“I thought you might be close in size to me. I’m a 38 double D, myself.” Tabby smiled, and her cheeks reddened. “Deno likes that about me. I’d put money on the fact that Geno will like that about you, too.”
“Don’t most guys like big boobs?”
“I suppose so. I don’t really know. I lived most of my life as a cat until I met Deno.” She brushed her hands down her curvy body and over her hips. “I never had an issue with this body as long as I wasn’t living as a human.”
“How did you two meet?”
“My sister, Charly, rescued Deno’s brother, Xeno, from a lab where they were both held prisoner. Believe it or not, I was living as her cat at the time. I didn’t know how to tell her she was my sister. Once I’d established myself as her cat, I was afraid she would hate me for not telling her who I was right away.”
“Did she?”
“Oh, no.” Tabby smiled and pulled another armload of clothing from the box behind the glass door and then folded it. “She welcomed me home with open arms.”
“That was lucky.”
“No.” She shook her head. “That’s just Charly.”
“I wonder what it’s like to have someone love you so unconditionally that they could forgive something like that.”
Ben hadn’t even loved her that much. Forgiveness had been a foreign concept to him. It didn’t matter if she was in the right or not. Whenever they argued, she’d always been the one to apologize. It had gotten old after a while, and she’d started thinking of divorce just before his accident. That was most likely why she felt so guilty when she thought about him.
“Geno could if you gave him a chance.” Tabby glanced toward the door, her brow creasing. “You aren’t married, are you because he—“
“Are you two done in there yet?” Geno called through the door.
Wynter grabbed some underwear, and a matching bra, the green blouse, and a pair of jeans that she could have sworn had a designer label on them. Hopping on one leg, she shoved her other foot into the leg of her new jeans.
“Not yet. Wynter’s still dressing, give us a minute.” Tabby turned to the pile of clothes with a laugh. “I think I made you too much.” She shrugged. “Oh well, it’s just energy and plant-based fibers. But it sure does look like a million dollars, doesn’t it?”
Her fingers danced over the screen one more time, and a large canvas bag appeared behind the door. “This should be big enough.”
Pulling the bag out, she started cramming clothes into the bag while Wynter dressed.
As she put on a pair of boots that felt more like the soft, buttery texture of expensive leather than energy and plant fibers, Wynter couldn’t help but wonder what it was that Tabby had been about to tell her about Geno.
“What about Geno?” She whispered as she tucked the tails of her blouse into her waistband.
“Not now. Maybe I’ll get a chance to tell you later.” She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “Please promise me you’ll give him a chance. Otherwise, we could lose him.”
Chapter Eight
“WHAT’S TAKING THEM so long?” Geno paced outside the door to the room where Tabby was making Wynter's new clothes. “We had two children to make clothing for. Why is it taking so long for them to design one wardrobe?”
“I don’t believe he just said that.” Xeno glanced at Deno with a smile. “Do You?”
“Well, it has been a long time since he’s lived with a woman, and I’m not sure Maman was ever that way. Remember, she was a seer. Every time they were to go off-world, she would see something that would keep them home. The only clothes she wore were those Papan brought back from his trips.”
“I remember, now that you mention it. It has been a long time since you were with a woman, hasn’t it, Papan?” Xeno turned back to him with a grin. “For one, women have one more article of clothing to design than we do.” He raised his brows at his father’s quizzical look. “They wear bras, Dad. You know, to cover their...” Xeno held his hands out as though he were holding a pair of good-sized melons in front of his chest.
“Their breasts, Dad.” Deno finished for his twin. “They wear a lacy covered bit of elastic that supports the weight of their boobs. When you see Wynter again, she won’t be wearing only your shirt that allowed her breasts to hang slightly. She’ll most likely be wearing boob armor that will lift them and hold them in place. Don’t be surprised if they appear bigger.”
“Bigger?” His mouth began to water. “They looked plenty big enough as it is.” He loved large breasted women. As much as he’d adored his Rowninda, she’d had breasts the size of small apples. She was his mate, though, regardless of her diminutive breast size, and he’d loved her as he had never loved another.
I’m sorry, my lincha. I don’t wish to make you feel lacking.
He closed his eyes. How could he even think such things about his precious Rowninda? He took a deep breath, intending to forget the woman he’d brought to the ship. Wynter wasn’t his and could never be his takana. She had two young children to raise, and she was married. She must be because she never denied belonging to another.
Geno would see to it that she was safe and cared for before he left. He would do his best to locate her errant mate, and if he couldn’t, he would see to it that she had a place to live and money to care for herself and the children she cared for as her own.
After that, he would bide his time and wait for his youngest boys to reach the rac’ha. After that, he would return to Zolon and join his mate in the afterworld. Everything was just as it should be. Rowninda’s last vision had been wrong. He’d known that for quite some time.
“Okay. We’re ready.” Tabby stepped through the door with a large canvas bag slung over her shoulder. She bent slightly under the weight of the large satchel.
“Let me take that.” Deno pulled the bag from his mate and set it on the floor by his feet. “What do you think you’re doing carrying something so heavy? Are you trying to hurt yourself?”
