Page 55 of The Marriage Bargain

“Can they?” I asked worriedly, feeling sick to the pit of my stomach.

Caide flicked me a glance. “Do you want them to?”

“What? No, of course not!” I shook my head vehemently.

“Then they cannot. Simple as that.”

“How do you know?”

He shot me a reassuring look. “We are Overlords, but not tyrants, I hope. Well, perhaps we have been tyrannical in some respects, but there is no law or precedent I am aware of that overturns a human woman’s right to choose her own husband.”

I still felt uneasy, but his words were comforting. Certainly, I had heard of abuses of power from the Overlords, but I couldn’t say I’d heard of any married woman being forced away from her husband.

Especially when her husband was, technically, an Overlord.

“We’ll get through this, then,” I said. I didn’t know if I was trying to reassure him or me. Probably both of us.

“Yes,” he agreed, stroking my fingers. “Yes, we will.”

The transport whirred around us. A dizzying tunnel of snowflakes was all I could see out the front glass. It would have been difficult driving weather with a human vehicle, but the alien transports were guided by radar and sensors and technology, not their drivers. Knowing I didn’t have to worry about distracting him from driving under these dangerous circumstances, I murmured,

“Caide?”

“Yes?”

“What were you—what were you about to say earlier when your father showed up? Back at the house?”

He blinked several times, like he was weighing his answer. The glow of the transport’s screens and buttons reflected off his silver skin.

Damn, he was beautiful. And he was mine. Provided I could keep him and we could stay together.

“I was going to tell you that…I’m sorry. Forgive me, Delle. But I must confess to have broken part of our bargain.”

“Broken it? What? You cheated on me already?” I sputtered, not comprehending what he was trying to say.

He turned to me with a smirk. “Would you be angry if I had lain with another female?”

“Well…well, yeah, of course I would be. I can’t stand cheating.”

“Even though we’ve not yet consummated our union?”

“Look, buddy,” I growled. “We may not have had sex yet, but it wasn’t because either of us didn’t want to. I’m pretty sure you know every bit as well as me that we would have been hitting it hot and heavy if my sister’s baby hadn’t chosen to come when she did.”

“We would, wouldn’t we?”

His raised eyebrow and smirk were cute but I was still aggravated.

“Well, I was ready to. But if you’ve been cheating on me here at the Citadel while I was home taking care of kids, let me know now. I won’t put up with that crap. I don’t care if I have to run away and live in the wilderness to avoid the breeder’s list. I’d rather do that than be married to a man I can’t trust. Even if it is a temporary marriage.”

That was enough to erase the smirk. Something dead serious took over his countenance instead.

“You see, that is the problem,” he said, lifting my hand to his mouth. The kiss he pressed against my knuckles made me shiver. “I do not want this to be a temporary union. What I meant to tell you back there and what I would have you know now is I broke our bargain not by cheating on you, but by falling in love with you.”

The transport stopped.

So did my heart.

“That’s right,” the alien said quietly, golden eyes glued to mine. “I love you, Delle. No matter what happens…you will always be my forever love.”

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