SUNLIGHT, MOONLIGHT

by Amanda Ashley

  At the time, the seemingly chauvinistic remark had made her want to throw up. Now she wanted to cry.

  Giving herself a mental shake, Lainey forced the thought that Micah was leaving out of her mind, determined to enjoy whatever time they had left.

  "You're very handsome, you know," she remarked, draping her arm across his waist. "Are all the men on Xanthia as good-looking as you are?"

  Micah shrugged, inwardly pleased that she found him attractive. "To quote one of your people, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Our people are no different than yours. Some are more appealing than others. Some are tall, some short, some are thin, some are not."

  He lifted a lock of her hair and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger. "But none of us has hair so black as yours, or skin so fair." His fingertip grazed her cheek. "No one has eyes so dark and lovely, or lips so soft."

  His lips trailed feather-light kisses over her eyes and nose and mouth. "I will never forget you, Lainey St. John, nor will I ever join with another woman."

  His words touched her heart and imprinted themselves on her soul.

  "No, Micah…" Lainey placed her hand over his mouth to stifle the protest she saw in his eyes. "I want you to join with Adana," she said, and meant it, though it killed her to say the words. "I want you to be a father, to give Adana the child you can't give me."

  He took her hand from his mouth. "No!" He looked at her in horror. "How can you even suggest such a thing?"

  "Because I can't give you a child, and I don't want you to miss out on the opportunity to be a father. You said you could see your child if you wanted to. Maybe you can change things where you come from, make your people realize what they're missing by cutting themselves off from their children. And if not, you'll still have a child, someone who'll be a part of you."

  "Lainey…" He turned on his side so they were face to face.

  Unable to find the words to express what he was feeling, he folded her into his arms and held her close, knowing he would never forget her, that he would never forget this day.

  It was near dusk when they made their way back to the cabin. Micah sat in the kitchen, watching while Lainey prepared dinner, and again found himself wondering how he could bring himself to leave her. It had been so easy to fall in love with her, so easy to adapt to her way of life. In spite of all the violence of her world, the pollution, the poverty, there was an excitement that was missing on Xanthia.

  He watched her peel a potato and realized he had never seen a woman prepare a meal until he came here. On Xanthia, he had always eaten in restaurants, where the cooking and the serving were done by androids.

  Sitting there, watching Lainey cook for him, appealed to some deep primal emotion he didn't quite understand. She hummed softly as she stood at the stove, and the sound of her voice wound around his heart, binding him to her in ways he didn't fully comprehend.

  She smiled at him as she set the table, a bittersweet smile that made it difficult to swallow. He wished suddenly that the transmitter had been destroyed in the crash so that he would truly be stranded here, so that he'd have no choice but to stay, to spend his life here, with Lainey.

  Dinner was a quiet meal. Lainey ate automatically, hardly aware of what she was eating. Micah was leaving. That single thought overshadowed everything else.

  When they were finished, Micah helped her clear the table, then wiped the dishes while she washed.

  When the last pot had been scrubbed, she stood at the sink, watching the water go down the drain. She could hear Micah moving around behind her, the clink of silverware as he put it in the drawer. It was such an ordinary thing, doing the dishes together, something any married couple might do. Such an ordinary thing that it brought tears to her eyes.

  Micah stood behind her, noting the slump of her shoulders. Without conscious thought, he probed her mind. She was crying silent tears, her heart filled with sadness and despair.

  Whispering her name, he slipped his arms around her waist, drawing her back against him. Holding her close, he bent his head and pressed his lips to her hair.

  "Don't weep, Lainey," he murmured. "Please don't weep."

  "I can't help it."

  He took a deep breath. There was always a chance his people wouldn't make any more journeys to Earth. Three of the last five spacecraft that had been sent there hadn't returned. His ship would make four. Perhaps the rulers of Xanthia would realize it was no longer safe to venture into Earth's atmosphere. He'd been here many weeks now. Surely Pergith would have given up any hope of finding him alive and gone home…

  He was making excuses, grabbing at any plausible reason that would absolve him of guilt, that would make it all right for him to stay. He knew it, but he couldn't seem to stop.

