Victoria and the Alien Doctor (Intergalactic Brides 2) (9 page)

Closing the bedroom door quietly, he left a note for Victoria on the sofa in case she woke and wondered where they were, then made sure he had his phone with him in case she called. Evie bounced out of her bedroom with a crooked ponytail and her purple unicorn shorts outfit on. It had been her favorite of the things he’d purchased for her that first day.

She clasped his hand and they softly walked to the door, closed it quietly, and then rode the elevator down to the lobby. He hadn’t thought to call Ned, but Xonos figured there had to be someone who could give them a ride to the store. But as he exited the elevators, he was surprised to see not only Ned sitting on the couches nearby, but several other drivers.

“Is something going on I should know about?” he asked as he approached Ned.

“There are several dignitaries staying at the hotel right now. We just dropped off a new batch and were told to make sure drivers were available in case we’re needed. But if you need to go somewhere, I can call the station and have them send another driver to take my place here.”

“Evie wants a swimsuit and some of those float things for the pool. And I’ve decided it’s time for me to change my wardrobe a bit. Do you know of any stores open this early?”

“There are two stores nearby that are open twenty-four hours. I can take you to one of them. The clothes won’t be the quality you’re used to though. You might want to wait on human clothes until you can go to the mall.”

“I want to surprise Victoria so I’ll grab at least one outfit while I’m there.”

Ned looked at the boots on Xonos’ feet. “Might want some sneakers too.”

Xonos eyebrows rose.

Ned pointed to a young man across the lobby wearing clothes like Xonos wanted to purchase. “That guy is wearing sneakers.”

“Ah. Yes, of course. I’ll make sure I get some.”

“And socks,” Ned added. “You don’t want to wear sneakers without socks.”

Xonos nodded. “I’m sure I’ll need some… what do you call it? Underwear?”

“If you’re wearing jeans, I’d recommend it. The zipper can be painful if you get anything important caught in it.”

Xonos laughed. “Yes, we definitely don’t want that. All right, Ned. We’re all yours. Take us to whichever store you think would be best.”

Evie held tightly onto his hand as they approached the limo, then she cuddled up next to him when they had climbed inside. It didn’t take long to reach the store and Xonos was impressed with the wide variety of inventory. They seemed to carry a little bit of everything, and while Ned claimed the quality of the clothes wasn’t as good as some of the shops in the mall, he didn’t see anything wrong with them.

He allowed Evie to pick out her bathing suit, grateful that he remembered her size. Then they shopped for the arm floaties, and she convinced him to get a blow up whale for the pool as well. She waited patiently as he browsed through the men’s clothing and shoes, and on their way up front, she tugged him over to an aisle filled with small bottles and boxes.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Perfume and cologne. Mommy’s never owned any perfume, but she’s commented before on how nice a guy smelled. You should get some smell good stuff.”

“I’ll tell you what; you pick out something for me and I’ll pick out some for your mommy so we can surprise her.”

After they’d made their selections, they checked out up front and got back in the limo. Xonos checked his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed any calls and wondered if Victoria was still asleep. He’d kept her up rather late and hoped he hadn’t worn her out too much.

At the hotel, Xonos carried their bags in one hand and held Evie’s with the other. The hotel room was still dark and quiet when they entered, and Xonos noted the bedroom door was still closed. He sent Evie to her room to change while he did the same, donning the swim trunks he’d picked up with the two outfits he’d purchased. His mate lay curled on her side, her mouth slightly open, and gave the softest snore he’d ever heard. With a smile, he left her to her sleep and rejoined Evie in the living room.

“We’re going to leave mommy a note and then I’ll take you down to the pool,” Xonos said.

“Mommy doesn’t have a bathing suit either.”

“Then I’ll leave her instructions to go purchase one and join us downstairs. How does that sound?”

Evie nodded, grabbed her floaty things and then waited while he left a note for Victoria. When he was finished, he took the things from Evie and led her downstairs. He hadn’t been to the pool before, but he remembered where it was. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to see Thrace lying beside the pool, not as much as the warrior had talked about it, but for some reason, Xonos had thought he would only see humans enjoying the water, especially so early in the morning.

