Mismatch
Page 30
About nine months later, Auxem would see its first female babies in a generation. And it would just be the beginning. Women would come from Earth to repopulate our planet.
We hoped every man who could produce a child would find a mate. The marriages would happen on their own after the women moved to Auxem. If anyone needed help selecting a mate, they could go to their local TerraMates office for assistance.
Everything seemed perfect, and that made me nervous. The last time things in my life were perfect was when I was ten years old. The next thing I knew, all the women on my planet started dying. Was our journey complete? The thought that we might finally have found women who were willing to come back and help us rebuild society was liberating.
Some of the descendants of the Great Race clung to the antiquated notion that men were more important than women. Not me. I didn’t think men were less important, either. But when you lost the glue of every family on a planet and couldn’t reproduce anymore, when you didn’t have anyone soft to hold onto and no one to help little boys when they skinned their knees…you started to understand how important women were, and not just in the physical sense.
My father hadn’t always been cold and unkind. When I was little, he was a great dad. He played with us, read to us, and explained things to us. He was different after he lost his wife. At first, the changes were imperceptible, but they grew more noticeable the longer she was gone. Mom had brought out a soft side in him that vanished. Whatever magic her love had worked on him faded away. A shell of our father was all that remained.
Everyone on the planet was affected by the tragedy, losing a wife, mother, or sister. We endured an unspeakable pain in a short period. The memory made me shudder.
The human women wouldn’t take their places, exactly, but they brought with them the promise of rebirth and something new. The possibility made my heart glow. We never spoke about how hard our lives were without the women, but the problems lurked at the back of our minds all the time. There were supposed to be two, male and female, for balance and to work together. We made two halves of a whole.
When Jayne and I had children, I would do everything in my power to protect her. I wanted them to grow up with both parents, unlike myself. She and I would be a team, completing each other and living our lives together.
I had a sudden vision of the family Jayne and I might have — a gaggle of little girls, with a couple of boys thrown in for good measure. I couldn’t believe my luck and tried not to think about it too much. I hated to admit it, but I was worried Jayne might disappear on me the way my mother had. Abandonment was my deepest fear.
I wondered how Jayne would feel when she found out the truth about our adaptation and the sacrifice necessary to fly to the heavens. Would she go away when she learned everything? By then, our first child would be an adolescent. Surely she wouldn’t leave me when we had a family and a life built together?
My father had forbidden everyone from disclosing both the existence of our wings and the pain associated with having them. Jayne might not be happy when she found out I had been hiding things from her, but I hoped she wouldn’t blame me. I wasn’t choosing to keep secrets.
She might still hold me responsible despite my logical argument. I decided to push all thoughts of deception out of my mind and focus on our upcoming wedding. Somehow I wasn’t as excited as I had been before. Was there a way I could tell her without breaking my father’s decree?
No. I would have to follow orders, no matter what the cost was.
Chapter Eleven
JAYNE
Arnon and I stood in the center of a special room the Auxem had built for their weddings. According to custom, their wings were supposed to be visible. For most of the ceremonies, it would be impossible to honor this aspect of their tradition.
Our case was different since I already knew about their wings. We had decided to split our nuptials into two parts. One would be with an Auxem priest and private. The rest would involve my parents and the rest of the humans. The idea came from Arnon’s father. I wasn’t going to argue with him because he was the king.
I hadn’t had much interaction with him, but I suspected he didn’t like me. Even though they needed women, I was afraid he would tell me I wasn’t good enough for his son and kick me out of the program. Maybe they didn’t need this specific woman. I was always on my best behavior around the king, but it was stressful.
But everything else was fun. My Mom and I went to pick out a wedding dress. I had wanted a princess dress since I was a little girl. Arnon had told me to spare no expense.
I didn’t have to worry about planning anything because it was all dictated by their customs. We were going to do everything by the book: the ceremony, the meal afterward, and even the wedding night. Arnon said there were certain things we had to do, which started me thinking a few naughty thoughts.
I begged Arnon to tell me what was going to happen, but he kept dodging my questions. Eventually, he revealed that he only had a vague idea and he wouldn’t know everything until the afternoon of the wedding when his father would give him the book of the Auxem wedding night.
To be honest, I didn’t like the uncertainty. I was usually in control of the relationship. I told my boyfriends what to do to make sure I got what I needed. I wasn’t planning to lie back, spread my legs and let anyone fuck me for two minutes, then tell him he was a spectacular lover. I had never done it before, and I wasn’t going to start now.
They knew exactly what I liked, how to touch me, and I always came. The last thing I wanted was for Arnon and me to start our marriage on the wrong foot sexually. He had to be a virgin, even though I hadn’t asked explicitly. An Auxem man’s beloved was the only woman with whom he would mate.
