“You have that look again,” she said.
“What look?”
“Almost a look of awe and I can’t figure out what puts it there. I’ve seen it at random times throughout the day and it makes me wonder what you’re thinking about,” she said.
“You,” he answered honestly. “You and the family you’ve helped me create. I’m so blessed to have you in my life, Abbie. I don’t know what you saw in me that day that made you want to get to know me better, that made you want to stay with me, but I’ll be eternally grateful for the rest of my life that you chose me.”
“It wasn’t really a matter of choice,” Abbie said. “When I looked at you, I just somehow knew that we were meant to be together. I saw you and I knew I wanted you to be mine, that I wanted to be yours.”
“I’m not always good at expressing my emotions,” Larimar said. “But I want you to know how important you are to me, and not just because you’re carrying my child. That’s just a bonus. I think I fell under your spell the moment you stepped off the shuttle and I saw you across the crowd.”
Abbie bit her lip, looking like there was more she wanted to say, but there was a knock on their bedroom door. Larimar growled softly at the interruption and went to see what was wrong. It was too damn early for an emergency to have popped up, but he couldn’t think of any other reason for someone to disturb their private time at this hour.
He jerked open the door and a distressed Zaylon stood on the other side.
“Is something wrong with Winona?” Larimar asked, his heart stuttering at the thought of Abbie losing her mother so soon.
“In a matter of speaking,” Zaylon said. “Other than bodily throwing her over my shoulder, I couldn’t think of a way to wrestle her back into her bedroom, so instead I just followed her to keep her safe.”
“Followed her where?” Larimar asked, sensing his mate’s approach and not wanting the other male to see her in her pajamas.
“Lortok’s house.”
Larimar’s eyebrows rose. “Why is she at Lortok’s house?”
“She met Lortok when we went on our outing yesterday and for some reason she formed an attachment to him,” Zaylon said. “She insisted on staying with him and he allowed her to go to his home, even invited us in for a drink and talked to her. And then I brought her home. I thought the matter was finished.”
“But she left at dawn to go to Lortok’s house?” Larimar asked.
“He let her in and said he’d watch her while I came to tell you. I don’t know how to remove her without upsetting her. I don’t know if she fancies herself in love with him, or if he makes her feel safe, or what she’s thinking.”
“Go back to Lortok’s and wait there with her. We’ll dress and be there shortly. I’m sure my mate will want to go.”
Zaylon nodded and hurried away.
Larimar sighed and shut the bedroom door, facing his mate, who was standing an arm’s length away. She looked troubled and he wanted to ease her worries, but he honestly had no idea what it meant that Winona had fixated on Lortok.
“Who is Lortok?” Abbie asked. “He won’t harm her, will he?”
“She’s perfectly safe with him. He’s about ten years older than I am and heads up the communications team for our world. Lortok would never do anything to harm her. We’d better shower and dress so we can go find out what’s going through your mother’s head and see if we can convince her to come home.”
Abbie nodded and rushed into the bathroom, pulling off her pajamas as she went. Larimar joined her in the shower and wished they had more time. They finished and dressed as quickly as possible and went straight to Lortok’s home to hopefully retrieve her mother. The large Zelthranite answered the door when they arrived and motioned for them to enter.
“I gave her breakfast,” Lortok said. “She’s watching a movie on the Vid-comm right now.”
They followed him through the house and saw Winona staring at the Vid-comm in rapt fascination. Abbie moved across the room and sat beside her mother, taking her hand. Larimar moved closer but gave them space, with Zaylon and Lortok nearby as well.
“Momma,” Abbie said. “Why aren’t you at home?”
Her mother dragged her gaze from the Vid-comm and then smiled broadly at Abbie.
“Good morning, Abbie,” Winona said. “Lortok gave me breakfast.”
“So I heard,” Abbie said. “Why did you leave the house this morning, Momma? It’s really early. I’m sure Lortok was still sleeping when you decided to visit.”
Her mother frowned and her brow furrowed as she cast a worried glance toward Lortok. The alien came closer and knelt by her mother, and Larimar realized their head of communications was close to the same age as Abbie’s mother. Did Winona have a crush on Lortok? He was an unmated male, but there was no way they could have a true relationship. Abbie’s mother was too damaged for that.
“Winona,” Lortok said, reaching for her hand. “You’re welcome here anytime, but you have to remember that you live with Abbie and Larimar. You can’t run off in the mornings to come here before everyone is awake.”
“Home,” her mother said.
“This isn’t your home, Momma,” Abbie told her. “My house is your home.”
Larimar’s heart swelled at hearing Abbie call his home hers. Even though they were officially mated now, it still surprised him when she claimed ownership of anything that had belonged to only him before she entered his life. He was glad that she’d settled into her life on Zelthrane-3 and hoped she was happy here. Now they just needed to make sure Winona was happy and understood that her place was with Abbie. Larimar didn’t have a clue how to accomplish that.
Winona frowned harder. “Home,” she said again.
Lortok squeezed her hand. “Winona, you are welcome to come visit me anytime, but this isn’t your home.”
