The Bride's Unexpected Change in Plans (6 page)

“Just enough time to get dinner ready. What do you feel like?”

He had a ready comeback for a double-edged question like that, but it wasn’t really appropriate to say to a woman who was his to protect but not his to love.

“I think perhaps I should cook tonight.”

She did a lousy job of hiding her wince. Okay, he wasn’t exactly good at cooking, but she needed to rest. He could see her trying to come up with a valid argument that wouldn’t insult him, so he decided to compromise. “How about I’ll order dinner for delivery while you take a nap?”

She looked ready to argue that point, too, but a wide, jaw-cracking yawn took her by surprise. She laughed softly, obviously realizing she wasn’t going to win this argument. “Okay, I’ll sleep, you order dinner, and you and Dayved can wake me when it’s ready. Deal?”

“Deal,” he said, holding his hand out to shake like humans seemed to prefer. She took his hand, her small palm and delicate fingers nearly getting lost in his big paw. But this time the touch was different, something happened, some sort of awareness zipped through them both. He found himself staring at her lips, wondering what she would taste like. She ripped her hand from his, her fingers shaking as she pushed her hair behind her ear nervously. He could see that she’d sensed something between them as well.

“W–We should go,” she said as she turned toward the parking lot. She walked quickly, and he stayed close, not only hyperaware of his duty to protect her but now of the woman herself also. He’d always been alert for danger, always been willing to do whatever it might take to keep her safe, but now, somehow, it seemed even more important.

The trip home was quiet. Kimberley closed her eyes, but it was obvious to him that she wasn’t asleep. He was almost relieved when she woke easily, walked herself into the apartment, and went straight into her own bedroom. Carrying her to bed, despite the fact that he’d done it before, suddenly seemed far more intimate than it should have.

He was still contemplating the shift in his emotions when Dayved arrived home.

* * * *

As soon as he stepped through the doorway Dayved sensed something was wrong.

“What happened? Where’s Kimberley?” he asked when he saw his tredella sitting on the sofa.

“She’s sleeping,” Ewin said. He patted the sofa in a clear invitation for Dayved to sit beside him, but despite Ewin’s calm demeanor, Dayved couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Just sleeping. I’ve ordered dinner for delivery. It should be here in about a half an hour.”

“Are you all right?” Dayved asked, studying his lover closely.

Ewin gave him a half laugh. “I’m not sure. This morning I would have said everything was fine, but well, something happened when I went to collect Kimberley from work.”

“Something like what?” Dayved couldn’t explain the fear coursing through him. It was concern for his tredella and the woman they were protecting, but it was also more—a type of deep-seated feeling or a sixth sense that told him something was off kilter.

Ewin must have registered the anxiety in his voice because he turned suddenly to look at him. He scrubbed a hand down his face in a very Ewin-like show of agitation. “I’m sorry,” he said on a deep exhale of air. “I’m messing this up. Everything is fine. Kimberley is just tired. I’m just…” His words trailed off as if he couldn’t quite explain his own state of mind. “I’m just imagining things that aren’t there.” He sat up straighter as if he pushed aside whatever was on his mind. “How was your day? Did your presentation go as planned?”

Dayved frowned at his lover but decided to accept the change in topic. Whatever was going on, Ewin would tell him when he was ready. It made the man very frustrating to live with on occasions, but it was definitely part of his overall charm. Ewin never discussed a topic of concern unless he also had the solution sorted out as well.

With one last glance at the closed door to Kimberley’s bedroom, he sat beside his lover and told him about his day.

* * * *

Kimberley lay in bed and tried not to listen to the conversation in the next room. It was good news that Dayved’s presentation had gone smoothly, but since she wasn’t really part of the family or a part of the current conversation, eavesdropping just seemed wrong.

When they fell silent, she used her imagination to fill in the blanks. For the past seven weeks she’d been listening through the wall to them make love to each other. She’d never even considered a physical expression of love between two men until she’d arrived on Descon, but her education had caught up quickly once she’d had access to the information Desconians took for granted.

