“I understand, believe me. The Cire value children so much that they want them to have everything. I’m sure it’s worse for Inzen because of the fact that he’s already lost a child. But he’s an intelligent male. He came to see me the day we found out about you because he knew that he was being overprotective. I’m sure he understands that she needs boundaries as well as love. Talk to him.”
“All right.” She knew Abby was right and realized that to a certain extent, she was as bad as her mate. She had let Lily dictate their lives because she couldn’t stand to see her daughter upset.
Abby’s eyes twinkled. “That being said, a little bribery can go a long way. Do you know how to make cookies?”
Jade laughed. She and Abby talked a little while longer and then, after they hung up, started making plans.
Chapter Seventeen
All through dinner, Inzen found himself watching Jade. She seemed happier this afternoon, and he was grateful that talking to Abby seemed to have helped. The last few days had been difficult. Lily was unusually clinging and demanding, but he found it hard to say no to her after having left her. The first night she demanded to sleep with him, he had expected Jade to object. Instead, she simply left him and went to Lily’s room. Was that what she wanted? Uncertain about her desires, he had let the situation remain despite his frustration.
At the training school, he had thought she was indicating interest, but last night when he finally got Lily settled and returned to the living area, Jade was no longer there and he decided she must have changed her mind. Hearing her complain to Abby about the arrangements had been a huge relief. Perhaps she really did want to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her.
After supper, Jade announced that she was going to make cookies. Lily instantly abandoned him and climbed back in her highchair so she could help. An hour later, she was sticky and smiling. Not once had she called for him, and he had been content to watch his two girls as they worked together.
When Jade would only allow her to eat one of the rather misshapen cookies, Lily started to pout. He opened his mouth to argue that one more wouldn’t hurt but caught Jade’s glare in time and hardened his heart.
“Not tonight, little one. Time for your bath. You have more cookie on your face than you have in your tummy.”
“I’ll take care of her bath tonight,” Jade said, plucking Lily out of his arms. “Why don’t we let Dada clean up the kitchen so we can make more cookies tomorrow?”
He could tell that Lily had been about to protest, but at Jade’s words, she nodded.
“Dada clean.”
Cleaning the kitchen was not as satisfying as watching his daughter play in the tub but he was relieved to hear her laughing and splashing despite his absence. When she emerged, clean and sweet-smelling in her little nightgown, she crawled up on his lap while Jade read her a bedtime story. Her eyes were drooping when the story finished.
“I think she’s ready for her own bed tonight,” Jade said softly as he picked Lily up to carry her to bed.
The thought of being alone with his mate made his shaft stiffen and he didn’t object. As he started to put Lily down, her eyes opened.
“Sleep wif Dada.”
“Not tonight, little one. You snuggle up with Bobo and I’ll tell you another story.”
Her scowl was interrupted by a big yawn, and to his immense relief, she put her arm around her stuffed animal, her thumb in her mouth, and closed her eyes again. By the time he finished the second story, she was asleep.
When he returned to the living room, Jade was waiting for him. She had taken advantage of his absence to take a shower herself and she was wrapped in a simple green robe that revealed her delicate collarbone and her curvy golden calves. The thin fabric made it obvious she was naked beneath it, and he almost swayed as all the blood in his body rushed to his cock. Was she ready to become his mate in truth?
“You look very becoming, my letari.”
“Not much of a letari right now, I’m afraid. You have neglected my training.”
“You wish to train now?” It was not what he had in mind, but he would not turn down the opportunity to have her body against his.
“No, Inzen.” Green fire sparkled in her eyes as she glanced slowly down his body. “But perhaps tomorrow. Tonight, we need to talk.”
“Hrebec says it is not a good sign when a human female says those words.”
She laughed and moved over to sit on the couch, patting the space beside her invitingly. “He may be right, but I still think we need to talk about Lily. And about us.”
He sat next to her, unable to prevent his tail from curving around her waist. To his relief, she didn’t object but nestled closer. A sense of rightness settled over him as his lungs filled with her sweet, spicy scent. This was where she belonged.
“What do you wish to say to me, my mate?”
“If we are to be truly mates—” she started, and his heart skipped a beat. If?
“—then we need to work together on everything.”
“You wish me to work in the shop as well? I would be happy to do so although I know very little about female clothing.”
She laughed again. “No, that’s not what I had in mind. But we need to work together to establish boundaries for Lily. I know you love her but that doesn’t mean that she is in charge.”
Guilt swept over him. “You are correct. I regretted leaving her, and I have not behaved as a father should. It is always difficult for me to discipline her.”
“I understand but I can’t always be the one to say no. I know she’s having a hard time adjusting to me, but she’ll never accept me if you’re always between us.”
“That was never my intention,” he said, horrified.
“I know it wasn’t.” She patted his tail and he groaned. “Oops. Sometimes I forget that it’s more than a friendly gesture.”
“It feels as if you’re stroking my cock.”
