Sunlight

by Amanda Ashley

  “I knew who they were,” Micah said. “My father was also a navigator. My mother was a brilliant scientist. I saw them occasionally, but I never really knew them.” He took her hand in his, his thumb making concentric circles on the back. “There is no such thing as marriage on my planet, Lainey. My mother and father were chosen as mates based on their intelligence and physical attributes.”

  It just got worse and worse. Lainey shook her head, unable to comprehend such a world, or such an existence. And then she frowned. “Has someone been chosen for you?”

  “Yes. Her name is Adana.”

  “I guess she’s very smart and beautiful.”

  “Very.”

  “Oh.”

  “Lainey…”

  “I guess you’re anxious to go back to her.”

  Micah’s gaze met hers. “You know better than that.”

  She did, but she couldn’t stifle the fierce jealousy that burned in her heart when she thought of Micah with another woman. A beautiful woman. An intelligent woman. A woman who was capable of bearing his child.

  “Lainey.”

  She heard the question in his voice, saw the sudden heat of passion flare in the depths of his silver-blue eyes as his palm cupped her cheek.

  At her nod, he stood up, then lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

  Reverently, he lowered her to the bed, then stretched out beside her. “You’re so beautiful.”

  He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, marveling at the softness of her skin, the pale golden color, so unlike his own. She would never be able to blend in with his people. Her black hair and fair skin would elicit stares wherever she went. His people would think of her as an oddity, but he thought her the loveliest creature he had ever seen.

  He tangled one hand in the silk of her hair. “Had I never met you, I would have gotten Adana with child and never spared her another thought. Until now, I never questioned the ways of my people, never had any desire to share my life with a woman.” His fingertips traced her lower lip. “Such a thing is unheard where I come from. But now…”

  He swallowed hard, wishing he had the words to express the feelings in his heart, but words of love, like the concept of marriage, were foreign to him.

  “Lainey, Lainey…” He murmured her name as he slowly undressed her.

  No one had ever looked at her the way Micah did. He made her feel as if she were the most precious thing in his life, as if, by letting him hold her and caress her, she was giving him a gift beyond price.

  “Lainey?”

  The hesitation in his voice filled her with apprehension. “What?”

  “Would you mind if…if…”

  “Micah, you’re scaring me.”

  “I want to make love to you in my own skin, so to speak.”

  “Oh,” she said, her breath expelling in relief. “Is that all?”

  “It’s all right then?”

  “Yes.” She smiled her assurance, though she harbored a small doubt, wondering if Xanthian male anatomy would be different from the males of Earth.

  Micah closed his eyes and she felt him relax beside her, saw the gradual changes take place as his hair grew lighter, his skin darker. Watching him, she couldn’t help wondering if all the men of Xanthia were as ruggedly handsome of face and form as Micah.

  He stood for a moment, quickly stripping off his clothes, and Lainey breathed a small sigh of relief. He had all the right equipment in the usual place.

  “Still sure?” he asked.

  There was a hint of amusement in his voice, but she saw the wariness lurking in the depths of his silver-blue eyes as her gaze skimmed over him from head to heel. With a shy smile, she held out her arms.

  Micah went to her eagerly, his arms wrapping around her, content for the moment just to hold her close.

  Lainey’s hands wandered over his back and broad shoulders, loving the solid muscular heat of him, the low murmur of pleasure that rumbled in his throat when she brushed her lips across his chest. The blue glow that emanated from his skin shadowed hers as well. Idly, she noticed that the glow seemed brighter when he was aroused.

  He let her tease and torment him until he was on fire for her, until he trembled with the need to possess her, to be a part of her, body and soul, and then he turned the tables on her, bringing her to the brink until she sobbed his name, her fingernails raking the length of his back as she arched against him in silent invitation.

  Micah took her then, slowly and deliberately, until they were joined flesh to flesh, their hearts beating as one, and as his life filled her, he knew he had finally found what he’d been searching for all his life.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lainey’s mother phoned the next morning. It was an awkward conversation. Lainey was angry with herself for feeling guilty about Micah, and angry with her mother for making her feel that way. To her credit, Dolores didn’t ask if Micah was living there, perhaps because she didn’t want to know the answer. Lainey was on the verge of tears when she hung up.

  “Is something wrong?” Micah asked.

  “Not really. I guess my mother’s disappointed in me.”

  Micah lifted one brow in question. “Disappointed?”

  Lainey shrugged. “She doesn’t approve of your being here.”

  Micah clenched his hands into tight fists as a fierce ache welled in his chest. “Do you want me to go?”

  “No! No.”

  “Are you sure, Lainey? I don’t want to cause trouble between you and your parents.”

  “I’m sure.”

  The next few days passed uneventfully. Micah slid effortlessly into Lainey’s life, making it richer and more rewarding by his mere presence alone.

  She would have preferred to spend every moment in his arms, but she had a contract to fulfill and so she forced herself to spend each morning at the computer. Writing had been her only joy in life since her divorce, but now Micah was here and there were times when it was practically impossible for her to concentrate on her novel because she was so busy daydreaming about Micah, so eager to be in his arms again.

