Runaway Bride (Across the Stars: Book 2) (14 page)

Chapter Fifteen

When Mark woke up, the first thing he noticed was the sunlight hitting his eyes.  Wincing, he forced his eyes open and saw that he hadn’t pulled the curtains completely shut.  Closing his eyes again, he rolled onto his side so that the light wasn’t hitting them anymore.  He reached for Lexie, but the spot next to him was empty.  His eyes flew open and he jerked up.  It took him a moment to realize the shower was running in the bathroom.

Relieved, he settled back on the bed and released his breath.  He’d hate to think she regretted her decision and was on her way back to Florida.  He needed to establish the life-mate relationship with her.  The sooner he did, the sooner he’d feel secure.  Now he had a greater appreciation for how uncertain Chris had been when he wasn’t sure if Caitlyn loved him or not.  He turned toward the clock by the bed and saw it was a little after eight.  Twenty-four hours.  He had now officially been off the pill for twenty-four hours, and the average time the effects of the pill should wear off was between fourteen to twenty-four hours.

The shower went off and he directed his attention to the closed bathroom door.  When Lexie opened it, she had a towel wrapped around her body and was patting her hair dry with a smaller towel.  Her smile set his mind at ease.  Good.  She was still happy to be with him.

Returning her smile, he asked, “Did you sleep well?”

“I did, but did you?”

“Yes.  I was with you.”

She came over to him and sat down, her side pressing nicely against his.  “I worried you wouldn’t be able to sleep much.  You know, because you didn’t receive your pleasure.”

Touched she was concerned about him, he held her close and kissed her.  “I was tired, so I needed my sleep.” And he needed time for the stupid pill to wear off.

“Well, since you’re all rested, we can continue what we started,” she replied, her tone light and a mischievous smile replacing the innocent one she had just moments before.

Before he could respond, she set aside the towel she was drying her hair with and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a long kiss.  He parted his lips and was delighted when she deepened the kiss, her tongue intermingling with his.  She smelled wonderful.  She felt wonderful.  Everything about her was so completely wonderful.  And the best thing of all was the fact that she wanted to be with him.

She gently nudged him until he settled back onto the bed.  She removed her towel, and his hands roamed over her body, exploring her soft curves, which were still damp from the shower.  How he wanted to initiate the bonding ceremony, to experience the full pleasure of their physical union.  But though his mind was more than willing, his body was still unresponsive to go through with it.

She straddled him, her hands on his belt.  “I want to feel you inside me,” she murmured, kissing his neck.

He wanted to be inside her, too, but right now, there was no way it was going to happen.  He didn’t know whether to panic or cry.  Finally, he settled for stopping her from undoing his belt and said, “I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Oh, I didn’t even think you might… I should have realized since you just woke up.” Her face a pretty shade of pink, she got off of him.  “I’m sorry.  Go ahead.”

To say it was awkward was a huge understatement.  He had to delay the consummation of their marriage somehow, and a quick trip to the bathroom wasn’t going to do it.  He needed more time.  Sitting up, he saw that his cell phone had fallen out of his pocket at some point in the middle of the night so he picked it off the floor and tucked it into his pocket.  “I should take a shower.”

That mischievous smile of hers returning, she gave him a wink.  “Want some company?”

“Uh…” Of course, he wanted company.  What kind of question was that?  But he couldn’t.  “Actually, I’m hungry.” Yes, that would work!  “Starving.  Aren’t you hungry?”

“A little, but I can wait.”

“Well, I can’t.  My stomach is growling.  I can’t make love on an empty stomach.” That wasn’t true at all, and looking at her, naked and willing on the bed, was the most frustrating thing he’d ever gone through.  Pushing aside his regret, he tentatively asked, “Do you mind waiting?”

Though her smile faltered, she gathered her towel and wrapped it around her body, concealing the view he enjoyed so much.  “No.  I don’t mind.  We can wait until after breakfast.”

Great.  Now he felt awful.  She was one of the sweetest people he’d ever known.  Never demanding anything from anyone.  Doing everything she could to accommodate others.  It made her such a lovely wife…and he felt like a complete jerk for telling her no.

Tucking the towel into place, she asked, “Aren’t you going to go to the bathroom?”

“I can give you another orgasm, like I did last night,” he offered.

