“It’s because I’m fat!” she snapped. “I’m not appealing. Josh watched porn because he was dissatisfied by my appearance. Those were the women he wanted. Not me. He turned it on every time we were…intimate. He said it was to set the mood. I was just too dumb, or too desperate, to acknowledge what he really meant.” Her bottom lip trembled.
Rendash reached forward, and, before she could react, gathered her in his arms and pulled her into his lap.
“W-what are you doing?” she asked, body stiffening.
He brushed some of her still-damp hair out of her face. “This Josh must be a blind fool to want other females over you.”
She tilted her head back and looked up at him. “What?”
“Josh is a blind fool.” He turned his hand and trailed his knuckles over the soft skin of her cheek. She shivered. “If he could not see your appeal, he does not deserve to have you as a mate.”
Zoey’s breath hitched as she stared up at him. There was another scent coming from her. He’d smelled it before on a couple other occasions, but holding her in his arms now, so close to him, it was strengthened, heightening his awareness of her. It engaged those instincts — the deep, primal ones — over which he had little control.
He was hyperaware of every spot where their bodies were touching — her shoulder pressed against his chest, his hands on her ribcage just beneath her full breast, on her waist, and on her upper thigh. Most of all, her rounded backside upon his hardened cock.
“I…should call the pizza place before it gets too late,” Zoey said. “A lot of, uh… A lot of places close early. In small towns…like this one.”
Despite her words, she was subtly leaning closer to him, her pink lips parted. Rendash’s heart pounded.
Control. Detachment.
He clenched his jaw and drew in a deep breath, filling his lungs until it hurt. He released the air slowly, closing his eyes. He’d never felt the need to possess anything like he longed to possess Zoey now.
“Warm food would be welcome,” he finally said, gently sliding her off his lap and depositing her on her feet. It took an extra surge of willpower to remove his hands from her. “The sooner we eat and rest, the sooner we can continue on our way.”
“Right.” Zoey remained in place, staring at him; he didn’t know if it was a trick of his mind, but she seemed to sway toward him infinitesimally before stepping back.
She picked up the corded handset again and pressed a series of buttons on its cradle. He distantly heard another voice coming through the device before Zoey responded.
Rendash tensed, barely stopping himself from snatching the device out of her hand.
Ordering food wouldn’t reveal to anyone that Rendash was with Zoey.
She replaced the device on the cradle after a brief conversation and smiled at him. “Food should be here soon. Let’s see if there’s anything decent to watch while we wait.” Retrieving the remote from where she’d dropped it, she jumped onto the bed and bunched up the pillows against the wall, sitting with her back against them. She looked at Rendash expectantly and patted the spot next to her.
The bed wobbled, creaked, and groaned as he joined her.
Zoey manipulated the remote, switching through various image feeds on the screen.
“Oh, I love this movie!” She grinned up at him. “You don’t know what funny is until you’ve watched Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.”
Intrigued by her excitement, Rendash shifted his attention to the TV. He couldn’t pretend to understand what was going on, couldn’t tell whether the humans on the screen were real or somehow exaggerated, and didn’t understand what Zoey was laughing at much of the time, but her laughter was infectious. After a short while, he realized that it couldn’t be real — the entertainment seemed to be in the absurdity of the characters and situations.
There was a knock on the door. Rendash sat up, fully alert, and prepared to summon an energy blade. He was swinging his legs out of bed when Zoey settled a hand on his shoulder, halting him.
“It’s the pizza. Just cloak yourself for a minute,” she said, slipping off the bed. “Just a sec!” she called to the person on the other side of the door as she dug some of her money out of her purse.
Rendash stood and pressed himself to the wall beside the window. His cloaking field sputtered into place, producing undulating waves of heat in his chest which rose to near-painful levels before dropping again. He gritted his teeth against the discomfort and turned his head to watch Zoey open the door.
“Hello,” she said, smiling. The person on the other side muttered something, and she nodded, offering the money in her hand. “Here you go. I don’t need change.”
The unseen human took the money, and Zoey accepted a wide, flat box in exchange. She stepped back and closed the door, clicking the locks into place. Placing the box on the bed, she leaned over it and opened the lid. Rendash released the cloaking field — experiencing no small degree of relief — and walked over to inspect the source of the strange smell that was fast spreading through the air.
Inside the box lay a circular food. It was brown around its outside, pale orange on top, and had reddish circles all over it.
Zoey lifted a wedge-shaped piece and held it up to him. “Here. Taste this.”
He accepted it skeptically. The orange part of the pizza was gooey and stringy, and he couldn’t understand why anyone would consider it appetizing.
“Don’t you curl your lip like that,” Zoey laughed. “Just try it!”
Frowning, he lifted the food to his mouth and took a small bite. The orange topping stretched as he pulled the piece away, and only broke when he extended his arm. He drew the dangling strings into his mouth with his tongue and dropped his gaze as he carefully chewed.
“What is this part called?” he asked, poking one of the orange tendrils with a finger.
“Cheese.” She tilted her head and continued to watch him. “Do you like it?”
