Page 10 of The Marriage Bargain

I had let myself run off at the mouth without thinking. Not the first time, and probably wouldn’t be the last, either. I’m not sure what type of response I was expecting, but it wasn’t for the Overlord to put his hands on his thighs and push himself to his feet. It wasn’t for him to step closer to me, walk over, and invade my personal space.

Invade my space, like he and his people had invaded my home planet. Not by warfare, not by violence, but by simply coming over, getting in our sphere. I don’t think he meant to be intimidating, but I had a hard time not shying backwards. I stood my ground as he stopped in front of me, toe to toe. My heart rate quickened. If he had any kind of supernatural senses, I was sure he’d be able to hear it. I didn’t have any, and I could hear it. It felt like it was pounding in my ears. I was sure my face must be red from the exertion of pumping all that blood so hard and so fast.

He stared down at me for a long, tense moment without speaking. I stood there, stiff as a board, waiting. Waiting. Waiting for him to be mad. Or laugh. Or call me out on my disrespect. Maybe hit me? Would he hit me? Asterions weren’t known for having violent tempers, but I didn’t know him. I didn’t know anything about him. What if he was the type who couldn’t handle any kind of disrespect?

Whatever I was anticipating, it wasn’t for him to reach up and gently take a strand of my hair between his thumb and finger. “Everything,” he answered quietly, rubbing my hair between his fingers, feeling it, caressing it. “I find everything about you intriguing.”

Now how the hell was I supposed to respond to that? I was frozen by his proximity, his touch. By the gleam in his golden gaze.

From somewhere came the strength to clear my throat, shy a step backwards. His hand fell away, which allowed me to inhale.

“Well…” I murmured. “Well…”

I was finding it difficult to think of a response.

“Well, I’m not—not really all that interesting,” I finally stammered. I was pretty sure fire scorched my cheeks.

I must sound like an idiot. Maybe he finds me intriguing because he isn’t used to people sounding so stupid.

“To me, you are.”

Why was I so flustered? Why couldn’t I think of anything to say? Why was I standing there staring at him like a complete fool? He wasn’t moving either, so we were at an impasse. An impasse that, thankfully, was shattered by the ringing of my phone. I was so nervous, so on edge that I jumped when the trilling tones broke the silence. When I reached into my pocket to pull it out, my hands were shaking.

Zyn.

I accepted the call and lifted it to my ear. “Hello?”

The alien’s stare tracked me, but if he noted my shaking hands he didn’t respond. He simply watched as I took advantage of the distraction to get away.

“How’s everything going?” I asked, relieved that my voice was steady, even if my hands and heartbeat weren’t.

“She’s okay,” my brother-in-law answered. “They’ve got her on an IV for fluids and medication to stop the vomiting. She was already dehydrated. They want to monitor both her and the baby overnight. She wants me to stay with her. Is that…okay? Will you be okay?”

I heard the hesitancy. He was asking if I would be alright there at the house with his alien boss. He wasn’t worried about me and the kids. That, I could handle. Snowed in the small house with a beautiful alien Overlord? That, I wasn’t so sure about.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, releasing a breath. “I’m glad they’re taking care of Tarra. Of course you should stay there with her. I’ll be okay here.”

I cast a glance over my shoulder at the alien, Caide, who observed silently.

“We’ll—we’ll be alright. Don’t worry about anything. You and Tarra try to get some rest. See you in the morning.”

I was about to hang up, but Zyn jumped in. “Thanks, Delle. I guess Caide is still there? Can I speak to him?”

I wanted to snap, “Why? Is my word not good enough?” Instead, gritting my teeth, I addressed the alien. “It’s Zyn. He wants to talk to you. Is that alright?”

“Of course.” The Overlord stretched out a silver-skinned hand and I dropped my phone into it, careful not to touch him in any way. But not touching him didn’t keep me from noticing the callouses on his finger pads and his palms. Callouses that spoke of a person used to physical labor and hard work. Callouses that I suddenly couldn’t help picturing tracing over my bare skin.

How would that feel?

Whoa! Where did that come from?

Mortified, I cleared my throat again, and stood there anxiously shifting my weight, side to side, while the alien Overlord spoke briefly with my brother-in-law. Signing off, he returned my phone.

“Everything okay?” I questioned as I tucked it back into my pocket.

“Everything is very well.”

I waited for further explanation. When none was forthcoming, I dug in.

---