Suddenly a Bride (4 page)

The baby bunched his nose and sneezed.  The action struck him as simple as it was cute, so he laughed.  The woman jerked and looked
over her shoulder at him.  Noting that she wasn’t happy with him,
he quickly apologized.  The man glared at him before he followed her through the door of the restaurant.

He didn’t know what he’d done to offend the couple but didn’t want to stand out as being “different” so he decided not to ask.  He waited until a woman with two plump kids entered the establishment before he entered it.

The place was filled with people
, and
from the
fact that two more cars pulled
into the parking lot,
it
was
going to be crowded in no time at all.  He watched the woman and her children sit at a booth
and decided to sit in the empty booth next to them.

He studied the faces to see if he could find Caitlyn.  The women behind him who l
aughed at something one of their
friends
said, didn’t look familiar.
Facing
the row of booths
in front of him
, he shifted on the plastic seat
,
but it was hard to make out every face when the back
s of people’s heads blocked his view
.  Maybe this was the wrong approach.  Maybe he
needed to get up and walk around
the place.

He made a move to stand when a woman came up to him carrying a notepad and pencil.  Her auburn hair fell in soft waves to her shoulders.  Her cheeks
, a pretty shade of pink,
were flushed from running around an
d taking orders
.  She had clear blue eyes and a charming smile.  There was something about
her
that
drew him to her, as if they shared the beginning of a connection.

Then he blinked and realized she resembled the woman in the picture, except she looked even better in person.
  “Are you Caitlyn Davis?”

“That’s what the name tag tells me,” she joked.

He frowned.  Was that h
ow people were named on this world
?  They were given name tags at birth?

Seeming to notice his confusion, she stopped chuckling
and cleared her throat.  “Yes,
I’m Caitlyn.  Am I supposed to know you?”

“No.  We’ve never met.  My name is Chris West.” If his body was ready for it, he’d emit the sex hormone right then and there, but
he couldn’t
and that was frustrating.

“Do you know someone who knows me?”

“No.” Her expression seemed worried, so he added, “My sense of humor isn’t very good.  It was supposed to be a joke.” Yes, it was a lie, but he sensed her unease and wished to alleviate that.

It worked.  Her body relaxed and she smiled again.  “What will you have to eat?”

He figured he probably should eat something, though he wasn’t sure how good the food would be on this planet.  “What do you recommend?”

“Well, the roast beef with gravy and mashed potatoes hasn’t killed anyone yet.”

At first he thought she was serious, but her laugh clued him into the fact that she was making another joke.  He laughed along, pretending he understood exactly why food
not killing
him would be funny.  “I’ll have that,” he said.

“And to drink?”

“Uh…” He wasn’t sure what he’d like, so he replied, “What do you suggest?”

She shrugged.  “I’m a glutton for punishment, so I drink soda.”

“What’s wrong with soda?”

“Too much sugar, unless you drink diet.
  Of course, there’s still that corn syrup to worry about.  If you want to play it safe, coffee works.”

“Coffee?” He recalled hearing that.  It was a common thing on Earth.  “I’ll have that.”

She nodded and jotted down his order.  “I’ll get that coffee in a minute.”

He felt a flicker of panic as she headed for the counter, but then relaxed when she didn’t leave the diner.  He tapped his fingers on the table and glanced out the window.  How long would it take for his body to be ready to ejaculate again?  Sighing, he leaned back in his seat and tried to be patient.  As long
as he stayed here and could watch her, he wouldn’t lose her.

She put a group of eight drinks on a tray and made her rounds giving them out, and as she set the coffee cup in front of him, she said, “It’s hot.”

For a minute he thought she meant that she was hot, but then he remembered that she wouldn’t be until he released the hormone
.  Her eyes were on the coffee cup as she said it, so the meaning was quick to deduct.

The course of the meal went without much conversation exchanged.  He knew it wasn’t the right time to talk to her because she and the other waitress made their rounds to the customers and did what they could to make them happy.  He didn’t mind the delay in their bonding since it occurred to him that he was getting a chance to see how she interacted with others, and he figured this would help him know just what kind of woman the agency set him up with.  She smiled and laughed a lot.  That relieved him.  So far “emotional” didn’t seem like a bad thing.

Little by little, the people shuffled out of the diner, content and full.  He bid his time until he could talk to her by filling up on more brownie sundaes than he cared to admit.  By the time he received his last one, he stared at it and thought he was going to throw up so he shoved it aside.  When Caitlyn glanced his way as she wiped down the table in front of him, he quickly brought it back
and dipped his spoon into it.  As soon as she went to the counter, he set the spoon down and groaned.  If he thought of food any
more, his mild stomach ache would get worse.

After what was probably ten minutes but seemed longer, Caitlyn came up to him and placed a piece of paper in front of him.  “You look like you’re ready to burst.”

“Burst?”

“You ate a lot.  Considering you’re not overweight, I’d like
to know where you put it all.”

“In my stomach.”

She chuckled.  “Anyway, that’s your bill.  Don’t be a stranger.  You were actually one of the nicest customers I’ve ever served.”

“Do you usually get mean ones?” he asked, trying to think of a way to get her to stay.  Now that the place was practically empty, she had time to talk, and he didn’t want to be thrown out.

“No.  Most people are nice, but some are more so than others.”