She’d seen them kiss and hug affectionately, but unlike what she understood as common Desconian behavior, they didn’t walk around naked or invite others over to share their voyeuristic tendencies. She was fairly certain they had those. Why else would they have three large beds in a single room? They’d been quick to move her bed out of there, so she had to assume that the guest bed was very literally for guests to watch them make love to each other.

She was definitely curtailing their natural behavior simply by being there.

Feeling restless and out of sorts, Kimberley climbed out of bed to use the bathroom. She tiptoed so that she wouldn’t disrupt their time together. She was concentrating so hard that she couldn’t control the startled scream when she slammed into Ewin coming out of the bathing area.

He pulled her close, steadying her for a moment—a long moment—before stepping back and giving her a concerned smile.

“Are you okay?”

“Sorry,” she said, trying to hide her embarrassment. “I thought you were in the bedroom.”

“Everything all right?” Dayved asked from behind them. He stood at the end of the hallway, a blanket from the bed wrapped hastily around his hips.

“Sorry,” she said again, not certain what to say. So much for staying out of their way. “Just startled. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She tried to inch away so that she could run back to her bedroom. “I’m really, really sorry.”

“Hey,” Dayved said, moving toward her, the blanket dragging behind him. “Kimberley, it’s okay. Dinner will be here soon. We probably didn’t really have time anyway.” He looked at his lover, a wry smile forming on his lips as he shrugged.

“Oh,” she said, feeling even more wretched. They wouldn’t have had to retreat to their bedroom if she hadn’t been under their feet. The worst part was that, with her immigration status still undecided and deportation a real possibility, she didn’t even have the choice of giving them some space. The only reason she was still on the planet was because these two men had fought hard for her to be able to stay. Trouble was that it made her their responsibility until they could find a suitable Desconian couple to take her off their hands. “Maybe I should go h–home.”

“No!” Ewin said immediately. Dayved stepped closer, cupped her chin with his hand, and lifted her face. He searched her eyes as if he could see deep into her soul. Hell, maybe he could. He’d shown an uncanny knack of sensing when she was feeling down.

“Why?” Dayved asked as he locked his gaze with hers. Ewin looked angry, but he didn’t question his tredellabina’s calm attitude.

“Because I’m interrupting your lives.”

“In what way?” Dayved seemed just a little too calm. It was prickling her skin with awareness as he apparently watched every frantic thought that went through her head.

“In what way?” she parroted inanely. “Are you kidding me?” She glanced at Ewin, noticed that he’d dragged on a loose pair of pants just to go to the bathing area in his own house, and then turned back to Dayved. “Desconian marriages are uninhibited and natural and…and…and naked…and I’m ruining that for you. I’m getting in the way.”

“Sweetheart,” Dayved said as he guided her to sit on the sofa. He gently pushed Ewin to sit down beside her. “Kimberley, it’s not that big a deal. Many of our friends have children these days. Our friends no longer get to wander their houses naked. It’s no big deal.”

“But I’m not a child. I’m not even your responsibility. I’m just a reject nobody wanted.” Her voice came out sounding more sulky than was probably warranted. Hell, they must think her the most ungrateful person in the universe. They’d taken her into their home when it truly hadn’t been their problem to deal with. They’d protected her, fought for her, given her a second chance to claim the life she’d come to Descon seeking.

But, fair or not, it really annoyed her to be compared to the disruption a child brought to a happy marriage. The worst part was it reminded her that despite seven weeks of being immersed in a culture where sex and sexuality were
not
considered evil and the fast track to hell, that she was still a virgin. She hadn’t even experienced this thing called orgasm. In the quiet of her room, late at night, she’d even tried to recreate some of the things she’d seen on the “inspirational” videos, but she hadn’t been certain she was even doing it right.

“Kimberley,” Ewin said, placing his arm around her shoulders the way he did when he was protecting her, “we enjoy having you here. You’re not a bother, and we don’t mind—”

“But I mind,” she said, cutting off whatever he was going to say. “I hate that you feel the need to treat me like a child.”

