by Ashley West
"My name is Nathaniel Gregory Lachlan. I have a Ph.D. in environmental science from the University of Mizu O'Nomeemass. I am well known on my planet and across the galaxy for my work on our planet's problem of rising sea levels. And I play the guitar." As I said this, I twisted my right forearm so that the light hit it and made my birth certificate and other identification appear.
She glanced down at my arm for a moment but looked back up without reading it, as I began reciting information about her. "You are Ashlyn Marie Lynn O'Connor. You are from North America on Earth. Age left out in deference to your womanly sensibilities. Your mother recently passed away leaving you to take care of your three brothers. You are a seamstress by trade but are secretly working on your degree in environmental science in the evenings. You've had two boyfriends, both in high school and no one since."
She was staring at me with her mouth agape. I wished she would stop it because it was drawing my attention to the pink softness of her lips and how much I would like to kiss them. I stopped that train of thought before I got carried away.
"You memorized my profile?" she said, flabbergasted.
"I'm a good student," I said. "Are you telling me you didn't memorize mine?"
She didn't answer, but her pale cheeks got even redder.
"I did some research on you too," I admitted. Some of what I'd said hadn't been in her profile, but I had found a human interest article in the newspaper about her mother dying and how she had taken care of her brothers. "It didn't say anywhere what your favorite book was."
We were outside the terminal now and walked towards the parking lot.
"I don't have a favorite book, but I have a favorite fairy tale."
"What is it?" I said. I was curious to know the answer. I waited as she got into her side of the car. I programmed our coordinates, and the car pulled away into traffic. I turned to face her.
"You're familiar with Earth fairy tales?" she said, looking as if the thought had just occurred to her.
"My minor was in Descendants of the Great Race Literature. We studied a mix of all the old tales from a variety of planets."
"It's the Wild Swans."
"Of course it is," I smiled. "Because the heroine saves her brothers."
"Well, she tries to," she said, looking sad now. "But there's one she can't quite save, right? And he ends up with a wing instead of an arm?"
"Right. But she does her best." I pointed out.
"Sometimes your best isn't good enough," she said, looking out the window. I wondered what we were discussing.
She didn't say anything more. I tried to keep the conversation going by telling her my plans.
"We're going to stay at a hotel tonight. Separate rooms," I said right away, so she wouldn't think I was going to try anything on her. "And the wedding's tomorrow."
"Sure," she said. "I'm really tired."
"We'll get you to bed early, and you can sleep on the way home, too," I said.
Home. My fabulous house that had never been my home, where I would leave her for the next year to spend my money.
I hadn't felt bad about deceiving her about who I was. Before I had met her, I hadn't been worried about it at all. What was in my profile was true, to a degree. It just wasn't the whole truth. I hoped to marry her, get myself out of hot water, and then explain my whole life to her.
If she didn't understand, I hoped that she would agree to live in my big house and spend my money and leave me alone for the year that we had to be married. As long as she didn't interfere, I would be perfectly happy.
She wasn't what I had expected. And for a brief, insane moment, I wondered if this would be more than a marriage of convenience after all.
ASHLYN
It was the next morning, and I was getting ready. I picked at an invisible speck of dirt on my pure white dress and tried not to think that this was my wedding day. Within the hour, Nathaniel and I would marry each other.
I had spoken no more than a few words with him. After he had picked me up at the spaceport, I had gone straight to bed without supper and woken up about an hour ago, just in time to get dressed for the wedding.
I had gotten enough sleep, and the jet lag medicine must be working because I felt normal again. At least, as normal as I could feel on my fake wedding day.
I focused on Jeremy, Marlin, and Tim. They mattered to me more than who I was marrying. Marlin needed the money, and I needed to know they were safe, and Marlin's creditors were off his back. Once the important things were taken care of, I could relax and see what I would need to do in the marriage. I watched in the mirror as the hairdresser twisted a piece of hair on each side of my head into a crown, leaving the rest of my naturally wavy hair down. She took some tiny white flowers and stuck them all in my hair. It looked lovely.
The dress was an old-fashioned one from the days of with the long skirt and the poofy sleeves from the seventeenth century. I guess modern fashions had not made it out this far from Earth. My shoulders were completely bare, and I had on a push-up bra that gave my modest B cups the appearance of more cleavage.
I hoped he wouldn't get the wrong idea, but the woman who had helped me dress said I was wearing a traditional wedding dress from Vandwa. Since it was being provided for me, and I didn't have to worry about paying for it with my credits, I shut my mouth and let her dress me.
I became nervous again when I arrived at the room for the ceremony. Nathaniel was nowhere in sight, and I had to wait for him to show up. The only other people there was the man officiating and some randoms who were going to be witnesses.
Nathaniel came in about fifteen minutes later, looking wild-eyed like he'd been rushing.
"I'm late," he said unnecessarily, nodding to the others and then coming over to me. "I'm sorry, Ashlyn. But I had to pick up the rings."
"No problem," I said though I was trying not let him hurt me. Even if I'm a mail-order bride, he could still be on time for the wedding! "Shall we?"