  Sometimes it was embarrassing, but she couldn’t keep her hands off him. He had asked her if she would mind if he remained in his natural form, explaining that it took a considerable amount of concentrated energy to maintain the shape of an Earthling, and she had assured him that she didn’t mind at all. The slight differences in his anatomy didn’t repel her in the least; she had quickly grown accustomed to the faint blue glow that emanated from his skin. Like a teenager with her first big crush, her every thought was for Micah. She looked at him and she wanted to touch him. She touched him, and a touch wasn’t enough. She filled her eyes with the sight of him, loving the way he walked, the way he carried himself. He moved with catlike grace, agile, unconsciously sensual.

  Gradually, they fell into a routine. After a leisurely breakfast, Lainey went into her office and wrote until noon. She took an hour off for lunch, went back to work until five, and then spent the rest of the evening with Micah.

  Micah spent his days learning everything he could about Lainey’s civilization. He read the newspaper every day, perused numerous books and magazines, watched countless hours of TV. He remembered everything he read, everything he saw, everything he heard.

  Sometimes, in the evening, they went out. Lainey took Micah shopping, buying him a couple pairs of Levis, some t-shirts, a couple of sport shirts, shoes and socks. She tried to buy him some underwear, but he adamantly refused to wear it.

  Weekends were the best. They spent a day at the L.A. Zoo, with Micah comparing Earth’s animals to those of Xanthia. They spent two days touring the Museum of Natural History. Micah was fascinated by the skeletons of Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops, by the great whales, the wooly mammoths, the three-toed sloths and saber-toothed tigers.

  They went to a baseball game and pigged out on Dodger Dogs and beer. They went to the movies often. Micah’s favorite was Jurassic Park; they saw it three times.
/>   She taught him to play tennis, took him bowling, taught him how to dance.

  Micah found it pointless but amusing to volley a tennis ball. Bowling was more to his liking, and after a few lines, he bowled a perfect game.

  “You’ve done this before,” Lainey had accused, but Micah had just grinned at her and explained that he had merely applied a Xanthian scientific principle to put the ball where he wanted it to go.

  But it was dancing Micah loved best of all because it gave him an excuse to hold Lainey in his arms, to feel her body pressed close to his, to breathe in the flowery scent that was hers alone. No matter how many times he held her, he still found it hard to believe that she desired him, that she enjoyed his company. Her easy laughter never failed to delight him. She was such a rare creature, filled with a love for life that had somehow been lost on Xanthia.

  Lainey couldn’t help noticing that, no matter where they went, women turned to stare at Micah. His resemblance to her favorite cover hunk was uncanny, and she often overheard women whispering, wondering if he was who they thought he was.

  The days seemed to fly by. Lainey had always liked to cook, but now cooking became an adventure. Micah didn’t care for meat—Xanthians, she learned, were vegetarians. He loved spaghetti. He loved grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

  He developed a taste for coffee heavily laced with cream and sugar. He loved anything chocolate; his favorite breakfast was a big bowl of Cocoa Puffs and a cup of hot chocolate smothered in whipped cream.

  “You’ll soon be as fat as a pig,” Lainey had muttered one morning, but he had only laughed and said Xanthians never got fat.

  They spent a couple of evenings with her parents because Dolores and Ralph expressed a desire to get to know Micah better. At first, Lainey had been uncomfortable, knowing that her parents disapproved of her having a live-in companion.

  One evening, when Micah had been busy in another part of the house, Lainey had asked them to please try tounderstand.

  “I never meant for this to happen,” she explained. “But I love him so much, and he’s so good to me.”

  Ralph and Dolores had exchanged sheepish glances.

  “We’re sorry, Lainey,” Dolores had said sincerely. “We didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I keep forgetting that times have changed.”

  “Just be careful,” Ralph had said, giving Lainey an affectionate squeeze. “We love you, and we can’t help worrying.”

  “We just want you to be happy,” Dolores added.

  “I know,” Lainey had said, sniffing back a tear.

  The strain had eased between Lainey and her parents after that, and she and Micah had spent several pleasant evenings with her folks, either at home, watching TV, or going out to dinner and a movie.

  After two weeks, it seemed as though Micah had always been a part of her life; after three weeks, she wondered how she’d ever lived without him; after a month, Lainey knew she was hopelessly in love.

  * * * * *

  With a flourish, Lainey typed The End on the last page of her manuscript. At last, it was done!

  She sat back in her chair, grinning broadly. She’d written furiously for the last month, anxious to finish her book so she could spend all her time with Micah, and now it was done.

  And it was good.

  She backed up her work on a floppy disk, turned off the computer and went into the kitchen. Tomorrow, she would send a copy of the manuscript to her editor.

  Tonight, it was time to celebrate.

  She was reaching for the bottle of champagne she’d bought for just this occasion when she felt Micah’s arms steal around her waist.

  “You are done early today,” he murmured, his breath warm against the side of her neck. “Is something wrong?”

  “No.” She leaned back against him, everything else forgotten as his hands teased their way up to cup her breasts. She stared at his fingers, so long and brown, at the thin layer of webbing between his thumb and forefinger, at the faint blue glow of his skin, and thought he had the most beautiful hands she had ever seen. “The book’s done. It’s time to celebrate, just the two of us.”

