beautiful." He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Too beautiful."

"Oh, stop it." She rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand, but he caught the small smile tugging on one corner of her lips.

As the doorbell rang, Gilbert cast another reassuring smile at Karen before opening the door.

"Hello, Negal. Thank you for doing this for us. Can I offer you a drink?"

"No, thank you. I've had enough for tonight." Negal walked in and smiled at Karen. "I'll start with you. Where would you like to do it?"

She looked confused for a moment, but when understanding dawned, she motioned to the couch. "You mean the thralling, right? I know what to expect."