When Tabby stuck her tongue out him, he grinned and winked. “Do you promise?”
She blushed and slapped him lightly on the arm.
Geno forgot everything when Wynter stepped through the door. The knot that had been inside him for nearly thirty years seemed to loosen and unravel. His sight narrowed, centering on her. She was a vision, dressed in a blouse that was a shade of green he’d never seen before. Gold threads shot through it every few centimeters, making it glimmer as she walked. Her large breasts sat high. Just as his sons had predicted, they appeared larger than they had while unsupported and hidden behind his shirt.
He swallowed thickly, unable to talk as his gaze traveled down her body, over her tucked-in waist, and past her slightly rounded belly and wide hips. She was every inch a goddess, and that alone was what convinced him she could never be his.
What had he done to deserve such a perfect woman as his mate? Nothing. He’d been a father to his sons, yes. But he hadn’t done it because it was the right thing to do. He hadn’t done it because he loved them, though he did love them, more than any other father ever loved his sons in the history of fathers and sons. In truth, he’d only stayed and reared his boys because Rowninda had made him promise to do so as she lay dying.
A seer among her people, Rowninda had told him he would love again. She had foreseen it and told him he would raise his twin sons with another woman. But he’d never found the other woman, and now his sons were grown. Perhaps it had something to do with how weak she had been, but her last vision had never come to pass.
“I can see them, my love. They look up at you with their blue eyes so trusting, and they call you papa. Your sons will love you, and you will love them, and another. Promise me you will care for your sons, raise your sons, and be a true-mate to your takana.”
“You are the one I want, my lincha. You are the one with whom I will raise my sons. You can’t die. I won’t allow it.” He kissed the hand he held so reverently.
“No,” she said as her
grip grew weaker. “It is not me who is with you and your sons in that distant future. It is another. Now promise me you will raise your children to adulthood before you join me—all of them.
“I promise.” Geno sighed, knowing he would keep his word even though it would cost him thirty long years of living without his mate.
“Swear it.” She stared deep into his eyes. “Swear it upon my soul.”
It was the only way she could be sure he would keep his word. “I swear it, my love.”
“I see one more thing,” Rowninda’s voice grew weaker, her eyes took on a faraway look, almost as though she were already gone.
“Don’t talk. Save your strength for when the doctor arrives.”
“I have foreseen it. Your takana has eyes the color of Kala river stones. Together, you will have many more children.” Reaching up, she cupped his cheek for a moment before her fingers slid down his face, neck, and chest, and then she was...gone.
“Papan?” Xeno nudged his arm. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” He turned to Xeno, shaken at the memory that had been so vivid it was as though he’d just watched his Rowninda die all over again. “I’m fine.” He turned toward the exit. “Let’s go.”
He tried to ignore Wynter. He didn’t want to look at her. Something told him not to turn her way, but he did anyway. Geno’s gaze started at her feet and then traveled up over her luscious, curvy body, past her wide hips, pausing at her large, ripe breasts. He could have stared at them all day. They were so full and ripe, he wanted to reach out and cup them in his hands. He knew it was a mistake to look up into her face. When he did, he saw full lips the same deep reddish-purple of huji berries and eyes the same shining green as Kala river stones.
Chapter Nine
WYNTER SAT IN THE WEIRD teacup vehicle, the twins leaning against her sides. The cup spun back and forth as it flew down the mountainside and over the desert floor. The wind blew her hair out behind her, and she had the odd sensation of flying.
If this is what it feels like to ride a motorcycle, I can see why people love it so much.
The air hitting her face and blowing through her hair gave her a sense of freedom she’d never experienced before. She glanced down at the twins and thought of the irony. Never before had she ever had so many responsibilities and never had she felt so free.
They hurtled toward the town at what seemed a breakneck speed, but not once did she feel unsafe. After a few moments, the boys decided they wanted to see where they were going, more than they wanted to comfort her or have a feeling of security, and began looking out through the shadowy desert, beneath the star-filled sky, their bright eyes wide with wonder.
The small town glimmered like a jewel in the darkness, the twinkling lights beckoning them. Wynter bit her lip, wondering what they would do in Magic. How would she make a living? It was obvious she couldn’t live anywhere else. Not now.
They flew down the main street and into the parking lot of a small gas station and garage. Ella’s car sat parked in the shadow of the building, the windows up.
“We have an empty apartment over the garage,” Deno said as he brought the shooter to a stop. “You’re welcome to use it as long as you like.” He smiled at her. “Tabby’s grandparents used it for a week or so before they found a house. It’s clean and furnished with everything you’ll need. I think our younger brothers even did some grocery shopping for you.”
“I-I don’t know how to thank you.” Wynter’s throat burned, and she blinked back more unwanted tears. How could she manage to take care of the three of them if she kept crying all of the time?
“Don’t worry about that. We aren’t poor men, and we like helping others.” Deno hopped out over the edge of the cup, turned and lifted Tabby out, and set her on the ground. They each held their hands out for the boys.
“Go ahead,” Wynter said when they turned to her for permission. “It’s okay.”