Xonos did his best to ignore the warrior’s curious looks and blew up Evie’s things, helped her into the arm floats, and then got in the pool with her. The water was cool as it swirled around him.

“You’re supposed to get your hair wet,” Evie said.

Xonos smiled then dunked himself under the water. “Better?”

She nodded. “I can’t get wet with these things on my arms though.”

“That is a problem, isn’t it? What if we took them off, and I could hold you while you tip your head back and get wet?”

Her eyes lit up. “Can I jump to you from the side of the pool?”

“I don’t see why not.”

Xonos helped her remove the floaties and then carried her over to the steps. She clambered up them, trotted around to the side of the pool, and gave him her biggest smile before launching herself into the air. Xonos caught her and dipped her down into the water, making her squeal.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and begged him to go deeper in the pool. He carried her until the water reached her shoulders and then decided that was far enough. His mate would kill him if he accidentally drowned their daughter.

“You should teach her to swim,” Thrace said, joining them. “Then she won’t need those things on her arms.”

Xonos looked down at Evie. “Would you like to learn to swim?”

Her eyes went wide as she stared at something over his shoulder. “Don’t look now, but I think we’re in trouble, Daddy,” she whispered.

Xonos whipped around, expecting danger, and instead finding his mate furiously tapping her foot, arms crossed over her chest. The dark look on her face didn’t bode well, neither did the fact she wasn’t dressed in a swimsuit.

“You.” She growled. “You took my daughter swimming for the first time without me?”

“I thought you might want to sleep in.”

Thrace snickered next to him, enjoying this far too much. Xonos waded closer to Victoria, Evie clutched in his arms.

“And where did she get a bathing suit?” Victoria asked. “Or you for that matter?”

“We went shopping this morning. I’d have purchased one for you, but I didn’t know what you would like or what size to get. I thought you might enjoy purchasing your own. I’m sure Ned would be happy to take you shopping and then you can come back and join us.”

“Don’t be mad at Daddy,” Evie said. “He was just trying to make me happy.”

Victoria’s expression softened as she looked at Evie. “Are you having fun?”

Evie nodded.

“Go purchase a swimsuit and join us,” Xonos said. “We’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe tomorrow, while I’m in a meeting, the two of you can come down here together. Have some Mommy/daughter time.”

Thrace cleared his throat. “I would be honored to watch over your family tomorrow.”

“See, you’ll even have a bodyguard while I’m gone.”

He could see her relenting and finally she dropped her arms and sighed.

“All right. I’ll go shopping and hurry back. You promise you won’t leave the pool area?”

“We swear it, don’t we, Evie?”

Evie nodded again.

Victoria shook her head, turned, and walked off. Xonos winked at Evie. “I think we dodged a bullet that time. Maybe in future, we should wait until mommy is awake to venture off.”

“Can we go in the deep end again?”

Xonos chuckled and carried her back into the deeper water. She splashed and giggled, using her hands to spray water at Thrace, who gave her a mock glower, growled, and tickled her.

It made Xonos realize that Thrace would make a good father. He was lucky the warrior hadn’t wanted to claim Victoria. If Thrace had said yes that morning, then he wouldn’t have the blessings of a mate and child in his life. And would most likely still be living in the clinic, or damn close to it. He’d taken more time off this past week than he had in his entire life, and he knew the Terrans were getting upset with him for closing the clinic so much. As much as he hated to trust another assistant, he really did need one. He’d bring it up during his meeting tomorrow.

It had been nearly three weeks since Kronk had arrived on Earth to assist Syl with the cure for Evie, three long weeks. When Syl had called with the news, Xonos had rushed them to the lab to meet with the two scientists. Evie had been so excited; she’d barely been able to sit still while they administered the serum. And now, two days later, the little girl had shown so much improvement, if it weren’t for her hair, it would be hard to tell she’d ever been sick.

Evie lay on Xonos examination table as he scanned her from head to toe. Victoria held Evie’s hand, waiting for the news. The blood test Xonos had performed that morning proved that the serum had worked, but they weren’t sure it would reset Evie’s body completely. Xonos frowned as he scanned her arms and the affected leg. When he set his instrument aside, Victoria stared at him expectantly.