Before she could turn and leave, he said, “I’d like to talk to you, if you don’t mind?”

She paused for a moment, in the process of slipping the notepad
into the pocket of her apron.  “Well…” She sighed and let the notepad fall i
nto her pocket.  “I guess it won
’t hurt.” Sitting across from him, she brushed the hair out of her eyes and asked, “So, what’s on your mind?”

He searched for something to talk about.  Could he just come out and say,
Hi, I came from
Star
Systems Unlimited
and they gave me you as a wife!
  Somehow, he didn’t think that would be a good beginning.  He glanced at the sundae.  “Would you like something to eat?”

“Sorry.  I don’t eat ice cream soup, even if it is loaded with chocolate brownie bits.”

“You could have the roast beef with gravy and mashed potatoes.  It didn’t kill me.  I’m sure you’ll survive it too.”

A grin crossed her face and her eyes twinkled.  “You catch on fast.” She glanced over her shoulder at the other waitress who was taking four teenagers’ orders, and then she turned her attention back to him.  “I guess I could get something light.”

He breathed a sigh of relief.  Good.  Now, all he had to do was stall her for however long it to
ok his body to kick into gear.

“I’ll be back.”

She stood and walked over to the counter to pick out a slice of cake from the shelf next to the soda fountain.  The other waitress went over to her, and Caitlyn motioned to him.  Feeling self-conscious, he turned his gaze to the window.  The sun was still out but it was lower in the sky.  It wouldn’t be long before it was dark.

When she returned with the cake, a soda, and a fork, he focused on her.  He suddenly became aware of the shape of her breasts under her dress
.  Shouldn’t he have noticed them sooner?  He wondered if she looked anything like those drawings he’d seen of naked women on his home world.  With clothes on, she resembled the female of his species.  Surely, she’d be similar in every aspect?

Unlike last time, the
tingling of his body was a welcome sensation
.  It was time.  He could finally initiate the bonding ceremony.

“Do you live in Crestview?” She took a forkful of cake and ate it.

“Yes.  I just got here.”
Literally.

“Really?  Where did you come from?”

“
Pandoran
,” he whispered.  He focused on her and willed the release of the sex hormone, knowing that as he did, there would be no going back for either of them.  That is, if the hormone affected her like it had affected females on his world.

Her eyebrows furrowed.  “Where?”

“
Pandoran
.”

She paused as she cut into the cake again and shook her head.  “I’ve never heard of that town.  What state did you move from?”

He studied her for a moment to make sure the hormone was taking effect.  He felt the link going out from his body to hers but so far, it didn’t seem to connect.

After she took a drink of soda, she asked, “Is it in Florida?”

“No.” He wiped his hands on his pants.  He was beginning to feel warmer than usual.  Didn’t she notice the change in body temperature?

“Are you going to tell me what state you’re from or are you going to make me list each one?”

He shrugged.  If he knew the agency would send him to the United States, he would have memorized each state.  Besides, he wasn’t interested in this particular conversation right now.  They could discuss where he came from after they sealed the bond.

He tapped his fingers on the table and glanced out the window.  He estimated that they had about twenty to thirty minutes before he had to either have sex with her or ejaculate in his clothes again—and there was no way he was doing the latter.  Once was more than enough.

“You’re not much of a talker, are you?” she finally asked before she ate another piece of cake.

“I’m not sure what to say,” he admitted.

He didn’t want to lose her attention now that he had it.  He realized he needed to keep up a conve
rsation, but it was hard when his
mind was beginning to pick up subtle things about her, like the way she smelled—a light flowery scent.  His fingers itched to touch the soft strands of her wavy hair, to touch her
fair skin, to kiss her rosy lips.  His heart rate picked up.

“Well, you could start with your name.  You said your name is Chris…  What was the last name?”

He had to think for a moment before he recalled it.  “West.” He might as well get used to his Earth name now that he had one.
  Clearing his throat, he said, “My name is Chris West.”

“Got a job?” She drank more of her soda.

Was the ceremony not going to take place?  Maybe Earth women were compatible with him, but maybe the sex hormone had no effect on them.  He hid his disappointment.  He didn’t know how else he was going to bond with her if they didn’t go through
with
the ceremony.

And then he noticed she picked up
a clean napkin and dabbed her forehead.  His relief was overwhelming.  It was starting to work on her.

She looked at him and shook her head.  “You don’t have to be shy,” she assured him with a kind smile.  “I promise I don’t bite.”

He returned her smile.  “What did you ask again?”

“If you have a job?”

“Not yet.  Back where I used to live
,
I worked with numbers.”

“So you’re a whiz at math, huh?  That was my worst subject.” She picked up her cup and drained the rest of the soda.  Then she pressed the glass to her forehead.  “Is it me or is it hot in here?” She put the glass down and turned around in her seat.  “Sandy, is the air conditioner busted again?”

“Nope,” the other wa
itress said as she carried several
pl
ates on a tray to
the
four teenagers
.

He decided to take that as his cue.  “You want to get some fresh air?”

“That might be a good idea.” She stood up and collected their dishes.  “I’ll be right back.”

He wondered, for a split second, if she really would return but then recalled that she was link
ed to him now, even though the link
was a very thin one.  She’d have to return to complete the process.  Sure enough, she came back with her purse and stuffed an envelope into it.