“May I help you, lady?” Geno stood next to the shooter, his hand out.
When had he hopped out, and why hadn’t she noticed? He moved fast and silently for such a large man. Then again, his sons were quiet, as well. For some reason, it didn’t bother her so much when they moved so stealthily.
“Yes, thank you.” She placed her hand in his and stood on the seat. She squeaked when he released her hand and grasped her by the waist. She hadn’t expected him to lift her as though she weighed no more than the twins and set her gently on the ground.
“There you go.” His hands stayed on her waist for a moment. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, thank you. I’m fine now.” She tried not to let her trembling show.
“As long as you’re sure.” His gaze traveled down to her feet and then back up to her face. “You have beautiful eyes.” He seemed startled that he’d said that and then stepped away. “Would you like me to walk you up to the apartment?” He cleared his throat. “You know, just in case you fall again.”
“Yes.” She nodded. Her stomach fluttering as though a million hummingbirds had taken flight. “I think I’d like that.” Taking a deep breath, she fell into step beside him and tried not to jump when he rested his hand just above her rear.
“There are steps up to the apartment from the outside and some on the inside. You’re welcome to use the slide bolt on the inside door for a sense of privacy. No one will fault you for it.”
Wynter watched as Deno and Tabby took the boys by the hand and led them up to the apartment while she and Geno made their way more slowly.
“They aren’t mine.” She glanced up at him. “The boys, I mean.”
“I know.” His thumb slid gently over the silky blouse.
“How?” She glanced at him and then turned her attention back to the stairs they approached so quickly.
“You said you were charged with the children. A mother would never say that. We figured that out a bit after you fainted.”
“Oh.” Geno was right. She should be more careful if she were going to protect Melissa’s children. She didn’t know how she would get them new identities, but she must, and she needed to start acting like their mother, not their guardian. “I should probably be more careful about that.”
“What happened to their parents? I can’t imagine any mother or father abandoning their children. Are they still at the laboratory you escaped from?”
“No.” She shook her head with a sigh. “Their father was a police officer. He died during an armed robbery some months before they were kidnapped and taken to that wretched warehouse.” She sniffed and then swiped the back of her hand over her face. “Dammit. I’m crying again. Why am I always crying?”
“Don’t,” he said as they reached the landing. Grasping Wynter’s arm, he turned her to face him. Gently brushing the hair back from her face, he stared down into her eyes. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve been through quite an ordeal, and no one expects you to be strong all the time. You were strong enough to escape that place with the children. It’s time you had the opportunity to lean on someone. I want to be that someone if it’s all the same to you.”
“I...it just doesn’t feel right.” She let him lead her into the apartment and then turned to face him. “I’ve been alone most of my life. When I married...” She paused, shocked at the glimpse of pain she saw flit over his expression before it was gone. Was he that attracted to her? “When I married,” she began again. “I thought I’d never be alone again.”
“And you shouldn’t be. I pledge that I will do my best to reunite you with your husband.”
Wynter wondered how much it pained him to say that. Still, he’d said it, and she could tell by his expression that he meant it.
“You can’t unless you plan to kill me. And at this point...” She shrugged with a depreciative laugh. “You might be putting me out of my misery.”
“Don’t say that!” He grasped her shoulders and stared down at her with a frown. “Don’t ever say that. Every one of us is precious to someone. No matter how alone you thin
k you might be, you are precious to someone. Never even joke about something like that.” His expression turned morose. “I lost my mate when she gave birth to our youngest sons. She always said she was but a temporary love until my fated mate came along.” His voice broke as he spoke.
“My Rowninda was a jewel, the jewel in my life, and I wanted nothing more than to follow her. But she made me promise to raise all of my sons to maturity before I performed the cal’tratu, the ritual suicide our kind performs when we lose our mates. The time is nearly upon me. Yesterday I couldn’t wait to join my Rowninda. Today, I have chosen to live.” He canted his head. “At least for a time.”
“You were going to commit suicide?” Wynter’s mouth fell open, and she closed it with an audible clack. “You can’t! I mean, what about your sons?”
Why had she said that? Why did she care if the man was going to go and end his life? Other than it seemed so morally wrong, it wasn’t her business. Still, she felt something, some strange pang of regret at the thought of him no longer in her life. What was she thinking? He wasn’t in her life. She just met him, for goodness sake.
“My children are old enough to live alone now. Even my youngest sons will be thirty next year. That is when they reach the rac’ha, what we call the age of knowing. They will be legal adults then, and I will be free of my promise to my mate.”
“Papan, the boys are in the smallest room, and Deno has set Wynter’s things in the master suite. Someone needs to stay and watch over them. We have no idea if those from whom they escaped will come looking for them.”
Wynter’s pulse leaped at the implication. Would Geno feel obligated to stay with them? Would she feel safer if he did, or would his presence make her even that much more uncomfortable?
“Well?” Geno met her gaze, his expression unreadable. “Would you feel safer if I stayed here with you, or would you rather I return to my cabin aboard my ship?”
Wooing Wynter Page 6