“Her bones haven’t healed as much as I would like, but there is slight improvement. It’s possible they will continue to improve over time, but I’d like her to start a special diet high in vitamins and nutrients that promote bone health.” Xonos smiled. “Otherwise, we have a very healthy daughter.”

Evie squealed and jumped off the table into Xonos’ arms. As close as the two had become, it was hard for people to fathom that Evie wasn’t Xonos’ biological daughter. They’d been asked several times if she was his and just took after her mother in her looks. The questions always seemed to please Xonos, who never failed to respond with “she’s my daughter in every way that counts.”

“Does this mean I can go to the park now, Daddy?” Evie asked.

“Not quite yet. I don’t want you tumbling with other children until we’ve strengthened your bones a bit more, but I don’t think it will be much longer. Be patient for a few more weeks and then I think it will be safe for you to play with the other children.” Xonos smoothed a hand down her hair, pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and then set her down.

“Will my hair get thicker?” Evie asked. “I want to have enough for pigtails.”

Victoria ran her fingers through Evie’s fine, thin hair. “I’m sure it will. And maybe Xonos knows of some vitamins that will help it grow faster.”

Xonos nodded. “I’ll do some research and see if there’s something safe for her to take that might speed up the process.”

Evie held her arms up to him and he picked her up again. As they left the clinic, Xonos locked up and placed his hand at Victoria’s back, ushering her toward the limo waiting at the curb.

Thrace came up to them and paused, looking uncertain. Victoria had seen him several times at the pool when she’d taken Evie down to swim, and the big warrior always made time for her little girl. Xonos seemed to trust him, and that was good enough for Victoria.

“I heard Evie has been cured,” Thrace said.

“She’s on the road to recovery, but there are still things she’s unable to do,” Xonos said.

“I thought…” Thrace folded his arms over his chest. “I thought maybe I could take Evie for some ice cream and a movie. Give Victoria and you some time alone.”

Xonos looked at Victoria and she shrugged. He knew the warrior better than she did, but she’d sensed no malice in Thrace. The warrior had always been kind and gentle when dealing with Evie. Truthfully, from what Victoria had seen and heard about the Terrans, she would trust her daughter with any of them. They seemed like a trustworthy lot, and seemed to have a soft spot for women and children.

Evie patted Xonos on the cheek. “Can I please go with Uncle Thrace?”

Uncle
Thrace? That was a new one for Victoria, but as neither Xonos nor she had siblings, she supposed it was only natural for her daughter to adopt some uncles along the way.

“Do you have a phone?” Xonos asked.

Thrace nodded. “I’ll give you the number if it’ll make you feel more comfortable.”

“Pleeeaassee,” Evie begged.

Victoria couldn’t help but smile. Her daughter had wrapped Xonos around her little finger, and she watched as her mate caved to the demands of their daughter. He sighed and nodded, handing her over to Thrace. They programmed the warrior’s number into their phones, gave him theirs, and then watched as Thrace carried their daughter off to another waiting limo.

“So…” Victoria took Xonos’ hand. “We have a few hours of time. Together. Alone. Whatever should we do?”

He gave her a wicked smile, picked her up, and carried her to the limo. Once inside, he tugged her into his lap and kissed her long and hard, his tongue darting into her mouth for a taste. She’d never admit it, but she liked it when he got a little rough and demanding with her. With any other man, it would make her feel threatened, but she knew Xonos would never harm her.

At the hotel, he carried her up to their suite, kicking the door shut behind him. He claimed her lips again, kissing her all the way through the living room to the bedroom where he toppled onto the bed with her, careful not to squish her. When he let her up for air, she smiled and ran her fingers through his hair.

“Every time we’re together, we seem to rush through things, like it’s a race to the finish line.”

She smiled. “Been picking up more Earth sayings?”

He shrugged and grinned. “Maybe. But my point is that we never seem to take the time to enjoy one another. We have to stay quiet so we don’t wake Evie in the other room, and I think part of you is only half-engaged because you’re afraid we’ll get caught.”