Wed to the Alien Prince by C.V. Walter
Chapter 10
Prince Serogero had to put Kaelin down far sooner than he wanted. For one thing, she still wanted a shower, even if she'd been distracted from the feeling long enough to forget. And they were going to be to the ship soon so she would have to get dressed.
Still, he kept her on his lap and fed her tiny morsels from the plate, stealing a kiss with every bite and the smile on her face threatened to stop his heart every time he saw it. It was, she was, the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
She was finally comfortable in his arms, leaning against his shoulder and lifting her face for a kiss every time she wanted one. He'd just put the last bite between her lips when the announcement came that they were approaching the Forward Hope. With a sigh, he pulled her close and kissed her forehead, savoring the way she trembled with the touch.
"You wanted a shower, cherna?" he reminded her.
"What's a shower cherna?" she asked.
"You are," he said, kissing the tip of her nose. "Or will be, once you are in the shower."
"Oh, so what's a cherna?"
"It is a term of endearment. The closest your language gets is beloved, which is not quite right, but will do for our purposes."
"Beloved?" She asked with a blush.
"Very much so," he told her. "I hope I have demonstrated how I feel about you. In a way that can leave no doubt about my affection."
"You've demonstrated your affection," she told him. "And I am becoming accustomed to the idea that it might be genuine."
"Might be?" he asked, his eyebrow raised. He couldn't be offended at her skittishness though he wanted to be. She'd been hurt by her people and he could understand her reluctance to trust. She needed time, he reminded himself.
"My reluctance has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me not wanting to risk myself," she told him. "And I know it's not fair to you. I'm doing my best to meet you halfway but it's a lot to attempt when we've just met."
He kissed her. Then he did it again because her lips tasted so sweet and she clung to him so sweetly. "I appreciate that," he told her. "And I know I'm asking a lot of you. You are an amazing woman and I have every faith that you will succeed in what I've asked of you."
She smiled and he sighed.
"And now, I have to let you up to take a shower because you want to be dressed when we get to the ship. If I had any other option, I would not let you out of my arms."
"You don't-" she started then shook her head. "No, you're right. I do need to take a shower so I can get dressed. I appreciate the nap and the snack. I feel better but I don't want to push it too much so sticking to the plan is probably the best idea."
"I agree," he said and kissed her again. When he pulled back, he stroked a finger down her face. "Go, while I'm distracted, or I'm going to keep you here and you won't get anything accomplished."
She struggled to stand up and he put a hand behind her back to help. The soft, slick material slid over her skin and he couldn't help but wonder how it felt over other parts of her body. He'd only touched her in places she indicated she wanted to be touched and he wanted desperately to touch all the others. Patience, he reminded himself, while her backside slid over very sensitive parts of his anatomy.
"Thank you," she murmured. "I appreciate the help."
"It was an effort," he told her with a grin. "But I'm glad I managed to help you. Perhaps, later, you will allow me to help you back into the same position."
"I'd like that," she said and blushed. "Um, you said there was a shower?"
Prince Serogero took a deep breath and willed his body back under his control. He didn't think he'd embarrass himself when he stood up but he was going to do his best to make sure he didn't. Part of that was to put a hand on her shoulder and turn her towards the shower stall so she couldn't look down at the part that he was struggling with.
He waved his comm band at the door and it slid open. "The controls are here," he said, drawing her attention to the wall of the shower. "I understand they're similar to the ones on your planet. Soaps with which to clean yourself are dispensed behind you. When you are finished, simply turn the water off and step out onto this place on the floor here."
"Is there a towel?" She asked. "Or something to cover myself with when I'm done?"
The thought of her without anything on made him swallow hard. "I'll, um, I'll leave so you can get to your clothes without an audience. There aren't any covers in this cleansing room. I will have that remedied for, um, for the next time."
"I brought one in my suitcase," she told him. "I can just-"
"No," Serogero said. "It's really for the best if I come back when you're finished and dressed. There's, um, I'll contact you before I return. Voice, no visual, so you can have some privacy."
Kaelin nodded and he wished she'd argue with him. "Thank you, I appreciate it. I'll be quick. It's not fair to keep you out of your room."
"It's no hardship to give you the room you need to do what you need to do," he told her and she smiled.
"Yes it is," she said. "But I appreciate the effort. I'll be quick."
"You don't-"
"I'll be quick," she said with a smile.
She stepped into the room and the door closed behind her.