“A what?” Dayved asked. He looked genuinely confused. “Why would you think we’re treating you like a child?”

“Because you cover up and you have sex behind closed doors, and it’s obvious that it wasn’t always that way. I mean you had three beds in your bedroom, but since I’ve been here you haven’t even had any visitors.”

“Have too,” Dayved said with a smile on his face.

“But not for…a…um… What do you call them?”

“A play party,” Ewin supplied helpfully.

“Yes a play party. And you can’t go out without me, so I know you two aren’t living your lives the way you should be, the way you did before I crash-landed into your lives. I just…I don’t…I think maybe you should…”

“We should what, honey?”

“Have friends over. Do what you normally do. Pretend I’m not here. I’ll go into my room. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“What if we want you here?” Dayved asked with a raised eyebrow. Ewin laughed, the deep sound reverberating through her upper body.

“What do you mean?”

“Well we’ve established that you’re an adult, that you aren’t offended by our lifestyle, and that you’re curious about things that are outlawed on Earth.”

“Some aren’t illegal,” she said reflexively, confused by her need to defend a planet that would likely vilify her for her behavior on this one, even though she hadn’t actually indulged in any of the things the government of Earth considered immoral.

“Sounds like a rather boring way to procreate, though,” Ewin said, sounding far happier than she expected him to feel. “We know you’re curious about Descon lifestyles. While we search for the perfect Descon couple for you to love, you are very welcome to watch us together.”

“That does sound like fun,” Dayved said as the door chime announced the arrival of their dinner.

* * * *

Ewin could feel her trembling, the idea apparently either appealing greatly or scaring her witless. Goddess, he hoped it was the first choice. The thought of having her watch him and Dayved together filled him with an excitement he’d never felt with any of their other friends. There was something special about Kimberley, and a part of him really wanted to explore it. Unfortunately, the part of him loyal to his tredellabina remembered the pact they’d made five years ago. They’d briefly considered adding a woman to their lives, but with so few available and even fewer able to procreate, it just seemed like too much hard work at the time.

He had a wonderful relationship with Dayved. He shouldn’t even be contemplating wanting more. But the woman sitting beside him made him want more. Suddenly the thought of living his entire life without a third to complete their triad seemed a little empty. He pulled Kimberley just a little closer as he acknowledged that he wasn’t thinking about some faceless woman they may or may not meet one day in the future. His emotions were very specifically tied to the woman in his arms.

The knowing look Dayved gave him as he passed through the living area with the food delivery in his arms seemed to suggest that his lover knew exactly what he was thinking. But it was a discussion they needed to have together before they involved Kimberley. There was no way he would put the human woman in a situation where she could be rejected again.

He stood up, helped Kimberley to her feet, and together they headed into the eating area where Dayved was serving out dinner.

* * * *

Dayved watched his lover with the woman who’d somehow filled a gap in their lives that they hadn’t even noticed was there. It was natural for a relationship to ebb and flow, to change and evolve and occasionally slow down, but Kimberley’s addition wasn’t really a part of that. It was somehow more. Almost like the completion of a circle. It made their lives better even in parts that had been perfect before.

And if he wasn’t mistaken, his lover was thinking the same things.

They needed to talk, to discuss the possibility of a future that neither of them had been looking for but had maybe found anyway. But perhaps there was something he could do in the meanwhile. He joined them at the table, smiled at his lover’s happy grin, and turned his attention to Kimberley.

“Are you sure about wanting to watch us together? There’s no rush. If you want to take your time to think about it, we understand.”

“It’s all I seem to think about,” Kimberley said, looking embarrassed as the words left her mouth. “I mean…oh, heavens.” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “That’s exactly what I mean.” She blushed prettily but forged on with her explanation. “I came to Descon expecting to learn about sex and sexuality and all the things that were considered dirty on my planet, yet I find myself feeling even more repressed than I did on Earth.”