  “Lainey…” He bent forward and pressed his cheek to hers. How had he ever thought his life complete before now? He had spent years traveling through space, seeking, searching, for something to add color and light to his life and he had found it in the heart of the woman enfolded in his arms.

  He whispered her name, his body coming to life, swelling, surging with desire, with the need to hold her, to be a part of her. To make her a part of him. He would never forget the first time they had made love, never forget the sense of wonder, the feeling of humility, that had washed over him when Lainey had allowed him to hold her, to touch her, to learn what it meant to be a part of another being. There were no words in his language to describe what he felt when they made love, no words to express the depth of emotion that filled his soul. No words to tell her how grateful he was for the precious gifts she had given him—the gifts of her love, her trust.

  He buried his face in her hair, inhaling the flowery, feminine scent that was hers alone. If he were deaf and blind, he thought, he would be able to find Lainey by her scent alone.

  She turned in his arms, her mouth seeking his. Heat suffused him as she pressed against him. Her breasts were warm against his chest, her hands eager as they roamed across his back, slid over his buttocks, caressed his thighs. His breath quickened and he groaned low in his throat as her tongue teased his lips.

  “Micah…”

  He looked down at her, his body trembling with desire, and still he waited, waited for her silent nod that said it was all right for him to take her. She often kidded him about that, but even though they had made love every night for the past three weeks, and often during the day, he still waited for her to tell him it was all right.

  “Why do I have to give you my permission every time?” she had asked him one night. “You must know I want you as much as you want me.”

  And he did know. He had learned to recognize the smoky look in her eyes that meant she wanted him, but her loving was too precious, too great a gift, to ever take for granted.

  A faint smile curved Lainey’s lips as she gazed up at him, and then she nodded.

  It was the signal he had been waiting for. With a muffled cry of exultation, he swung her into his arms and carried her to the bed they shared.

  They undressed each other, exchanging kisses that grew more and more ardent as each piece of clothing fell away. Lainey’s heart swelled with love as they fell back on the pillows, locked in each other’s arms.

  “You were going to celebrate,” Micah murmured as his hands caressed her.

  “I am,” Lainey replied, a soft smile curving her lips. “This is just what I had in mind.”

  “Are you sure?” His tongue laved her neck, swirled inside her ear.

  She could hardly speak for the tremors of excitement that rippled through her. “Quite sure.”

  “Lainey…”

  “Hmmm?” Her hands measured the width of his shoulders, then feathered across his chest.

  He lifted himself on his elbows so he could see her face. Her eyes were dark with passion, her lips slightly parted.

  “Lainey, I think I love you.”

  “Micah!”

  “Is it all right?”

  “Oh, Micah.” She wrapped her arms around him, tears stinging her eyes. “I love you, too.”

  “You do?” He looked so surprised, she had to laugh.

  “I do,” she said. “Come, let me show you how much…”

  Later, he held her in his arms while she slept, unable to believe that such a delightful creature could love him, amazed at how possessive he felt toward her now that he had declared his love and received hers in return.

  Lying there, he knew he would never go home again. It seemed a small price to pay for the privilege of loving Lainey St. John. She had whispered her love for him before she fell asleep, had begged him to stay with her. It
was what he wanted more than anything, to stay here with Lainey, to be a part of her life. It would not be easy. He would never be able to be himself anywhere except here, in the privacy of Lainey’s house. He would never again see his home or travel the vast reaches of space, and yet he couldn’t be sorry.

  Tomorrow, he would destroy the transmitter and what was left of his spacecraft, thereby making it virtually impossible for anyone from Xanthia to trace his whereabouts should they still be searching for him.

  With a sigh, he drew her closer, feeling as though he were holding the wealth of the universe within the circle of his arms.

  * * * * *

  Lainey shook her head emphatically. “No way, Jose.”

  Micah frowned. No way, Jose? It was an odd phrase, but there was no time to inquire as to its relevancy now.

  “I’m going,” he said firmly. “Alone.”

  Lainey shook her head again. “I’m not letting you go up there without me, and that’s all there is to it.”

  Micah sighed. At times, she could be a most stubborn, exasperating creature. “Very well, Lainey, you can go with me. But you must promise to wait for me in your car.”

  “All right.”

  Ten minutes later they were on their way. Lainey glanced up at the sky as she drove toward the Grayson place. It was the dark of the moon and the night was as black as ten feet down.

  “Are you sure you’ll be able to find it?” she asked dubiously.

  Micah nodded. “I’ll find it.”

  Lainey parked the car about a quarter of a mile away from the mansion. Switching off the ignition and the lights, she turned toward Micah.

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “No more than an hour.”

  “You’ll be careful?”

  Micah nodded. He gazed at her a moment, then leaned across the seat and kissed her quickly. “Remember your promise,” he admonished.

  “I remember. Hurry.”

  Heart pounding, she watched Micah get out of the car. He took a few steps, then paused to glance over his shoulder, his gaze meeting hers.

  Lainey had the sudden, disconcerting feeling that he was imprinting her image on his mind in case he never saw her again.