He took another bite, much larger than his first. The red circles — some sort of meat, he guessed — added a kick of savory spice. “It’s good.” He bit off another piece before finishing his current mouthful.
Zoey chuckled and took a piece of her own from the box. “Mission complete. Now come sit down so we can finish the movie.”
Rendash settled down beside her, eating more pizza as they watched the movie. His laughter came more easily now; even when he didn’t understand the humor, her reactions provided him enjoyment.
As time passed, he found himself reflecting upon the strangeness of their time together. The bonds an aekhora formed with his Umen’rak were supposed to be the deepest an aligarii could form. Even the mating bond he’d earned the right to forge once his duty was complete couldn’t compare. The members of an Umen’rak were brothers and sisters, comrades, tied together on a level that superseded friendship and family.
But after only a few days, he felt a bond growing between himself and Zoey — similar in its strength, but quite different in its nature and boundless in its potential depth. Rendash had relied upon his Umen’rak to support him through moments of pain and weakness, though he’d always done his best to avoid such moments. To avoid burdening the individuals who relied upon him with his own inadequacy.
With Zoey, he didn’t feel the need to hide.
After the pizza was gone — Zoey had insisted she was done after two pieces, leaving the rest to Rendash — she scooted closer and laid her head on his shoulder. He slipped his arms around her and held her. It was a simple form of contact, but it was powerful; they were here, together. Two individuals united in a common purpose: escape. It didn’t matter what they were escaping from, only that they could rely on each other on the journey.
Rendash would never have guessed they’d grow so at ease with one another, so dependent upon one another, especially in so short a time. But they had, and he accepted it gladly.
When the movie was over, Zoey turned off the TV and pulled away from him. She closed the pizza box and
placed it on the floor beside the plastic waste bin before walking to the bathroom, where she paused in the doorway and looked back at him.
“Come here, Ren.”
Unable to ignore the fluttering, foolish sense of anticipation that sparked in his chest, he stood up and went to join her inside the bathroom.
She opened a small bag on the sink and produced two small brushes with long handles from within. “I brought my spare toothbrush just in case. Guess it’ll come in handy. Hold this.”
After handing him one of the brushes, she withdrew a small tube from the bag, removed the cap, and held the opening over bristles of his brush. A white substance oozed out when she squeezed, and she left a bit of it on each brush.
He raised the brush and sniffed at the pasty goo. “What is this for?”
“For cleaning your teeth.”
“I see. We perform similar activities on my planet.”
“To clean teeth!” she said, raising her brush high before slipping it into her mouth. She grinned at him as she scrubbed.
Rendash couldn’t help but smile back at her as he cleaned his teeth.
Though it was unlike anything he’d ever encountered — or, perhaps, because it was unlike anything he’d ever encountered — he found her lively spirit endearing. He’d meant what he said; Josh was a blind fool. Zoey was more than any one man deserved.
But Rendash was no man. He was an aekhora who’d earned the right to choose a mate.
I want Zoey.
The thought was startling, despite how fast his feelings for her had been evolving. It didn’t seem like the sort of choice that could be made in so short a time, but it was the truth of his heart. He wanted her.
He told himself it was merely lust. His attraction to her was an attraction to the exotic, no more than an overextension of his curiosity. He’d seen only humans during his long captivity, and it was natural that he’d developed a fascination with them, regardless of how he’d been treated.
Perhaps I am not any better at lying than Zoey is.
When they finished brushing their teeth, they returned to the main room. Zoey moved to the bed farthest from the window, pulled back the covers, and climbed in. Rendash swallowed his desire and stopped at the empty bed. There was no excuse to sleep with her tonight, and he wasn’t sure if he could trust himself this time.
He eased down and covered himself with the bedding. Zoey reached for the light on the stand between the two beds and clicked it off, plunging the room into darkness.
“Goodnight, Ren,” she said.
“Goodnight, Zoey.”
Rendash shifted, causing the bed’s supports to creak as he sought a more comfortable position. Time passed, and he moved again and again; no matter how he lay, something seemed to be missing.
In the back of his mind, he knew Zoey was the missing piece. His dependence upon her had grown dangerous in their short time together. When he’d slept with her in his arms the night before, he’d rested more fully than he had since crashing on this planet. She provided peace. Comfort. Security. All without conscious effort on her part.
“Ren?” Zoey called quietly.
His heart skipped a beat. “Yes?”
“Could I…sleep with you?”
Ren opened his mouth to reply, but she continued before he found any words.
“I know there are two beds, but I just really don’t want to be alone. Not like we are alone and all, but I mean… What I want is… I want to…to…”
“Come, Zoey. Come lie with me.”
There was a rustle of covers, a squeak from her bed, and then she was there. She lifted the blankets and hesitated briefly before sliding in and laying on her side, facing him.
“Thank you,” She said, scooting close.
Her scent filled his nose, and warmth radiated from her body. Rendash tensed; the urge to draw her closer, to strip her of her clothing and feel her bare softness beneath him, was powerful. His cock throbbed. It was torture; it was divine.
Control.