“I can wait.  Besides, I’d rather wait until you’re ready.  We should eat first.” She retrieved her purse.  Opening it, she pulled out her comb then glanced at him.  “I don’t need the bathroom.  You can go in.”

Not knowing what he might say to make the situation better, he went to the bathroom.  He did have to go, and he might as well take a shower while he was in there, especially since he had no change of clothes.  That was something they needed to do today: buy some clothes.  He’d make sure to buy her a ring while they were at it.

After he went to the bathroom, he removed his clothes and set the cell phone on the counter.  His mind turned to Chris.  If there was anyone who could understand his dilemma, it was him.  He opened the phone and dialed Chris’ number.  Hopefully, Lexie wouldn’t hear him on the phone since the shower was going.

To Mark’s relief, Chris picked up on the third ring.  “Hi, Mark.  Caitlyn said you and Lexie made it into Las Vegas.”

“Yeah.  We’re here.” Lowering his voice, he asked, “What did it feel like when your hormone inhibitor pill wore off?”

“It didn’t feel like anything at first.”

“Okay.” So far, so good.  He didn’t feel anything.  Maybe the pill was wearing off right now.

“Then I felt warm.  At first, I thought I was sitting under a heater vent.  It got increasingly warmer until I was hot enough to have sweat trickling down my back.”

Bummer.  Mark didn’t feel warm at all.  “How long did you feel that way before you had an erection?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes.” After a pause, he asked, “What’s this about?  Didn’t you already go through the bonding ceremony?”

As much as it shamed him, he admitted, “No.”

“How long has it been since you took your last pill?”

“Twenty-four hours,” he muttered.

“That long?  And you haven’t had an erection yet?”

“I know.  It’s horrible.”

“But it does say the average length of time can be—”

“I know.  Fourteen to twenty-four hours.  I don’t get it.  Was there anything you did that helped you get an erection?”

“No.  It just happened.”

Mark groaned and rubbed his eyes.  “You were so lucky.”

“I didn’t think so when it first happened.”

At the moment, Mark would have traded an embarrassing first time ejaculation over this very frustrating process of waiting.  “Do you have any ideas on what I can do to get things going?”

“No, I don’t.  But you know, twenty-four hours is in the average range.  Some men take longer.”

Mark gritted his teeth.  “And yet, none of the men I talked to back home had to wait this long.”

“You already exchanged vows with Lexie, so you know she’s willing to go through the bonding ceremony with you.”

“A lot of good that does me when I can’t do it.”

“Did you explain how it works for us on our world?”

“Kind of.”

“What do you mean ‘kind of’?”

Mark crossed his arms and turned his back to the mirror, leaning his backside against the counter.  “I told her the bonding ceremony is how we marry on our world.”

“And?”

“That was the only relevant thing she needed to know.”

“Then.”

“Then?” Mark asked, sensing there was something else Chris wanted to say.

“Since it’s taking you longer, you should tell her why.”

“It’s embarrassing.  Men on Earth can just do it.  They don’t have to wait until their stupid pill wears off.”

“But Earth men don’t have the ability to tell when their wives are fertile so they can guarantee conception.  We also have a connection to the baby as it’s growing in the womb.  It’s a neat experience.  Babies are amazing.”

“Well, at the rate I’m going, there won’t be a baby.” Mark groaned and paced the bathroom.  “There has to be something I can do to get things going.”

“There isn’t.  The pill will wear off when it wears off.  There’s no point in worrying about it.  Why don’t you take Lexie out and have a good time?  It’ll help take your mind off of it.  Then when you’re ready, you can go back to the room.  Just make sure you’re not too far from where you’re staying.  You don’t want anything to happen in public.”

Mark softly opened the bathroom door and peeked into the room.  Lexie was in her dress, and she was applying her lipstick.  Good.  She was still there.  He shut the door and turned his attention back to Chris.  “You’re right.  I can’t spend all day stressing out over this.” And who knew?  Maybe stress was aggravating his problem.  “If you think of anything to help my situation, will you give me a call?”

“Sure.”

