My Alien Love (4 page)

       He slowly tugged at the shawl bringing her with it.  Wrapping his strong arms around her he bent to kiss her forehead and asked, knowing exactly what she had been referring to, “What's not fair to me?  I love you kissing me.” 

       Nuzzling his face in her hair he whispered, “I truly hope you can forgive my clumsy over-eagerness.”  Then with a voice so faint she wasn't sure she really heard, “I fell in love with you the first time I saw you.” 

       Before she could question him, his lips found hers and she instantly forgot what her question was.

       He found the strength to pull away first when he felt his Stirring's beginning to get hard to handle.  His desire for her was running away from him and he could not allow that to happen.  Taking her arm he began to examine the dressing, hoping she wouldn't notice his darkened blue eyes. 

       “We'll have to have this dressed again,” he stated, as he held her arm up and kissed the area above and below the burn.

       While Jonathan and Melody were strolling slowly back arm in arm, in the shade and privacy of the trees, Mark stood laughing, looking out his bedroom window. 

       He thought that Jonathan must be one terrific actor.  Surely them kissing had been repugnant to him, but he carried on as though he had actually enjoyed it.  Jon hadn't given her any reason to suspect he wasn't an Earth male.  Mark knew that if there had been anything to the kissing stuff, their culture wouldn't have given up the practice eons ago.  Watching Earth movies with everyone always kissing had brought laughs to all the single males on board.  They had all been taught that it was considered too primitive an act to be done any longer. 

       Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember any of their Bonded people laughing.  Instead, they'd looked embarrassed. 
Yes, that was it, they looked embarrassed.  Now why was that?
  Before Mark could carry this thought any farther he watched gaped mouth as he saw Jonathan's hand gingerly slide to touch Melody's rear and appeared to be cupping it as he kissed her again as they stood beneath a tree.  

       Mark felt a strong sense of pride for Jonathan.  Besides being their royalty-to-be, he was a truly fine man and scholar.  Now he was proving himself a strong Bonder.  Even though they were first cousins Mark had never been made to feel inferior with Jonathan around, instead they had been raised more like brothers.  They'd shared almost everything together until Jon's Stirrings began.  Jon was now more agitated and secretive than Mark had ever known him, and that had been all Mark's life.  Mark and Jon being the same age and Jon already Bonding made Mark worry that maybe he would be a weak bonder. 

       Thinking about Jonathan's changes made him watch mesmerized as Melody and Jonathan turned to face each other again, behind a palm tree.  They kissed, but while they kissed they caressed and touched each other's face, back and arms.  Jonathan even attempted to touch her top again, but she moved his hand.    

       Mark felt the pleasant sensation of Stirring begin in his own loins.  Finally, he turned away feeling that he had betrayed Jonathan somehow while he had closely watched Melody.  He had originally only wanted to watch Jonathan's touching techniques, hoping to find a few pointers for when he's able to find a mate, hopefully soon!  But, his eyes kept returning to Melody as he felt a rise in his manhood.  When he looked back at them his normal feelings were back and his true quest for knowledge of “touching” returned. 

       Touching was where it was at, or so he'd been told by his father when he was still a very small boy.  A couple of his bonded friends had tried to expound the excitement and joy of touching a bonding female to him, but he was still unsure if he would be skillful.  H'trae men were very skillful lovers to their mates, so they all claimed.

       Mark had only felt the Stirring in his dreams, until recently.  These dreams had increased in intensity over the past ten “growing” years.  Jon had told him it was in preparation for his Bonding.  Their males have an inborn clock that sounds an alarm that “Bonding Time” is near.  Some are younger than others when this happens.  These males then look at females in a totally different light. 

       He had been feeling pleasure sensations strongly and with increased frequency since Jon has begun his Bonding with Melody.  He had even thought twice that he had felt the Bonding sensation himself as he joined Jonathan watching Melody, but that couldn't be right.  Besides, he isn't allowed to let this Stirring strengthen until after Jonathan has acquired a healthy heir. 

      
If everything goes all right with Melody during pregnancy then Earth females better watch out because I am going to find a mate immediately,
he keeps thinking.  Surely his was out there somewhere!  Anyway, unless a man is
sure
he feels the Bonding he isn't allowed to touch a female in an intimate way.  It just was never done.  Oh, there were the couple of males or females every 100 years or so who tried it without the Bond.  They were ostracized for a while by their opposite sex until the true Bonding happened.     

       “Will he ever stop kissing her?!” Mark muttered to himself as he turned away, fighting the excitement in his own body again.  Melody was certainly a sexy female and her pheromones!  They had been driving Mark insane earlier.  That's why he'd sat in the front of the car coming here, Jon would've killed him if he'd noticed his condition.  Jon's Bonding state has made him a very jealous man!  But only Mark and a few others were aware of this. 
Jealousy is supposed to be non-existent for them.  Huh! 
Mark thought,
Jonathan certainly is the exception then.

       Now that they were on Earth to find mates, kissing was no longer a taboo. 
Still, it looks disgusting
, Mark decided. 
Doesn't it?
  It shocked him to realize that he'd already seen a couple of women he felt he could do the disgusting with and that gladly - just to do the touching stuff in other places.  Touching had to be where it was at, Jonathan's restless hands were final proof of it to him.

