Page 47 of The Alien Who Saved Christmas
Sadie smiled against his mouth. In that second, some mysterious bond solidified between them. She felt the link knot tight, connecting her to this man forever.
Then, Xane was swinging her onto his back, running and shoving his way through the crowd. “You were right.” He called over his shoulder. “George Clooney is highly skilled at plans.”
“Actually, that one was Sharon Stone’s.”
“Who’s he?”
Chapter Thirteen
Christmas day will find me, where my spaceship gleams,
It’s our home, we live in chrome,
In the rocket of our dreams.
From “I’ll Be Home for Christmas in a Rocket Ship”
A Christmas Carol for Non-Earthlings by Sadie Malone
Xane faced the wall, trying to decide if this was the luckiest he’d ever been or abject torture.
When they’d returned to the ship, Sadie had bemoaned her smell. Repeatedly. Hiding her feminine scent in public had been logical and necessary, but it still seemed to distress her. Xane did not like seeing his wife distressed. It was his job to make her content.
Wanting to please her, he’d suggested that she take a shower. To him, it seemed a very simple solution. Yet Sadie had gaped like he had proposed something miraculous.
“Aliens have showers?” She’d gasped. “Where? I couldn’t find any. I’ve been using that icky-foaming stuff for weeks!”
Her outraged tone was adorable. “That is for hands, faces, and prehensile tails. Do they not have foam-powder in the Milky Way? It is used for small areas.” He’d taken her to the ship’s largest hygiene chamber and showed her how to access the bathing controls. Inside the showering pod, multiple jets of water turned on, automatically warming. “This is how we bathe our entire bodies.”
Sadie’s excitement had been beyond measure. “Best Christmas present ever!” She clapped her hands together.“Xane, you are a genius. A beautiful plumbinggenius.” She’d instantly kicked off her shoes. “I cannot wait to get clean! Is there a way to wash the Lythion robes, too?”
“Yes, of course. In a cleansing machine. I will show you. We will need to take the fortune in credits from the pockets, first.” Sadie seemed to have no conception of her new riches. “I can use the ship’s computer system to bank your casino winnings, if you like.”
“Oh, you take the coins, Xane. You can use them to buy stuff for your sheep.”
He’d made a frustrated sound at her generosity. The woman was too sweet for her own good. “You must think of your own welfare…”
Then, she’d pulled the Lythion robes over her head, and all of Xane’s logical complaints were lost. She wore the strangest undergarments he’d ever seen. A triangle of pink fabric covered the juncture of her thighs, and her breasts were barely contained in a semi-transparent lacy sling.
It was mesmerizing.
Xane’s brain had stalled, his eyes roaming all over her flawless skin. Memorizing every bit he could see. Storing up the images so he could savor them in the long, lonely years to come.
“I will…” His tongue had felt too big for his mouth. “I will wait outside the room, for you to finish.”
“Hang on, I need you to help me get into this thing.” Sadie had said cheerily. “It’s too tall.”
“Lythions’ legs can lengthen.” His mind had been buzzing, so finding words was a struggle. “Can humans lengthen their legs?”
“Nope. You’ll need to lift me up, big guy.”
That was a terrible idea. Absolutely terrible. It was just asking for trouble. Xane had moved forward, anyway. His upper pair of arms seized her by the waist and deposited her in the shower pod, as quickly as possible. He hadn’t let his hands linger, but even the innocent brush of his fingers against her skin sent fire through his blood. After he released her, the feel of her flower-soft flesh still lingered on his palms.
“I’m going to wash my underwear, while I’m in here.” Sadie had continued. “You should face the wall, unless you want to see me naked.”
Was she jesting? Ofcourse, he wanted to see her naked!
Still, Xane turned towards the wall, because her trust was more important than his desire. Now he listened to her hum, while he slowly lost his mind. It was worth every bit of madness. As with everything surrounding his wife, embracing insanity brought a kind of bliss.