He would be ardent. But skilled? Impossible.
The thought gave me an idea. Skills could be learned.
Arnon looked dazed. “What do you want to do?�
“The same thing anyone does when they want to get good at something. Practice.�
“We can’t practice sex. We’re not allowed to fuck until the ceremony is complete.�
I hadn’t told Arnon about my plans when I asked him to come to my hotel room for the evening, so I was revealing a lot of information at once. We certainly couldn’t do anything in his room. His brother had complete access to his quarters and could come in at any moment. There was a bulge in his pants that I found promising. “We can fool around without penetration. You want to be good when we do it for the first time, right?�
“Well, yes, of course.�
“Did you think you could stick it in and everything would be fine?�
He winced. “Maybe.�
“That’s not how it works. You might be familiar with the male orgasm. Touch your cock and it goes off.� He nodded. “The female orgasm is a little more complicated.�
“I didn’t think it could be much different.�
“You poor little man.� I started to unbutton my work blouse that hid some baby blue lingerie underneath. “Right now, you have no idea. By tomorrow morning, you’ll be an expert in the art of pleasing a woman.�
He glanced down at my cleavage and drew in a shaky breath.
“You’re going to be a good pupil and learn all your lessons, aren’t you?�
“Yes.�
“For every two orgasms I get, you can have one.�
“O-Okay.� It was the first time I had ever heard Arnon stutter. He was usually confident and in control. “Every two?�
I leaned forward and whispered. “I won’t have a problem with my end of the bargain.�
“I bet you won’t, but I don’t want to hear anything about your other experiences.
�
I finished undoing my buttons and removed my shirt. “Of course not. We’re the only people here tonight.� I reached behind me and released my bra, allowing my breasts to fall out.
“Do you like these?�
“I love them.�
“You’re going to get to know them well tonight.� I moved toward Arnon and started to undress him. “You’ll learn exactly how to touch me and the location of every button you push to make me come.�
He swallowed audibly.
“Let’s begin with the first lesson, kissing. Then we’ll move on to the breasts.�
“I’m the student, teacher.� His voice growled with desire.
By midnight, we’d been at it for hours. After the first few lessons, we had taken a break for a meal. Our break was interrupted by a shower, and one thing led to another. We were tired but not finished yet. We hadn’t even gotten to the G-spot.
Now I writhed on the bed as he circled my clit with one hand. His touch was as light as a feather. He had two fingers of his other hand inside me and pumped them in and out, bringing me closer to the edge.
I played with my breasts. I knew what worked for me and I wasn’t about to leave Arnon hopelessly flailing around. I told him exactly what to do, and I would help him do it, if necessary. This way, we would have a mutually satisfying relationship that would make us both happy for years to come.
He was an unusual student for a male, paying close attention, listening to corrections, and taking my advice. Consequently, I cried out his name, hips lifting off the bed as he rocked me with a fourth orgasm of the night. He had already had a hand job and a blow job and seemed satisfied as I came again.
I slumped down on the bed, wondering if we were overdoing it. Arnon washed his hands, then cuddled up to me where I lay completely relaxed on the bed.
“So how am I doing, teacher?�
I slowly opened one eye to look at him. “You pass, I guess.�
“You mean I get to graduate to the wedding night? You’re not going to leave me at the altar because I suck in bed?�
He sounded like he was joking, but I sensed a hint of fear in his voice. I opened my other eye and managed to move my limp body enough to position myself on top of him, tangling our bodies together.
“I won’t leave you.�
“Of course you won’t.� He dropped his gaze.
“Hey.� I lifted his chin and looking deeply into his eyes. “Did you hear me? I’m not going anywhere.�
“Of course you won’t. Not on purpose.�
Was this about his mother? I leaned in and kissed him, hoping the expression would communicate how much he meant to me and that I wanted to marry him. When I pulled back, he was still stiff. He changed the subject, hitting on one of my weak spots.
“Do you feel better now? It makes you nervous not to know what’s going to happen on the wedding night, doesn’t it.�
“You couldn’t possibly know that.� I frowned. Was he a mind reader or something?
“So, I’m right.�
I played with one of his nipples without answering.
“You don’t have to worry, Jayne.�
“I want our wedding night to be perfect. Is that stupid?�
“Nope. I think it’s normal.� He put his hand on my cheek and gave me a kiss. “But you should know that we’re in this together, and we’ll make it the best it can be. We have the rest of our life to figure out the perfect fuck.�
He was right. Everything was going to be fine. And if not, we would work it out.
He kissed me again. “I don’t want to leave, but I have to.� His voice was thick with regret.