Her eyes widened and she started to sway towards him, but then she pulled back, tilting her head to study his face.
“I think we should set up a schedule and alternate what we do with her so that sometimes I feed her and sometimes you do. Sometimes I give her a bath and sometimes you do.”
“That sounds very reasonable.”
“And if she cries and protests, we both tell her no.”
He hated even the thought of tears in his daughter’s big brown eyes, but Jade was correct. The child needed boundaries. He nodded, and she smiled at him with the most warmth he had seen since before his confession on the ship.
“And she sleeps in her own bed at night so that I can share yours.”
He didn’t even take the time to agree. He simply swept her up in his arms and carried her towards the bedroom.
Reluctantly putting her down, he turned to close the doors behind them. When he turned back, she was standing by the open door to his small garden, her clothing gone and her golden body glowing in the soft light of the garden lanterns.
“You are so beautiful.”
“You make me feel beautiful.” A smile played on her lips. “But you are wearing far too many clothes.”
He reached for his tunic, but she shook her head. “Let me do that. Shouldn’t a good mate help you undress?”
“It is a male’s privilege to tend to his mate. It is not a common practice—”
Her hands slid beneath his shirt and he lost the ability to speak. Her tiny nails trailed across his skin, leaving a line of fire behind. Tugging the garment up his stomach in small increments, she kissed each inch of skin she revealed. She wasn’t tall enough to pull it off completely, so he yanked it impatiently over his head.
“Mmm. That’s much better.” She leaned in and licked a soft pink tongue across his nipple, sending a spike of electricity to his aching cock. He reached for his pants to free himself, but she pushed his hands away. “Not yet. I’m enjoying myself.”
How could he deny anything which gave his mate pleasure? He fisted his hands
at his sides in order to avoid taking charge. His tail was not so restrained. It kept sneaking around to tug at one of her taut little peaks or test the slippery heat between her legs.
Shaking her head, she smiled up at him. “You have a very naughty tail.”
“You are unbearably tempting.”
“Hmm. I rather like the sound of that.”
Her kisses resumed, skating along his waistband as she gradually pushed his pants down. They caught on his erection and she finally, finally freed his aching cock, laughing when the heavy length sprang free, liquid already pearling on his tip.
“Someone’s happy to see me,” she murmured. He lost all ability to think when she swiped her soft little tongue across him.
“My letari!”
She sank to her knees, gripping his cock in her small hand, and licked him again. “Is something wrong?”
“It is forbidden.”
“What is? This?” Another longer lick, and he shivered. “Or this?” She took him into the heated depths of her mouth and sucked gently. The room swayed.
“Or is there something else I shouldn’t do?” Her eyes were wide and innocent as she looked up at him, but he could see the teasing light sparkling there. Fuck if he could resist her.
“You definitely should not put your mouth on me again.”
“Like this?”
Her lips closed around him once more and she took him deeper. He buried his hand in the dark, silky strands of her hair and groaned.
“Definitely not like that. You should not lick my cock either.”
She let him slip out of her mouth, then slowly swirled her tongue around him, from his tip down to his throbbing base, where she enclosed his sack in the wondrous heat of her mouth.
“I suppose I shouldn’t have done that either.”
His control was at an end. “Take me in your mouth again.”
She didn’t hesitate, closing her mouth around him once more, sinking deeper on his shaft until her mouth met her hand. She started to pull back and his hand fisted involuntarily in her hair, but she only withdrew slightly before dipping down again. Over and over, slow sucking withdrawals were followed by rapid plunges until he could control himself no longer and exploded in a long shuddering wave. She still didn’t pull back but drank eagerly until the final drop escaped, giving him a last lingering kiss as she sank back on her knees.
“You taste so good.” She licked her lips and smiled up at him. “Too bad it’s forbidden. I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”
“You will,” he promised. To hell with rules that only applied on a dying planet. What happened between mates was no one else’s business, and if she enjoyed taking him into her mouth, he would let her do so whenever she wanted. “But now, it’s my turn.”
Before she could say anything, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed, dropping to his knees in front of her and parting her legs. Her delicate folds were already flushed and swollen, evidence that she had enjoyed their encounter as much as he had. He dragged his tongue across the damp flesh, determined to gather every drop of her delicious essence. She shuddered and clutched his head, awakening the sensitive nerves along his ridges and his cock throbbed, once again hard and ready, but he was determined to bring her as much pleasure as she had given him.
He brought her to climax three times, each time drinking eagerly of her sweet liquid, before he finally gave in and allowed his cock to sink into her. Unable to resist the feel of her hot, silken cunt after the long denial, his hips thrust helplessly, the base of his cock already swelling to lock them together as a second heated wave consumed him. His tail flicked across her pleasure receptacle, and he felt her quiver around him once again as he collapsed to the bed, holding her close as he sighed with contentment.
She was back in his arms, and all was right with the world.