  And he couldn't leave her. Maybe she was right. Maybe no one would find them here.

  Micah let his breath out in a long sigh of defeat. Right or wrong, he couldn't leave Lainey, not now. He would stay as long as it seemed safe, as long as his being there didn't put her life in danger.

  "Lainey?"

  She sniffed. "What?"

  "If I stay, will you stop weeping?"

  "Stay?" She spun around in his arms, her luminous brown eyes searching his. "Do you mean it?"

  Micah nodded. "I'll stay as long as it seems safe."

  "Oh, Micah!" Standing on tiptoe, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. And kissed him. And kissed him again.

  And at that moment, he knew he had made the right decision.

  Chapter Sixteen

  "So," Lainey said, "what do you want to do today?"

  Micah glanced up, his gaze meeting hers across the table. "Whatever you wish."

  "We could pack a picnic lunch and go fishing at the lake. Have you ever been fishing?"

  "No."

  "Then we'll go. If you want to."

  "Ah, Lainey, don't you know I'd go anywhere with you?"

  "Oh, Micah." He'd done it again, she thought, caught her completely off guard with a few simple words that went straight to her heart.

  She gazed into his eyes, those incredible silver-blue eyes, and knew there would never, ever be another man in her life. Even if Micah decided to go back home, she knew she would never love again, not like this.

  No words were needed between them. She rose to her feet at the same time he did, snuggled against him as he swung her up into his arms and carried her back to the bed they had vacated only a short time before.

  He quickly peeled off her robe and nightgown, shucked his jeans, and then they were in each other's arms, pledging their love, their fidelity, their devotion, with each shared kiss.

  Lainey sat on the grassy bank beside Micah, wondering when she'd ever felt so happy, so content. It had taken only moments to show him how to bait a hook and cast his line into the water. She wasn't the least bit surprised when he caught the first fish, a beautiful fat rainbow trout.

  He had looked at the wriggling fish with interest, removed the hook from its mouth, and tossed it back into the lake.

  "Hey!" Lainey had exclaimed. "That was supposed to be dinner."

  But Micah had only shrugged. "It was too pretty to eat," he'd said by way of explanation.

  He had caught three fish since then, and had thrown every one back.

  And because it seemed like too nice a day to kill anything, even something as tasty as a trout, Lainey had tossed back the fish she caught, too.

  It was late afternoon when they returned to the cabin. Lainey stood in the kitchen, perusing the contents of the old refrigerator.

  She glanced over her shoulder at Micah, who was lounging in the doorway, one ankle crossed over the other, his arms folded over his chest.

  "Well," she said, one hand resting on her hip, "since we don't seem to have any fish for dinner, how would you feel about bacon and eggs?"

  "Anything you want to fix is fine with me, you know that."

  "Micah, you've got to stop acting like you're a guest in my house. If you'd rather have somet
hing else, say so."

  "Lainey…"

  She gazed up at him, feeling angry and confused without knowing why. He was so tall, so devastatingly handsome, and yet that wasn't what drew her to him. He was strong yet gentle, wise yet innocent. He'd come into her life and turned it upside down in the space of a few short weeks. How would she fill the empty spot in her heart when he was gone? And he would go; sooner or later, he would have to go back and she'd be left with nothing but memories and a broken heart.

  "Lainey, what's wrong?"

  "I want you to be happy here," she replied curtly. "I want you to feel like you belong. You don't have to agree with everything I say, or do everything I want to do."

  Micah stared at her, confused by her irrational behavior. "Lainey, you're angry with me and I don't understand why."

  "I'm not angry."

  He lifted one brow inquisitively. "Aren't you?"

  "No." She brushed a tear from her cheek. "I'm not angry, Micah. I'm just so afraid…" She took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry, not to beg. "I'm just so afraid of losing you."