Winona became agitated and bolted to her feet. She looked around frantically and then ran out the back door and into the walled-in garden. Abbie sighed and stood, as if she were going after Winona. Larimar placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Give her a minute out there,” Larimar said.
“Why does she think this is her home?” Abbie asked. “I don’t understand.”
They went into the garden, where Winona sat on a stone bench. She seemed calmer, but Larimar held Abbie back, not letting her get too close. The last thing they wanted to do was upset Winona further. He worried that if she became too agitated they would have to sedate her.
Zaylon went to Winona and sat beside her. “Winona, why do you think this is your home?”
“My husband lives here,” Winona said.
Lortok’s eyebrows nearly rose into his hairline at the declaration.
Zaylon took Winona’s hand. “Lortok isn’t your husband, Winona. Your husband lived on Earth and died, remember? But you have a daughter here. Abbie. Do you remember coming to live with Abbie?”
Winona looked at Abbie then at Lortok. “Not my husband?”
“No,” Lortok said. “I’m not your husband, Winona. But I would like to be your friend. You’re welcome to come visit me anytime I’m home. Maybe Zaylon could bring you for dinner a few times a week?”
Winona looked at Larimar. “I live with you and Abbie.”
Larimar nodded. “And Zaylon lives there too, remember? He’s your friend too.”
She nodded.
“Are you ready to go home, Momma?” Abbie asked.
Winona looked uncertain.
“Why don’t you leave her here with Zaylon for a few hours?” Lortok suggested. “I’ll take the morning off until she’s ready to go home. It will give you some alone time. I’m sure that’s been in short supply lately.”
“Are you certain she’s not any trouble?” Larimar asked.
“She’ll be fine here,” Lortok assured him. “I’ll walk home with him to make sure she’s okay returning to you. Maybe we can come up with a rotation where on certain days she and Zaylon come eat at my house and stay to watch a movie.
It will give your mate and you some time to yourselves.”
“Thank you,” Larimar said. “Bring her home whenever you’re ready.”
Abbie went over to her mother and hugged her. “I’ll see you in a little while, Momma.”
Winona beamed and seemed content to remain in the garden. Larimar took Abbie by the hand and took her back home. The house was quiet when they arrived even though Shariz, and his house manager, Kwirel, would be moving about. Larimar lifted Abbie into his arms and carried her to his office on the lower level, not wanting to wait long enough to reach their bedroom before he claimed his mate again.
He kicked the office door shut and made sure it locked before carrying Abbie to his desk. He shoved everything onto the floor, clearing the top, before easing her down on the cool surface. She gave him a bemused smile as he began removing his clothes.
“What are you doing?” she asked with laughter in her voice.
“I’m going to ravish my mate. The bedroom was too far away.”
“Did you really just dump all of your important papers in the floor?” she asked. “You’re going to regret that later.”
“I will never regret any time that we have alone together. Strip, mate. You have on too many clothes.”
Abbie eased off the desk and began removing her clothes, a smile on her lips. When they were both naked, Larimar kissed her until they were breathless. His hands caressed every inch of her, loving the feel of her curves and silky skin. He lifted her onto the desk and spread her thighs wide, falling to his knees in front of her. Her eyes went wide as he leaned forward and breathed in her sweet scent.
“Larimar, you shouldn’t…”
“Shouldn’t take my mate?” he asked. “Why not?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “No one’s ever done that before.”
“Then it seems only fitting that I will be the first and the last.”
She leaned back on her hands and didn’t argue further. He parted the lips of her pussy and slowly licked her. She was so hot and wet, and tasted so damn good. He sealed his lips around her clit and sucked on it long and hard, making Abbie moan and push her hips closer to him. He dipped his tongue into her core, flicking it in and out several times, before paying attention to the hard little bundle of nerves again.
Larimar’s hands tightened on her hips as his lips devoured her tender flesh. Her cries of pleasure filled the air as she came, her release coating his lips and tongue. When she collapsed on the desk, he kissed the inside of her thighs and worked his way up her body, stopping long enough to suck on her pretty nipples. Abbie trembled and shivered and Larimar knew he had to have her right then.
He slid her closer as he lined his cock up with her slit, and then he thrust home, all the way until nothing separated them. Abbie locked her legs around his waist as he drove into her again and again, taking her with a passion that burned inside of him until he thought he might go up in flames. Her sweet little pussy gripped him tight, and as she came a second time, she pulled every drop of cum from his balls as he pounded into her. He’d never taken her so roughly before and he worried he might have hurt her.
As his heart raced and his breath came out in labored pants, he stared down at Abbie. She was flushed from her orgasms and her skin was dewy with sweat. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight, and knew that once he was rested, he’d want her again. She smiled up at him and reached out to run her fingers through his hair.
“I love you,” she murmured.
His breath froze in his lungs as he looked down at her in wonder. “You love me?”
She nodded. “Do you think maybe one day you’ll love me too?”
“Oh, Abbie.” He pulled her up and held her close, stroking her back. “I already do. I love you so much.”