Mark said good-bye and hung up.  With nothing else to do but enjoy the day, he hopped into the shower.  When he was done washing up, he got dressed.  If nothing else, new clothes would be nice.  He wouldn’t mind adding some deodorant, a razor, and aftershave to the list of items to buy.  And a comb.  He definitely needed a comb.  He ran his fingers through his hair until he was presentable then left the bathroom.

His gaze fell on Lexie who had pulled one of the curtains aside so she could check out the city.  She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him.  “It’s a beautiful sunny day.”

“It is,” he replied and walked over to her.  “You ready to get something to eat?”

“Yeah.” She kissed him then brushed her fingers along his jaw.  “I kind of like the rugged, unshaven look on you.”

“Do you?” He touched the stubble on his face and wondered if he should keep it since she said she liked it.

“I do, but I also like you clean shaven.  Either way, you’re good looking.”

Pleased she thought so, he gave her a hug and kissed her.  “Today is better because you’re sharing it with me.  After breakfast, I’d like to get you a wedding ring.  It’d be nice to see you wearing something that says we belong together.”

“Do you plan to get one, too?”

“Of course.” He clasped his hand around hers.  “You’re mine and I’m yours.”

“That sounds lovely.”

“It is.” Noting the way her smile lit up her face, he pressed her hand to his heart.  “I’m lucky to have you.  You have no idea how thankful I am I found you.”

After they shared another kiss, he led her out of the room and to the restaurant downstairs.

Chapter Sixteen

The bell above the door rang and Sandy looked up as she poured coffee into a woman’s empty cup.  Caitlyn stepped into the diner and waved before she sat on the barstool at the counter.

“Do you know what you want to eat?” Sandy asked the woman.

“I’ll have the BLT with fries,” the woman replied and handed her the menu.

“It’ll be ready in a few minutes.” After she handed Jack the order, she went over to Caitlyn.  “You want some coffee, tea, milk, or soda?”

Giving her friend a sympathetic smile, Caitlyn said, “I want to know how my best friend is doing.”

Sandy wiped down the already clean counter so she wouldn’t have to make eye contact with her.  “I’m fine.  Mark and Lexie will be happy together.”

“Yeah, I know, but honestly, if I’d had any idea he was interested in her, I never would have tried to fix you up with him.”

Sandy smiled at her friend.  “I know.  Chris was a dork for not telling you Mark’s been pursuing Lexie ever since your wedding.”

“Hey, he’s not a dork.  Okay.  Maybe he was a little dorky for not saying anything, but he didn’t realize what he was doing.  He thought there was no way Lexie was going to ditch the doctor to be with Mark.”

“You explained all of that when you drove me home from the engagement party.  I already told you that I’m the one who told Lexie to run off with Mark.  I could have told her he was a freak who lied to her, but I didn’t.” It hurt to do that.  She really liked Mark.  He seemed like a great guy.  She swallowed the lump in her throat.  “I knew what I was doing.  Besides, it’s for the best.”

“I just want to see you with someone who’ll treat you right.”

Sandy finished wiping the counter and turned to her friend.  “I gave it careful thought last night, and I decided I’m not meant to be with someone.  My lot in life is to be single.”

“No, I can’t believe that.”

“Why not?  Not everyone gets married.”

“I know that, but you have so much to offer a man.”

“No, I don’t.  It’s for the best Mark ended up with Lexie instead of me.” And in hopes of ending this conversation before it took an uncomfortable turn, she asked, “What would you like to drink?  Soda?”

Caitlyn seemed ready to pursue the topic but then she sighed.  “Hot chocolate.”

“Hot chocolate?  You rarely drink that.”

“Yeah, well, I think my weird cravings are starting to come back.”

Chuckling, she grabbed a cup and poured hot chocolate in it before adding whip cream.  “That baby of yours has good taste.  You can’t go wrong with chocolate.” She set the cup in front of her friend.

“Tell that to my waistline.”

“You’re pregnant.  You’re not supposed to be concerned about your waistline.”

“I just worry what it’ll look like after the baby is born.”

“We can join a gym and exercise if you need to get back into shape.  It’s easier to stick with it if you have a friend to go with.”

“Thanks.  You’re a good friend.”

Giving her a teasing grin, she said, “Yeah, I know.”

Caitlyn tossed a napkin in her direction, but she dodged it.  “Don’t get a swell head.”

Chuckling, Sandy picked up the napkin, tossed it in the trash and took Caitlyn’s order.