Serogero let out a breath and put a hand up to the base of his horns and rubbed the top of his scalp between them. The shiver that raced through his body told him that was not a thing he wanted to do right at the moment. Instead, he took himself to another part of the shuttle. There wasn't a whole lot to do that wasn't on the command deck and he didn't want to interfere with that.
Instead, he wandered towards the cargo bay. It was full of things they were bringing back to the ship from Earth. Several containers held the things Molly had asked for, and all the things Mindy and Trina had with them in the hotel. Then there were the containers with things they were going to need to set up communications with the planet.
Those containers worried him. While he trusted Aidan to have their best interests in mind, he'd seen how trade worked on the planet, and many of the things in these containers had not been gotten that way. They'd not been stolen, either, as far as he could tell. Rather, the people they had made contact with had given them the equipment and he wasn't sure how much they should rely on it.
Completely apart from whether or not the equipment would work with the ship, something Alvola would have to work out, it would have been the perfect opportunity to sneak a bomb or some other device aboard the ship to interfere with their mission. Or something that would intercept their transmissions.
There was so much they didn't know about the planet they were in orbit around and they didn't have the time to explore. He would have been much happier if they'd known there was another species on the planet before they got there. It hadn't been possible to send a probe this far and get reliable information with any time to act on it. Mostly because the probes were more often destroyed by the slide-gates than they made it through.
The situation on their home planet had been dire enough, dangerous enough, that it was worth the risk to find the elusive final gate. The worst they had expected was a planet that was completely uninhabitable for their people. Finding that it was inhabitable was better than anything they had expected, finding that out by making contact with those already inhabiting it was less than ideal, especially with the way they had made that contact.
There was nothing wrong with the equipment as far as he could tell but everything had been too easy for his tastes. His brother would have teased him for his pessimism if he'd been there. Of course, his brother would have already tried to take over the ship and claim Molly as his own, going so far as to kill Mintonar if he'd objected.
They were right to have left. Mintonar's bond with Molly was proof of that, as was his growing connection to Kaelin, even if it did make him want to be completely irrational. He'd been resigned to watching his people try to start over on an inhospitable planet and not survive. Finding these humans was a blessing he could never have believed possible.
If, he reminded himself, they could convince the humans to let them stay. Or, at least, to resupply long enough to settle on a planet nearby. It was too much to hope that they would be greeted as long-lost family but maybe, just maybe, their relations could be amicable.
Prince Serogero Tarisius Martonak of the House of Heresius wandered through the cargo bay for an hour, shaking his head at the translations on the packing lists displayed on the sides, amazed that his people had been able to travel vast distances and couldn't translate a human drink into something besides 'ground burned beans for drinking'.
His comm beeped at him and he raised it to activate the projector. Kaelin's lovely visage peered at him.
"Oh, I figured it out," she said, obviously pleased with herself. "Hello!"
"Hello, cherna," he said.
She smiled and flushed. He was beginning to be able to pick out the places where her coloring changed when she was pleased or embarrassed.
"Are you coming back?" she asked him, her eyes did not directly meet his.
"I can be there directly," he told her. "Did you need something?"
"Oh, no," she said with a shake of her head. "Only, I'm done doing everything that needed privacy and was wondering if you wanted back in the room."
"Are you lonely without me, my love?" he asked, his voice teasing. When she flushed again his heart stuttered in his chest.
"I am," she said. "And it's silly because-"
"It's not silly," he said, interrupting her. "It is endearing and a confession I will hold deep in my heart. I will be there as soon as possible."
He realized he'd already started walking to his quarters on the shuttle. His feet had started moving towards her before he'd even made the conscious decision to do so. Already, her absence from his side was causing him to ache for her.
The door to his quarters slid open before he turned the projector off on his comm. She was dressed and the hopeful look on her face was enough to make his heart skip a beat.
His hands went to her face, his thumbs running over her cheeks, before they settled at her jaw. The thrill of touching her skin ran through him and her eyes closed in pleasure. He hesitated another moment to enjoy seeing her then brought his lips down to hers.
Her arms wrapped around him as they both sank into the kiss and he lifted her in his arms and carried her over to a chair.
His first impulse had been to take her to the bed and slowly remove all the clothes she'd just put on but he checked that. There wasn't time to make love to her the way he wanted and he wasn't about to rush their first time together. He should wait, he knew, until all the rituals were complete but he wasn't sure he could make it that long.