       Mark knew he had certainly become curious lately.  Some of the talk among the men revealed that they were becoming curious about kissing and touching as well.  Jonathan had promised him that he would give explicit details about how the Stirring and Bonding sensations felt here on Earth.  He already knew that Jonathan felt sexually excited whenever he was looking at or talking about Melody, that had been obvious.  But, how deep these feelings ran was still a mystery to him.  Oh, they had been given the fatherly speech about what to expect and how to behave.  Much emphasis was made on behavior and always being a gentleman when with females.  Just because they were on Earth didn't give them any excuse to bring shame on their people for ill manners or immoral actions.

       H'trae males prided themselves in their self control, it was a special gift.  They had been told that Stirrings can happen when it's not your intended mate, but the Bond and
real
stirrings only occurred when it was the right person.  Mark had already witnessed that.  Jonathan felt the Stirring when he had seen Sarah, but his reaction to Melody had been completely astonishing.

       Jonathan was trying to think real fast of some way to get Melody to come back.  He knew what he'd like for her to be the one to do, so straight forwardly he asked, “Would you take a look at my home’s interior furnishings?  My Aunts don't think I have the right look for the house, but since it's my home they absolutely refused to help me pick out the decor.  I'm sure it needs a lot of work and when I have visiting dignitaries I don't want to feel ashamed.”  He thought this was a sheer stroke of inspiration.

       As soon as they entered the back French doors his aunts descended upon Melody for her advice on clothing.  They had about 30 catalogs that they'd been looking through all laid out.  Jonathan needed new clothes and they had no idea where to start. 

       Mark pulled Jonathan away.

       “What's going on?” Jonathan asked.

       “They kept peeking out the windows and became certain that you would complete the Bonding before the ceremony.  That was unsettling enough for them, but, when you both walked in looking red with anger they felt that by keeping you both apart for a while, it might give her a chance to forgive you for being ‘possibly immoral’.  Apparently they've done this kind of thing before, back home.” 

       Grinning widely Mark continued, “Jon, old boy, does the Bonding really make you as mentally unstable as you act?”

       “What do you mean?” Jonathan asked confused.

       “Something must have happened to make you both mad.  Well, like I said, your faces were red when you came in.  Knowing how you've been behaving the past few weeks and seeing all the
touching
you were doing . . . I'm sure
you
caused it,” Mark stated feeling a little perturbed with him.

       “We were not angry!” Jon retorted.  Then he suddenly laughed.  But, he didn't volunteer any further information, despite the smiling, questioning face of his best friend. 

       How stupid of me!
  Jonathan thought. 
I should have known they would be watching!
  While he had been with Melody he never thought about it once.

       “Aunt Cassandra says that you have a dinner engagement tomorrow night and you have no formal clothes to wear,” Melody said while walking into the great room where Mark and Jonathan were.  “Both your aunts also say they will be needing new clothes in a few days and that your government has requested them to personally ask me, if I would serve in your entourage as fashion and design consultant.  For a very generous fee I might add.”  She put on her best fake frown and asked, “Did you put them up to this?”

       “I most certainly did not . . . but it's a perfect idea!  Remember, I even mentioned it in the car.  Who knows, maybe you could even learn to like me a little bit,” he added as he walked over to her.  “What do you say?  We'll pay you four times whatever it was you were making.  I personally guarantee a better working environment.  You can call your employer this evening and tell him you've accepted a better offer.”  He leaned over and spoke lightly in her ear, “The house needs to be decorated correctly and refurbished.  I'll give you carte blanch to decorate as you see fit.  I need all the help I can get and my aunts need another woman to talk to as well.  They've been very lonely for female companionship . . . as you can tell.”

       “Are you certain this is what you want?  You may not even like my style or taste,” Melody reminded him.  Her heart was beating fast again just looking into his eyes and his scent was driving her crazy with . . . with something she didn’t want to think about.

       He grabs her hand and leads her into the music room, then slides the doors closed behind them.  Pulling her to him once more he asked, “Would you please do this?  Now that we’ve met, as crazy as it may sound to you but, I can't bear the thought of spending even one day without seeing you.”

       “But, like I said, you may not like my taste,” she said sincerely.

       Pressing his lips to hers, he tasted her sweetness.  When they finally pulled apart he murmured, “I love your taste, I . . . I can't live without it.” 

       She surprised him when she said, “You're pretty addictive yourself!”  Then after a long pause, “I could certainly use a better paying job, that's for sure.  What time do I get here tomorrow?”

       “I'll have a car sent over to pick you up.  Would ten in the morning be too early?”

       Melody stepped back and began to examine the room.  It was lovely.  “Why do you need me?  This room is perfect.”

       He at first looked pleased, then very upset, “You can't find anything that this room needs?”

       She began to really look at the room.  “Well, a vase of flowers on the piano would look nice, and some indirect lighting here and there might work.  I know a lovely tropical wall hanging that would be beautiful on that wall.”