***

“This is a big selection,” Lexie thoughtfully stated as she examined the rings enclosed in the glass case.  “What do you think?”

“I think you should get what you want,” Mark told her.

The woman behind the counter finished helping another customer and returned to them.  “Have you made a decision yet?”

Mark pointed to a solid gold band with a strip of silver in the middle.  “I like this one for myself.”

“It’s one of the more popular ones we sell,” she said as she reached into the case.

“That is a nice ring,” Lexie commented, studying the set of rings as the woman put them on the counter.  “Do you know what size you are?” she asked him.

He shook his head.  “Nope.  I’ve never worn a ring before.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” the woman said.  “Try this one.  It’s a size ten.”

Mark took the ring from her and slid it on his finger.

“What do you think?” Lexie asked.

Twisting it on his finger, he said, “I think it’s a perfect fit.  Not too tight, not too loose.”

“Just like ‘Goldilocks and The Three Bears’,” the woman joked.

Eyebrows furrowed, Mark tried to recall what Goldilocks and three bears meant in the American culture.  After doing all the research he had, it was frustrating to realize he missed something.

Chuckling, Lexie wrapped her arm around his.  “It’s a story about a girl who wandered into a house owned by three bears while they went for a walk.  The baby bear’s stuff suited her best so she ate his porridge, sat in his chair, and slept in his bed.”

“That was rude of her,” he commented before he had time to consider this was just a story, not something that really happened.

“Yeah, I guess it was,” she agreed.

“But it was better than what the wolf pulled in ‘Little Red Riding Hood’,” the woman chimed in.

“True,” Lexie replied.

Now he was familiar with the story about the girl wearing the red cloak and the wolf that followed her in the forest.  Feeling better, he relaxed.  “I’ll take this one.  What do you want, Lexie?”

Lexie turned back to the women’s wedding bands.  “I know you want me to make this decision without your input, but I really want to know what you like.  You’re my husband, and when I look at the ring, I want to think of you.”

“Okay, but I want to make sure you like it,” he said.

“Deal.”

He studied the rows of rings, mentally picturing how they’d look on her finger.  Based on what he learned about her, a simple style would suit her best.  Simple and elegant.  Finally, his eyes settled on the heart-shaped diamond set in yellow gold.  “How about that one?”

“It’s beautiful.” Lexie looked up at the woman.  “Do you have that in a size seven?”

“I’m sure I do.” She sorted through the tags on the rings and found one with a seven on it.  “Here it is.  Try this on.”

“Are you trying it on because you like it or because I picked it out?” Mark asked, wanting to be sure he wasn’t leading her to make a decision like her mother and Nick did.

“Both,” Lexie replied as she put the ring on and examined it.

His mind at ease, he watched as she extended her hand and wiggled her fingers.  “What are you doing?”

“Seeing how it sparkles in the light.” She grinned.  “I like the way diamonds sparkle, especially in sunlight.  I’d like this ring,” she told the woman.

As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.  “I think that’s it,” he told the woman.

“You two have great taste,” the woman said and led them to the cash register.  “I’ll get boxes for you to put the rings in and be right back.”

He nodded and took out his wallet.  Glancing at his watch, he saw it was ten.  A quick mental check over his body told him he wasn’t any more ready to initiate the bonding ceremony than he’d been when he woke up.  Twenty-six hours.  It’d been twenty-six hours since he took the last pill.  Struggling to push aside his unease, he forced his attention back to the woman and paid for the rings.

Once the transaction was complete, he followed Lexie out of the store.  She had such a great walk.  Her hips swayed gently from side to side, and her legs were shapely.  When she turned to face him, his gaze went to the curve of her breasts.  He blinked in surprise.  Surely, he noticed all of that about her before.  Or maybe he hadn’t.  He was sure he hadn’t.  He’d noticed that she was a very attractive woman, one of the most beautiful he’d seen on Earth, but he didn’t recall examining her in such a sensual way.

“Do you want to go back to our room?” she asked him.

Lifting his gaze so he was looking at her eyes, he tried to figure out what she said.

Amused, she took his hand in hers.  “Are you shocked because of all the money you spent?”

“No.  I… I…” Should he tell her what he’d been thinking?

