Page 15 of Ready for Her Alien Husband

Trixie poked him in the abs. “You wanted to tease me.” She then rubbed the same spot above his towel soothingly and let a happy smile curl her lips. “I like it. A lot.”

His smile matched her own. “You’ll try them all, then? Not just the beans from Terra?”

“You should know, Vrixiel of the Pointed Horn Clan,” she declared, chin raised high, lips pursed, “that I do not back away from a challenge. Your lady shall taste each and every one of these masterpieces of the culinary art… tomorrow.” She then added through a grin, “Now gimme the beans.”

Vrixiel guffawed. “Do not worry,niela. The food domes and the table will keep everything fresh for you. Not a single bite of thetwigswill go to waste.”

“Tease.” She shook her head. “You’ll never let me forget this comment, will you?”

He didn’t reply.

It was official: Vrixiel would tease her endlessly about this until they were old and gray. Trixie really liked that, both his sense of humor and the thought of having someone to grow old with.

He picked up the glass bowl and handed her a spoon. “Ready for your beans, bean?”

CHAPTER 11

Perfect

Vrixiel had a new favorite activity: teasing hisniela. He had taken a risk by ordering these peculiar dishes for their first dinner, but he was a teaser by nature. What better way to show that to his female and see if she liked it?

Judging by her pleased noises as she chewed, Trixie loved beans as much as he did. Mission accomplished.

Without the need for words, they began feeding each other. His favorite dish relished together with the female of his dreams – he was in Gaenthian heaven.

“So, tell me,” she spoke in between the spoonfuls, “how does one get groceries around here? Do you guys have somesort of farmland on the station? Or is everything delivered from Earth and other planets within the Intergalactic Alliance?”

Vrixiel put another spoon of beans in her delectable mouth before replying. “We get regular deliveries, mostly from Terra but sometimes from Gaenthia as well. We do not grow food here. We do have the Arboretum, but that serves as a public garden and recovery center for soldiers with wing injuries. I’ll take you there for a proper flight in my arms.”

“Oh yes, I’d like that.” Trixie fed him some more. “And cooking? Do you prep your own dishes by hand, in a food replicator, or…?”

“The cabins are not equipped with individual replicators, I’m afraid. This is, above all, a military station. The mess hall is the place to go for replicated food, which you can eat there or bring home. You can choose between what’s on offer for the day, or replicate a dish of your choice. They have top-notch replicators, unlike on the Venus station.”

Trixie nodded during his explanation. “You made this dinner for me in the mess hall, then?”

“Everything but the beans. Those I cooked here in the ways of old,” Vrixiel admitted with pride. Not that he could prepare much else in the cabin’s small kitchen… An idea hit him. “Can you cook,niela? In the old ways? I understand you cannot stay standing for long, but how about a quick meal?”

“I can whip something up that is not poisonous.” She left her spoon in the half-empty bowl he was holding. “Why? Do you have something in mind?”

He smiled. “Would you like to cook with me? On my days off? We could learn from each other.”

Her answering smile was brilliant. “We could try.” Resuming feeding him, she reasoned, “I have to know how to cook at least one traditional Gaenthian dish. Something to impress your parents with.”

“Hmm.” He didn’t want to think about the obligatory presentation of hisnielato the whole clan. Which happened to include the King. Vrixiel wanted no other males’ eyes on his female. “Do not worry about the clan ball during our honeymate.”

“Wait. There’s a clan ball?” She gaped. “And what do you mean by ‘don’t worryduringthe honeymate’? Should I be worried after?”

Vrixiel winced inside. “It is but a formality. The way of my clan. But it is not something I look forward to.” It was a tradition rooted in politics: each new blessing by the Goddess in the form of anielahad to be flaunted as evidence of the clan being worthy of the King’s court. And Vrixiel wanted nothing to do with politics.

He took Trixie’s free hand in his. “Please, bean, do not worry about it. That’s four days of travel one way, and I will not subject you to that until the clan sends a ship with a cabin equipped for your health needs.” He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “No need to think about the ball yet. Let us focus on the ten days we have here, alone in our new home.”

The corners of her lips turned up. “Where you want to keep me all to yourself, I remember… Okay. I’ll try not to worry about what comes after the honeymate. But tell me,” she laced her fingers with his, “how will you keep me entertained for ten days,niel?”

He smirked. “Books.”

Her eyebrows shot up in a way Vrixiel was beginning to find endearing. “Books?”

He released her hand to again hold her comfortably around the waist. “Reading is one of your hobbies, is it not? Your ASI file said so.”

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