I gave him a cheerful smile that I didn't feel and went to stand by the marriage official. I turned to look back at him to see if he was coming. He studied me for a moment longer, then smiled a nervous smile and came to stand beside me.
The wedding was the shortest I had ever seen, consisting of merely some basic vows, rings, and the signing. I didn't even have a chance to look at the band that he slid on my finger, it all happened so fast. It was just like I imagined it would be when I was a young girl.
After we had said some words and signed paperwork, the marriage official took our DNA samples with a quick mouth swab. He input the samples, swiped ID, and took a picture of us together. A little machine spit out two clear pieces of plastic.
How romantic.
We held out our left forearms, palms of our hands up, and he pressed the marriage certificates into our skin. They disappeared immediately. When I looked at my arm from the correct angle, I could see our image. The certificate contained our DNA samples, information about our date and place of marriage, as well as our signatures and the certificate number.
I glanced at Nathaniel, but he was still staring at his arm. I twisted the ring on my finger, looking at it more closely now that I had a chance. I was pleasantly surprised. My ring had a Celtic knot on it, which symbolized eternity. I furrowed my brow. That was a strange choice for a marriage of convenience. Then I remembered I wasn't on Earth anymore. What I thought was a Celtic knot might be a weird sailor's knot.
Finally, the marriage official said the words I had always wanted to hear though I hadn't imagined them being said like this.
"You may now kiss the bride," he said.
Nathaniel looked up at me like he hadn't expected this. My breath caught in my chest. Would he kiss me? Did he even want to? Did I want a kiss from him?
I searched his eyes, and I saw them dart down to my lips. I held my breath and time seemed to slow down.
A moment later, he had decided. He moved quickly in and pressed his lips to mine. His touch was electric. I felt myself stiff
en in shock and then melt into him. His hands went to my hips, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He pressed gently at first but then a little more firmly and — I couldn't help it — I opened to him allowing his tongue to tangle with mine. The feeling was like an explosion that shot through my entire body, filling it with bliss. He pulled away too soon and looked flustered.
If that kiss had been part of his TerraMates portfolio, I would have picked him immediately.
That's when I remembered we had an audience. The marriage official was smiling, and the hairdresser was looking politely away. I looked back at Nathaniel, losing myself in those strange turquoise eyes for another long moment before I tore myself away, wiping carefully at my lips and wondering if my lipstick was smudged. He gave me a sweet half-smile and turned to thank everyone.
I sighed. It was done. I could finally wire the money to the boys. Marlin would be safe, and the others would be too. Everything was looking up.
What was I going to do about Nathaniel? I had a preselected husband that I had hoped I would not hate. I had never thought an attraction possible. The kiss overwhelmed me. I burned the 'no sex unless both parties agreed' rule into my brain. If he kissed me like that again, I'd be agreeing all the way to the bedroom.
I hadn't expected to have chemistry with my new husband, but I had to admit that the fact that he was drop-dead gorgeous, and an amazing kisser on top of that was a pretty nice bonus. It had been a very long time since I had slept with anyone, and my long-dormant libido was waking up and taking notice.
And the person it was noticing was Nathaniel.
Chapter Eight
NATHANIEL
I turned away from Ashlyn — my wife — to thank everyone. They had gone out of their way to do a favor for me. The marriage official had done our wedding on his day off. I would made sure to include a big bonus when I paid him.
Doing these little tasks also gave me time to get my composure back. That kiss had rocked me to the core, and I didn't know what to make of it. I was doing this to get out of trouble with the law. I had no intention of staying married or even spending time with my wife, but when I glanced back at Ashlyn and saw her smiling to herself, I felt something shift.
I didn't know what, but something had changed.
"Ashlyn?" I said, and she looked up at me a little anxiously. "We should go."
She nodded, then looked puzzled.
"Where are we going, Nathaniel?" She was still calling me by my full name. I should tell her to call me Nat. But it was cute. And I liked it. No one had ever called me Nathaniel before.
"We have to make one stop, and then we're going on our honeymoon."
"Oh." Her face displayed many emotions in quick succession: surprise, pleasure, and fear. "A honeymoon?"
"You know you don't have to have sex with me, right?" Might as well get it all out in the open. Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. "Both parties have to consent, remember?"
"I remember," she said, looking away.
"Right. There's one errand I need to complete. After that, we're going back to my house for three days. I'll be away from home frequently but you'll find plenty to keep you busy."
I was trying to play out the script in my mind. I had created the perfect plan, and now everything was different. Instead of spending a few polite days chatting with my new wife at my house, I was hoping that we might be doing a lot more than chatting. But that was foolish. Maybe she wasn't even interested.
I remembered how she had wrapped her arms around me and pressed her soft body against mine. Perhaps she was interested. I didn't know. But that was a moot point.
I was not in this for sex or finding a partner. I was in this to get my sorry ass out of hot water before I landed myself in prison.
Sex would be a bonus. A spectacular bonus.
I needed to focus. My plan was to stop at the police station, show them my wife and our marriage certificates, and get them off my back. After we had spent a few days together, there was another ship coming through that we needed to intercept.