  Not knowing what to say, Micah crossed the floor and wrapped his arms around her. He couldn't promise her forever, not when there was a chance that Red Hair might find him, not when Pergith might still be out there searching for him. If Pergith found him, he'd have to go back.

  Gently, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He couldn't promise her forever; he could only offer her one day at a time, and hope that it was enough.

  "I'm sorry," Lainey said, her voice muffled against his chest. "I don't know what got into me. Too much sun, maybe."

  "Too much of me, maybe'?''

  "No! I guess I'm just afraid that what we have won't last." Lainey placed her hand over his heart. "When I married Drew, I thought it would be forever, that we'd have children and live happily ever after…" She shrugged. "But it didn't last. He wanted a son, and when I couldn't give him one, he found someone who could."

  The tears were coming faster now and she couldn't stop them. She'd thought she'd gotten over the hurt long ago, but now it spilled out in a torrent and she found herself saying things she hadn't even realized she'd been keeping bottled up until now.

  "He said I was only half a woman, that I was just a pretty package that was empty inside. And he was right! Oh, why don't you just leave me alone?"

  She twisted out of his arms and gazed up at him, her face streaked with tears. "Why don't you just go home and join with Adana! She'll probably give you a hundred sons!"

  "Lainey, stop it! I love you. Just you. I don't need a son, don't you understand that? It's you I want. You I need. Just you." Gently, he drew her back into his embrace. "Only you." He kissed her cheek. "Always and forever, only you."

  She shook her head, afraid to believe.

  "Lainey, please believe me. I love you. I've never loved anyone else, and I never will."

  She looked up at him, wanting to believe, needing desperately to believe, and yet so afraid.

  Micah gazed deep into her eyes, feeling her love, her fear of being hurt again, and prayed that she could get past her old hurts, her old fears, and accept the love in his heart.

  Tenderly, he cupped her tear-stained face in his palms, his thumbs wiping away the last drops of moisture.

  "If I tell you I don't want eggs for dinner," he said, very seriously, "will you believe I love you?"

  She couldn't help it. She laughed. "Oh, Micah, can you forgive me for being such a fool?"

  "There's nothing to forgive. I love you. I'll always love you. Believe that if you believe nothing else."

  "Oh, Micah." She stared up at him, basking in the warmth of his gaze. He was nothing like Drew. Drew had been shallow, selfish, arrogant, everything Micah was not.

  Micah took her hands in his, uncertain how to say what he wanted to say.

  "Lainey, I… would you… could I be your husband?"

  "Husband? You mean get married? You want to marry me?"

  "Yes. I want to belong to you. I want you to belong to me."

  He'd done it again, she thought, completely floored her. What could she say but yes?

  "When?" he asked.

  "I don't know." Lainey chewed on the inside of her lower lip. They'd have to go some place that didn't require blood tests, she thought. Las Vegas, maybe, or Tijuana.

  They discussed it over dinner, deciding they would go to Vegas when it seemed safe.

  "Let's go into Chadds Creek tomorrow morning and call my parents," Lainey suggested. "I need to call them anyway to let them know where I am, and we can tell them about our engagement. Maybe do some shopping and then go to lunch. What do you think?"

  "I think I'd like that," Micah said, and then he frowned. "Maybe we should go today. I don't want your mother and father to worry about you."

  Lainey smiled at Micah, touched by his concern for her parents.

  "Tomorrow will be soon enough," she assured him. "Besides, it'll be dark soon, and I've never liked driving these mountain roads after sunset."

  Rising, she started to clear the table, and then she felt Micah's arm curl around her waist. He drew her up against him, his face cradled in the valley between her breasts.

  "Since I am not a guest," he murmured, his breath penetrating the fabric of her blouse to warm the skin beneath, "and since you said I should tell you what I want…" He drew her down into his lap, his tongue laving the curve of her ear… "I want to make love to you, now. I want to taste of your sweetness, feel your heart beating next to mine, listen to the music of your soul…"

  Spellbound, Lainey took Micah by the hand and led him into the bedroom.

