Page 61 of The Pregnancy Pact

I blinked several times, adjusting myself to the fact that he was still in bed with me. Not merely that, but pressed up against me.

How long had it been since that had happened? Charlie hadn’t pressed himself up against me in years, unless he’d woken up wanting sex immediately instead of waiting until he could get to one of his girlfriend’s houses. Thinking I was doing the right thing, trying to be a dutiful wife and a mother who held her family together, I’d usually complied.

My older self wished that my younger self hadn’t given in.

Nothing I could do about the past. Only the present.

And in the present, Ellax had moved sharply, as if he, too had just been awakened. All of these thoughts flared as he sat up. I was on my side, but turned my head, blinking the sleep from eyes to see him lift the watch he wore on his wrist. He must have been reading a message. His dark-silver eyebrows rose.

“J’tet!” he muttered. Shoving away the blankets, he climbed from the bed.

No pressure for morning sex from him.

I wasn’t sure if I was disappointed or relieved.

“What is it?” I asked.

He was striding towards his closet, his steps quick and firm. I guess he didn’t need coffee to get going in the morning.

“A message from the Coalition’s spokesperson,” Ellax replied, his voice terse. “I’m to report to a space ship that’s docked at the nearest interplanetary space station outside Asterion’s atmosphere.”

“What does that mean?” I asked. The news was enough to wake me up without coffee too. I swept the tangled hair from my eyes, watching him emerge from the closet with clothing draped over his arm.

“I fear it means my fellow Council members have sent their proposal without my agreement,” he replied, dropping the clothing on the bed.

“Can they do that?” I was aghast.

“They stand a better chance of obtaining their request if I present the petition,” he replied, “but they can do whatever they wish before a matter has been voted on and recorded.” Without modesty or hesitation, he stepped out of the underclothes he’d worn to bed to change into a fresh pair.

Oh my stars.

My cheeks were burning.

I’d seen male anatomy before—my human husband’s. It certainly hadn’t looked like this.

Swiftly, I turned my head, trying to focus on the topic at hand rather than how my new husband looked naked.

You’re not a teenager, Lorelai. Or a virgin. Quit acting like one.

Damn it. The vision was seared in my brain, though, as Ellax pulled on fresh trousers and a shirt.

“Now, what the Lead Advisors will do is the important part,” he muttered. I heard a click and glanced back over to see he’d buckled a belt around his waist.

Clothing on. He’s not naked anymore. Think about what he’s saying.

“And th—that’s why they called you?” I asked, hating myself for the stammer in my words and hoping he had no idea what had caused it.

“It is indeed.”

I didn’t want to ask. I was terrified of the response I would get. But I had to know.

“What are you going to do, Ellax?”

He paused in the act of buttoning his shirt and glanced over at me, his hands frozen on his lapels.

“Do you mean, am I going to sanction the plan or am I going to plead against it?”

I nodded shakily. The entire world seemed to hinge on this moment.

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