“You’re not just saying that?” she asked.
“I promise I’m not just saying the words. I’ve known for a while how I felt about you. I think I fell in love with you the moment our eyes met, and those feelings have just grown deeper as the days have passed. You’re my everything, Abbie.”
She kissed him, her arms going around his neck.
“What are we going to do about Momma?” she asked as she pulled back.
“We’ll take it one day at a time. Let’s try Lortok’s idea and see if just having a friend will help her. Maybe she can meet some of the other mates or older Zelthranite females and make more friends.”
Abbie nodded. “I think we could both use some friends.”
“We’re scheduled to have lunch with Borgoz and Charlotte since they had to cancel last time. Maybe your mother will be home and we could take her.”
Abbie bit her lip. “I’m not sure how Momma would react to Charlotte, since Borgoz said she’s deaf and talks differently from us. I’d rather meet her first and prepare Charlotte before she meets Momma, in case anything offensive is said.”
“If that’s what you want.”
“I think it’s best,” Abbie said.
Larimar lifted her into his arms, leaving their clothing behind, and carried her up to their room. If they had a few hours of time to themselves, he was going to make the most of it.
Chapter Eleven
Abbie felt a little intimidated by the Chief Councilor’s home, but the woman who greeted them smiled warmly and even hugged Abbie. She was petite with shoulder-length brown hair, and eyes that seemed to shine. It was obvious the woman was completely happy with her life here on Zelthrane-3 and Abbie hoped she felt the same way after she’d been here as long as Charlotte had. She’d heard the couple had been mated for years.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Charlotte said in her sing-song voice. “I’m sorry we had to cancel before. Arabella was sick again. She just can’t seem to get well.”
“I hope she’s feeling better now,” Abbie said.
Charlotte looked sad. “Her fever broke, but she’s still in bed today. Bancheck assures us that the serum he gave her yesterday will make her better in a few days. We aren’t sure where the virus came from, but it seems to linger.”
“Bancheck said Arabella is no longer contagious, but she’ll remain upstairs just to be safe,” Borgoz said. “We didn’t want to alarm either of you, knowing that Abbie is pregnant.”
“Not to rush you straight to the table, but dinner is ready,” Charlotte said. “I asked the chef to prepare some Earth dishes for us. He’s gotten really good at some of my favorite meals.”
They followed Charlotte and Borgoz to a large dining room with a table that could have seated twenty, and then they carried on into a sunroom where a table had been set up at the far end of the room. There were four place settings at the rectangular table that could seat six. The light from the three suns brightened the room without making the space too hot.
“This is beautiful,” Abbie said, looking out into the garden.
“Thank you,” Borgoz said. “Charlotte hates eating in the dining room so I had this table placed in here for our family meals. I hope you don’t mind dining in here.”
“Not at all,” Larimar said.
As they sat, the chef and a staff of two others brought out covered dishes. Abbie couldn’t hide her delight as chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, meatloaf, and glazed carrots were revealed. Three baskets of rolls were brought with their drinks. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed eating like this until just now. Perhaps Larimar’s cook would be able to learn some human recipes as well. He’d already made an effort by bringing in a few human things. It would be nice to get a taste of home without having to go to the human café in town.
“I was telling Charlotte about your idea of a survey,” Borgoz said to Abbie. “I’ve got the communications team working on it and they think they will have something ready in a few weeks. Once we have the data compiled, we can start adding some new places and activities to our world that might bring even more potential brides here and keep our current mates happy.”
“It can be a little boring here,” Charlotte said, �
�but I love Borgoz so it’s worth it.”
Borgoz reached over and squeezed her hand. “I wish you’d told me before you were bored. We could have done something like this years ago. You know I want you to be happy.”
Charlotte leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m happy. I have you and Arabella.”
“What did you do on Earth?” Abbie asked Charlotte.
“I volunteered a lot. My father was a politician and money was always available to me, so I didn’t need a job. I would help out where I was needed. I stayed busy and I had some friends, but they were with me mostly for my father’s connections. I’m always worried the same will happen here, that someone will befriend me because I’m married to Borgoz,” Charlotte said.
“I never thought of that happening in a place like this,” Abbie said. “Has it been difficult making friends?”
Charlotte shrugged. “I’m different so some of the human mates aren’t certain how to act around me. Everyone has welcomed Arabella, though. She’s completely deaf and we use sign language to communicate with her. Our society has learned it over the years so she doesn’t feel alone when we go out places.”
“I’ll have to learn too,” Abbie said. “Maybe you could teach me?”
Charlotte smiled widely. “I’d like that. We can have a lunch date a few times a week, if you’d like.”
Abbie nodded and smiled. “That sounds great. I can’t wait to meet your daughter.”
“She can be a handful,” Borgoz said.
“Do you only have one child?” Abbie asked.
Charlotte gave her a sad smile. “I had a difficult pregnancy. Arabella was supposed to have siblings, but they died before they were born. It was advised that we not have any more children because the doctors weren’t sure I would survive.”
Abbie and the Alien Official (Intergalactic Brides 14) Page 11