  Breathless with yearning, her pulses racing with desire, she gave herself into his keeping and let her soul sing to his all through the night.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chadds Creek was an old mining town. In the early 1800s, gold had been discovered along the banks of the river, but it had been a small strike of little consequence and the town had slowly died out. In the mid 1960s, George Malcolm McHenry—a man who had lots of money and even more spare time—decided to build himself a winter home near the old town, complete with a ski lift. When McHenry died, his son, George, Jr., turned the house into a ski lodge and Chadds Creek became an exclusive playground for the very rich and the very famous.

  With the increase in tourists, the town's original buildings had been restored to give people a taste of the past, while new businesses—mostly fashionable boutiques—had sprung up like mushrooms near the ski lodge. Lainey preferred the old part of town.

  Leaving the car behind Nell's Ice Cream Parlor, Micah and Lainey walked down the narrow alley that led to the main street. Now, during the summer, the ski lifts and a lot of the boutiques were closed, but the old section of town drew enough tourists to keep the place alive throughout the year. She saw several cars with out-of-state license plates as they crossed the dusty street and walked down the wooden sidewalk to a pay phone located on the corner.

  Micah had shed his own form and taken on his alter ego when they left the cabin and now, walking down the street, women old and young alike turned to stare at him. She could only imagine the long, lingering looks he'd get in his natural form, which she thought was every bit as sexy and gorgeous as this one.

  Lainey laughed when a girl of about ten pointed at Micah and loudly exclaimed, "Mom, that man looks just like Fabio!"

  Micah leaned one shoulder against the door of the old-fashioned phone booth while Lainey placed her call. He grinned at the pained expression on Lainey's face as she explained to her mother that everything was all right, that Micah was with her, that she wasn't sure when they would be back, that she was sorry she had left home without telling anyone.

  "Mom! Mom, would you please just listen for a minute? I've got something to tell you." Lainey glanced at Micah and smiled. "Mom, guess what? Micah asked me to marry him. No, I'm not kidding… Well, we haven't set a date yet… we'll probably go to Vegas…" She looked at Micah and rolled her
eyes. "I've already had one big church wedding, Mom, I don't need another one… yes, we'll talk more about it when I get home. Give my love to Dad. Bye."

  Lainey hung up the phone, then shook her head. "Well, I'm glad that's over. Let's go get something to eat."

  Hand in hand, they walked down the street to Kattle Katy's Kitchen. It was a building unlike anything Micah had ever seen. The furniture was rough-hewn; the tables were covered with red-and-white checked cloths. There were animal heads mounted on one wall and posters with desperate-looking men on another. The woman behind the counter wore a blue gingham dress and a frilly white apron.

  Micah stared at the animal heads while Lainey ordered a couple of cheeseburgers with the works, a double order of ranch fries, and two chocolate shakes. He had developed quite a taste for meat since coming to Earth.

  "You're awfully quiet," Lainey observed as they took a seat at a booth near a window. "Is something wrong?"

  "A big church wedding," Micah said. "What is that?"

  Lainey made a vague gesture with her hand. "A wedding is when people get married. Sometimes you invite a lot of friends and family and have a big party. That's a big wedding. And sometimes people go away and get married quietly. That's what we'll do."

  "You don't want a big church wedding again?"

  "No."

  "Why not?"

  "I already went that route with Drew and it didn't work out. I guess maybe I'm a little superstitious."

  "Superstitious?"

  "Afraid that if I go through all that again with you, something might go wrong."

  Micah nodded. "What is Vegas?"

  "It's a place where you can get married without any blood tests."

  Micah frowned, remembering Red Hair and Mac and fat syringes filled with blood.

  "Most places require blood tests before you can get married to be sure you don't have any diseases, but in your case, I don't think that's a good idea."