I would leave her and wouldn't be back for about a month because of the schedule of the supply ships. I spent most of my time on the Dream and was rarely home. That's why this was going to work out. She would live at my house. I would live, as usual, on my ship and the year of marriage would play out without us even seeing each other. We would get divorced and go our merry ways.
Yes, that was the plan. I had to stick to the plan.
Her voice startled me. "What would I do to keep me busy?" she said out of the blue.
"What?"
"What would I do? Isn't your house on one of the most remote islands?"
"How do you know where my house is?" I said.
"You're not the only one who did your homework," she said. For the first time, I started to see the flaws in my plan. I had neglected to take into account that Ashlyn was a person. She was lovely. It hadn't occurred to me that she might be clever as well. I remembered that she was working on a degree in environmental science — my specialty — so obviously she had some brains in that pretty head of hers.
I spoke quickly to hide my astonishment.
"I see. It is in a remote place."
"In my regular life, I work eight to ten hour days, then study for two to three hours a night. I take care of the house for four people." She spoke as if this were normal.
"Oh," I frowned. "Well, you won't have to do any housework. There's the help for that. And you're right, it is pretty far from the nearest settlement, so a job is probably out of the question. You could find something online. Perhaps you have a hobby?"
She laughed, and her face lit up. I liked it.
"The first few weeks I can pretend I'm on vacation. I've never had one of those."
Never had a vacation? What kind of life had she had that she never taken a vacation?
"I'm sure you'll think of something," I said, and when I glanced at her, she was looking at me with an odd look on her face. If I had to guess, I would have said her eyes had a hint of desire in them.
I was probably projecting again. Involuntarily, I felt myself harden at the thought.
"Yes, I'm sure I'll think of something," she said.
I could think of something that would keep her busy most nights and some days, too. I reminded myself once again that this was simply a marriage of convenience.
I hoped I would not have to keep reminding myself in the future.
ASHLYN
I felt overwhelmed by everything that was happening. Yesterday, I had arrived and met my fiance. Today, we had got married and were now on our way to our honeymoon - at his mansion.
I thought that was a little weird until I remembered the pictures of it and his maid service. It would likely be posher than a five-star hotel. It would certainly be more luxury than I had ever seen in my life.
The car stopped suddenly, and Nathaniel got out. He came around to my side and opened the door.
"Where are we going?" I asked. He had been elusive when I tried to pin him down on why we were making this stop.
He stammered and looked nervous though he was attempting to hide it. "I have to show our marriage certificates at the police station."
I looked up at the strange edifice. I noticed that this building, like many others, used coral as its primary building material. In front of the building, a sign said Dass Vasser Police Department.
"Is this standard procedure after a wedding to an alien?" I said.
"No." He pressed his lips together as I continued to look at him. "It's difficult to explain. I got into a little trouble with the police on my sailing vessel."
"You have a ship?"
"I thought you did your research on me. It's for my job." He looked flustered, and I wondered if everything he told me was the truth. "When I told them that I was in the wrong place because I was taking a short cut, coming to pick you up, they insisted that I prove it."
I noticed he wasn't looking at me in the eyes. I wondered if I had made a b
ig mistake. I tried to mask my feelings, but I wasn't successful.
"I'm sorry." Nathaniel grimaced and looked down at his feet. "I know it's not a dream to take your new spouse to the police station. It will only take a minute, and then we'll be off. You won't even have to say anything."
Hope sprang to life in my heart. "Is your problem similar to a parking ticket?" I asked. I wanted to believe the best.
I nodded.
"Let's get this out of the way, then."
He breathed a sigh of relief and took my hand, leading me into the building. I wondered why he was touching me, but I supposed it was for appearances. If anyone was watching, we would look like a happy newlywed couple. To my surprise, the touch of his skin on mine caused energy to rush through my body from the single point of contact. I had a brief vision of our bodies moving along their entire length, and I swallowed hard, trying to get my run-away imagination under control.
We walked up to the front desk, and a woman greeted us. He explained that he needed to see Inspector Callaghan, and she took us to his office.
When we walked in, the inspector stood up with a scowl on his face.
"Mr. Lachlan. I must admit I'm surprised to see you here. And with your…"
"Wife," he said curtly.
"Your wife, no less."
"I told you I was getting married. Did you think I was lying about it just to get rid of you?"
"Perhaps," he said, getting up. He turned on the overhead light, and we each held up our forearms for him to read the information.
"Today? Congratulations," he said. Nathaniel nodded, ignoring the ridicule in his voice.
"I'm free to go, right?" he said after the inspector looked at the certificates.
"Yes," he said. The inspector seemed irritated that he couldn't find a reason to restrain Nathaniel. Cops were always looking for criminals everywhere in the galaxy. "You're free to go."
Nathaniel turned to leave. He took my hand again. It felt different this time, like he meant it, and wanted to touch me again. I tried to hide my blush.
"Mr. Lachlan, if you are caught in restricted waters again…" Nathaniel looked back at the inspector, whose eyes were cold and hard.