Chapter Eighteen
Jade yawned as she walked into Cassie’s shop the next morning. Inzen had kept her up half the night—not that she was complaining—and would have continued his activities this morning if Lily hadn’t called out for him. But instead of just abandoning her, he had brought Lily back to bed and the three of them had snuggled together. Lily hadn’t complained once, and a budding optimism about her relationship with her daughter sent her off to work with a smile on her face.
Unfortunately, that smile dimmed as soon as she caught sight of Cassie. Something was obviously wrong. Dark circles stained the pale skin under Cassie’s eyes, and the young woman looked exhausted. For once, her daughter Angel wasn’t present.
“Is everything all right?” she asked softly.
“I don’t know,” Cassie snapped. “Have you been extending any more unwelcome dinner invitations?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you didn’t want Sentu to come—”
“Of course you don’t know what I want!” The other woman stopped abruptly and rubbed her eyes. “Just go clean out the stockroom.”
“I did that yesterday. Maybe I can help out with the customers today?”
“What customers?” Cassie flung her arm out towards the front window, and they both watched as two Trevelorian women glanced casually in the window and kept going.
Jade bit her lip before she provided what she was sure would be unwanted advice and started straightening the shelves. One side of the store was stacked with a variety of fabrics, many of them dyed with the amazing Trevelorian dyes to create shimmering, iridescent effects in bright jewel tones. The other side held some tasteful displays of premade clothing and a comfortable seating area for clients.
As the morning wore on, only one customer entered and Cassie’s mood grew even darker. After they both watched a well-dressed matron pass by without a second look, Jade had had enough.
“Look, I know you don’t want to hear from me, but I do have a lot of experience with selling clothes.”
Cassie snorted. “On a strange planet populated by bird aliens? What good is your experience here?”
She thought back to the market on Driguera, not to mention what she had seen here on Trevelor.
“Retail is retail,” she said firmly. “You’re not getting any customers because your windows are too cluttered and your shop looks like every other shop.”
“I was doing just fine until you came along.”
“Really? Business just died off in the past few days?”
Cassie’s glare turned even fiercer, but Jade saw the betraying color high on her cheekbones.
“It’s been going down over the past couple of months,” the other woman finally admitted.
“My guess is that when you opened up, the shop was something new so people were interested—”
“And now they’re not?”
“It’s not that they’re not still interested. You have a group of regular customers, right?”
Cassie nodded.
“The problem is that you need to recreate that same excitement that was there when you opened.”
“But I’m not new anymore.”
“No, but you’re still unique.” Jade walked to the front of the store and pointed at the store window. “You’re not showing how special your clothes are with a window that looks like every other window on the street.”
“That’s what the Trevelorians want to see.”
“Maybe—from other Trevelorians. You should take advantage of the fact that you’re different.”
“What do you mean?”
“Get rid of all the clutter. Put no more than three outfits in the window and use a plain backdrop to set them off. Not all of them should be designed for Trevelorians. This town has lots of different species and seeing a variety of designs would let them know what you can do.” Cassie was still scowling so Jade softened her tone. “You’re very talented, Cassie. You just need to let people know that you have more to offer than the same outfits that anyone else could make.”
“What makes you such an expert anyway?”
“This is what I did back on Earth.”
Cass
ie scoffed. “Design shop windows?”
“Yes. And sewed and ran a cash register and acted as a buyer and did marketing and worked in our e-commerce division.” A reminiscent smile crossed her face. “My grandmother believed that I should know every part of the business.”
“And what was the business?”
“We have—had—a line of clothing stores. Forever a Lady was the most popular brand.”
Cassie’s mouth dropped open but before she could say anything, Inzen appeared at the back of the store with Lily in her stroller. Jade’s lips curved into a happy smile at the sight of her family—Inzen’s heated gaze reminding her of their night together and Lily waving cheerfully instead of scowling.
“Greetings, my letari,” he said, running his eyes over her with equal appreciation. “I thought perhaps we could walk to the market and pick up some lunch at the stalls.”
“That sounds wonderful.” She shot a quick look at Cassie, who was still looking stunned. “Is it all right if I leave now?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Jade could feel the other woman staring after her as they left.
“Is there something wrong?” Inzen asked.
“I hope not.”
Revealing her past had been somewhat of a gamble. There was a good chance that Cassie would reject her even more now that she knew that she was the former owner of the popular clothing stores, but Jade hoped that she would at least think about listening to her instead. She had been quite sincere when she said that the girl had talent; she just needed to showcase it.
Inzen’s tail wrapped around her waist and she leaned into him as they wandered down the street, away from the permanent stores into the stalls of the open market.
Bright colors surrounded them. Everything from the buildings to the colorful canopies over the stalls was decorated in brilliant colors that should have clashed but instead mingled into a cheerful whole beneath the turquoise sky. The Trevelorians were equally colorful with their variegated crests and brilliant outfits, but as she had mentioned to Cassie, a wide variety of other races were present as well.
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