Page 48 of Caldar
“He is very attractive,” Caldar said, flipping through the pages.
She laughed. “He’s not hard on the eyes, but he’s stubborn and secretive and protective and, I’ve been told, good at moving heavy things.”
“You are extraordinarily talented,” he said, reaching the last drawing. He set the sketchbook on the table, opened to the last page. It was the one she did the day of the mugging.
He sank to the floor, kneeling at her side. He took her hands in his. He spoke in a tone that was far too serious for her liking. “I do not understand why you chose me.”
“Caldar—”
“But I will not question your decision. I will thank all the stars in the sky and any deity that will listen for every day of love you give me.”
“Share with you. This is a partnership.”
A grin spread across his face, replacing that too-severe, un-Caldar-like seriousness. “Will you share the cookies with me?”
Sonia slapped a hand over the container. “These are for dessert. You’ll spoil your dinner.”
“You have Earth chocolate on your lips.”
She licked her lips instinctively.
He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her mouth. It was warm, a little chocolatey, and completely sweet. Desire blossomed inside her, not the frantic, aching drug-induced need but a gentle, slow-rolling passion. She wanted to chase that feeling and not let the moment end.
“I am craving something different for dessert,” he whispered, his lips nearly brushing against hers.
“I really hope we have the same idea about dessert,” she said. They had so many things to talk about, like what it meant now that Caldar was in a clan again, would they live on the ship. Sonia had questions. All those could wait until tomorrow, leaving her to ask the most important question, “Bed?”
As it turned out, they did have the same idea about dessert.
EPILOGUE
SONIA
Mornings were her favorite.
Sonia had always enjoyed the quiet stillness before the house woke up and the day’s work began. In her college dorm, it was the only time she could find peace and quiet. As an adult with a 9-to-5, it was the only time she had that belonged to just her. No boss. No coworkers. No chores waiting when she got home.
Now it was the only time she got to watch her husband unawares. Caldar was always cagey and always guarded. He wore many masks, putting on a new persona when the situation required it as easily as some people changed clothes. She got it. She was Work Sonia and Friend Sonia and Arty Sonia, depending on the place and the people. Most everyone was an amalgamation of personas.
Caldar, though, was different. He had been so many people, so varied, told so many lies, twisted so much of the truth that it was easy to believe there was no real Caldar.
But she knew. She saw him, the real him, sometimes even when he didn’t realize, and it was easiest to see the real Caldar as he slept.
Completely unguarded, his face had a vulnerability that made her warm and squishy inside. His nose was rather sharp, and she could see where it had been broken and badly healed. The lines around his mouth relaxed. His silver hair tumbled forward in a rakish fashion.
She could resist brushing a lock back, exposing the deeper gray of his roots.
He cracked open an eye. Today they were an icy blue. Another deception. He frequently changed his eye color and added a color tint to his horns to appear grayer.
“Hello, pretty female,” he said, his voice rough with sleep. “You are staring.”
“I like looking at you.”
She moved to brush back his hair that stubbornly fell forward. He caught her wrist, and before she could blink, he was over her. She felt his hard cock press against her. Apparently, he liked her looking at him, too.
Not averse to finding herself pinned down, she opened her legs and wrapped them around him.
“Good morning,” she said.