“Goodnight, Zoey.”
“Goodnight, Ren.”
Chapter Ten
Zoey was surprisingly refreshed when she woke curled up against Rendash. They brushed their teeth and got dressed, and he offered no complaint — unless she counted his sneer — when she smeared foundation on his face.
After she checked out and they climbed into the truck, she checked the road atlas. If she was finger-measuring the distance correctly, she guessed they could make it through Colorado and well into Kansas within ten hours. That’d be the farthest she’d traveled in a day since leaving Santa Barbara. It would feel good to put real distance between them and the people hunting for Ren.
They pulled onto the interstate under an overcast sky, but the weather held until they were winding through the mountains of Colorado several hours later. She saw a single, fat snowflake tumble into the windshield, and then the snowfall began in earnest.
Their pace slowed to a crawl as snow accumulated on the road and greatly reduced visibility. Before long, traffic came to a near-stop. For a while, it felt like they’d be better off measuring their speed in inches per hour rather than miles.
She turned on the satellite radio and searched through the channels until she found a weather station. The droning meteorologist reported that the snowfall was the leading edge of a massive storm system expected to intensify over the next few days. If she’d had her phone or had turned on the local news in the hotel room before they left, she might’ve seen some warning, but what good would it have done?
Somehow, she hadn’t put together the obvious pieces — December plus the Rocky Mountains meant winter weather.
Maybe we can drive through it. If we get past this traffic and make some distance, get out of the mountains…
Finally, they rounded a bend and discovered the reason for the long delay. The flashing lights of emergency vehicles illuminated the surrounding landscape. Police officers in heavy coats with reflective strips were directing traffic around an overturned SUV while a tow truck with a winch slowly hauled a second vehicle up a drop-off at the side of the road.
She caught herself holding her breath as they neared the police, forcing herself to keep her eyes ahead. Not only was she traveling with an illegal alien from outer space, but she was in a stolen car that belonged to a man who’d been murdered the night before. Her tension didn’t ease until the flashing lights had vanished behind them as they rounded the next bend.
Zoey had made more than her share of dumb decisions during her life, but this was the first time she was a criminal because of them. How was she only now recognizing the potential consequences of her choices over the last two days? Accessory to murder was just one on a growing list of crimes.
And yet, if offered the chance, she wouldn’t change any of it. She was doing the right thing. Helping Ren escape from unjust imprisonment — from torture and eventual death — was what any kindhearted person would do, regardless of what the law or the government said. Whether or not Ren was human, their treatment of him was wrong.
The eight-hour mark since their departure from Green River came and went, and though the traffic was moving steadily, it was still slow going. The heavy snow continued after the sun went down, and darkness descended over the interstate. A sign appeared out of the gloom declaring they could find food, gas, and lodging at the next exit — Vail.
“I think we should stop and find a room in this next town,” Zoey said, glancing at Rendash.
“I will welcome the chance to stretch my legs, though you do not sound happy about it.”
She sighed, and — not for the first time — attempted to turn the already frantic windshield wipers to a higher speed. “Because…we might need to stay longer than one night.”
His lips fell in a troubled frown. “The weather they spoke of on the radio is that severe?”
Zoey would have given him a droll look if she didn’t have to keep her eyes on the road. Instead, she lifted a hand, palm up, to indicat
e the conditions in front of them. “I can barely see where we’re going as it is, Ren, and this is supposed to get worse.”
“We still have a long distance to travel.” Ren pointed in a direction she thought was northeast. “That way. Farther still than we have already come.”
“Ren, we can’t travel in these conditions. It’s dangerous.”
He half-grunted, half-snorted. “I will trust your judgment. If you say we must stop, then we will stop.”
Zoey was surprised he didn’t put up more of a fight.
She pulled off the interstate when the exit came up and stopped at the first hotel they came across. It had no vacancy, and neither did the second; they informed her that I-70 was being closed east of Vail due to the hazardous conditions, causing an influx of guests. At the third hotel, Zoey stood with her mouth gaping at the desk clerk, stunned to temporary silence by her disbelief.
He had a room available with a single queen bed for only three hundred dollars.
“That’s insane!” she yelled.
The clerk gave her Zoey a look that made her feel like a piece of trash that had blown in through the lobby doors. “Between ski season and the blizzard, ma’am, you’re not likely to find accommodations in town for anything less.”
“Aren’t there any places around here with rooms for like…sixty bucks a night?” she asked hopefully.
The man tilted his head back and laughed. “Are you serious?”
Zoey scowled. “Why wouldn’t I be? What you are asking is robbery!”
“Under the circumstance, it’s quite reasonable. If you prefer inferior accommodations, that’s your business, and you are free to look elsewhere.”
She pressed her lips together and glared at the man. Of course she didn’t prefer inferior accommodations, she just couldn’t afford nice places. Three hundred bucks a night would wipe out everything she had if they needed to stay multiple nights.
Zoey smiled sweetly. “You know what? You can take that that three-hundred-dollar room and shove it up your ass.” She turned, keeping her back straight, and walked to the doors.
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