“I can get a different ring.  This one was a little pricey.”

“No.” He stopped her before she could go back into the store.  “The ring wasn’t too expensive.  I was,” his face warmed, “checking you out.”

A pleased smile crossed her face.  “Yeah?”

“You know you’re gorgeous, don’t you?”

“I don’t make it a habit of checking myself out that way, but it’s nice that you do.  So,” she stepped closer to him, “do you want to go back to our room?”

He wanted to say yes.  How he wanted to say yes!  But he still wasn’t ready.  He had to stall her and he wanted to do it in the least embarrassing way possible.  After brainstorming reasons he was, once again, delaying the bonding ceremony, he said,  “Actually, I was thinking…  We aren’t going to return to Florida until Monday...”

She giggled.  “Yes, I already know that.”

“We wore these clothes yesterday.” He motioned to their outfits.  “We should find another outfit to wear for tomorrow and pick up a couple things like deodorant and whatnot.”

“You want to do that before we go back to the room?”

“Yes.  Do you mind?”

“No, I don’t mind.”

“Great.  Let’s get some clothes.” Taking her hand, he headed down the sidewalk and motioned to the nearest clothing store.  It wasn’t far from their hotel.  Just in case the pill actually wore off, he did want to make sure they could make it to their room.  That was, if his body would cooperate with his mind.  Despite his anxiety, he smiled and added in what he hoped was a carefree tone, “I don’t know about you, but I hate wearing the same thing two days in a row.”

“Me too.  It will be nice to have something different to wear.”

***

Two hours and two stores later, Mark had purchased the clothes he wanted, but Lexie was still undecided about what type of dress she wanted.  As she came out of the dressing room, she looked at him.  “I’m sorry it’s taking me so long to pick out my last outfit.”

“I don’t mind,” he replied.  “Take all the time you need.”

And sadly, he hoped she would.  It was twenty-eight hours since he took the pill, and he still wasn’t ready to release the sex hormone.  At this point, he was beginning to think he wouldn’t be able to do it.  He wouldn’t be able to consummate their marriage and establish a life bond with her.

She approached him and knelt beside him.  “I’m so used to having my mother with me when I get clothes, I don’t even know what to pick.”

“Pick what you like.”

“I know it sounds like it should be that easy, but it’s not.  When I look at the dresses, I wonder if I’m interested in them because it’s what I want or if it’s something she’d like.  Does that make sense?”

With a smile, he stroked her back.  “It does.  And that’s why it’s good for you to be here without her.  You should discover what it is you like.”

“But what if you don’t like it?”

“Lexie, anything will look good on you.  You’re hot.”

She chuckled and stood up.  “You have a way with words, Mark Tanner.”

He chuckled and gave her a light tap on the behind.  “Now, go and find something else to try on.”

“Okay.”

Seeming happier and more relaxed, Lexie went back to the dress rack and sorted through the ones she hadn’t tried on yet.  Mark hadn’t realized how many decisions her mother had made for her.  Being here without her mom was the best thing she ever did for herself.  He shifted in the chair and released his breath.  Thank goodness the people in charge of this place thought to put comfortable chairs throughout the stores for their customers or else his feet would have given up on him long ago.

He focused on the music playing in the store.  Though he knew the composer hadn’t intended it, Mark couldn’t help but think of the art gallery, which also played instrumental pieces.  Thinking of the art gallery reminded him of the painting with those circles of various sizes on it.  He imagined the circles spinning around, looping through each other, and changing colors.

He didn’t realize his mind had wandered off until Lexie gently shook his arm to get his attention.  Straightening in the chair, he asked, “Did you find a dress you like?”

Giving him an amused smile, she turned and posed for him.  “What do you think of this one?”

His gaze swept over her, noting the pink and red floral print that covered the white dress which reached her knees.  The heart-shaped neckline hinted at her cleavage, something that especially drew his attention.  He recalled the way her breasts felt the previous night and his fingers itched to touch them again.  There was so much he wanted to do with her.  Even if he couldn’t engage in the bonding ceremony, he would love to repeat what he did to her last night.

Forcing his thoughts away from how she looked naked, he said, “Lexie, that dress enhances your beauty.”

“You really think so?” she asked as she ran her hands down the skirt part of her dress.