I sighed. “I know.�
“Everything will be different soon.� His warm brown eyes gazed into mine. He kissed me again before he began to dress. I was asleep before the door closed.
ARNON
It was our bonding day. The secret ceremony was complete, and we were changing our clothes for the rest of the wedding with the humans.
Last night with Jayne was incredible. She showed me exactly what to do to please her, and there were lots of things I didn’t know. I had no idea that putting too much pressure on the clit could be painful because it was so sensitive. I had to learn a delicate touch. It took some training to figure out the right amount of pressure, but when I did, my reward was her coming.
I had never thought about how arousing it would be to watch someone else come. Seeing Jayne in the throes of passion was indescribable. It was unbelievably sexy and didn’t come close to anything I had imagined before.
I thought about something else as I forced myself to put away my wings, sitting down slowly as torment filled my body. Jayne was in another changing room. We had provided her with artificial wings. She was removing them now and putting on a beautiful dress.
The short, private ceremony had been surprisingly emotional for me. I didn’t think I would be so affected by a person I had only known for a little while, but it was moving. I hoped I could control myself for the rest of the service. My brothers would tease me forever if they saw tears in my eyes. I wanted to make a commitment with Jayne. And I couldn’t wait for tonight.
After the shaking passed and I could stand again, I dressed in a suit from Earth and went to wait for her. Jayne’s father was already there, looking distinguished and handsome. When he saw me, he gave me a glare like I was the enemy, instead of his daughter’s future husband.
Her father might consider me a rival. Was it worthwhile starting a conversation with him? I made a decision, took a deep breath, and went over to speak.
“Hello, sir.� I held out my hand in the fashion of the humans.
He nodded at me and reached out to grasp my hand, squeezing it so hard that it hurt. I had noticed this behavior before in human men. It was like the power of their handshake was supposed to prove something to the other person. Maybe he was trying to intimidate me. Whatever the reason, I tried to ignore the unusually hard squeeze and put on my friendliest face.
“Are you all ready for today?�
“I’m ready, but I’m not the one getting married.� He looked at me steadily. “I’m going to be honest with you, Arnon. I’m not sure you’re the right person for Jayne. I feel like you two are moving too fast. Is it possible you’re using her?�
I frowned. “What do you mean?�
“Your people are expressly here looking for women to carry your babies. I’m sure you have the best intentions, but what if you’re only marrying her so she can have babies along with all the other Earth women and bring your people back from the brink of extinction?�
“Sir.� I forcefully interrupted him. “That’s enough. You’re not even human yourself.� He looked surprised. I wondered what kind of a reaction he was trying to provoke. “I love your daughter. I’ve heard that your courting of Jayne’s mother was unconventional and short, just like mine.�
“Where did you hear that?�
“Jayne told me a lot of things, Mr. Lynch. She loves me.�
He deflated for a moment. “She’s young, Arnon. The two of you will be traveling so far away that we won’t be able to look out for her. It’s hard to let her go when I don’t even know you.�
“I understand, Mr. Lynch.�
“Call me Khellen. I’m not usually this overbearing, but right now, I don’t know what to do.� He sighed.
“Maybe we can spend some time together before I leave so that you can get to know me. Weâ�
�™ll have the chance to learn more about each other.â€�
“We could do that. That might help me to stop worrying. I know Jayne can take care of herself. Even so, this situation is quite unusual.�
“I know. And you’ll never realize how much we appreciate your planet’s assistance.�
Tears started forming at the corners of his eyes. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.�
“You’re lucky. It was horrible, and we try not to think about it. I hope we can still stay in touch after Jayne and I go back to Auxem.�
“We’ll figure something out. Sophie is heartbroken about her daughter leaving.�
Something told me that Jayne’s mother wasn’t the only one whose heart was breaking. I nodded. “I promise to protect her with my life, Khellen. You don’t know how precious she is to me.�
He studied me intensely. “I believe you, Arnon.� He held out his hand again. This time he shook it in a friendly way.
I hoped we had everything sorted out. If I could convince my father of Jayne’s worth, everything would be perfect.
Chapter Twelve
JAYNE
The Auxem had built a temple, reception room, and honeymoon suite on a piece of land outside the city. There were going to be a lot of weddings in a short period. They wanted things constructed to precise specifications. After the first trial group departed Earth, the building would always be available for weddings. We expected our planets to intermarry for some time.
Arnon and I walked through the door of the honeymoon suite, and I instantly felt uncomfortable. I cursed myself silently. I was in love with this guy. He made me laugh and took me flying. He was my husband, for crying out loud.
My hands were trembling.
“Nervous?� Arnon was reading my mind, or at the minimum, my body language.
“I’m not nervous about the sex.�
“That makes one of us.� He gave me an anxious smile.