Wed to the Alien Prince by C.V. Walter

Chapter 9

Kaelin was struggling. For all the shocks dropped on her in the last twelve hours, she really liked Roger. He was sweet and gallant and, if a little high handed, his heart was in the right place. She was trying very hard to be the proper lady she was certain he needed her to be and not suggest he feed her the snack he'd put together with his lips.

If she'd been more sure of herself, she might have even suggested ditching the tray and using his chest and abs as a serving dish, instead. When she'd felt his eyes on her and she looked up to see his tongue dart out and wet his lips, it had taken all of her self-control to keep herself from rising up on her tiptoes to follow it with her own.

Instead, she'd drawn his attention back to the task at hand and worked hard to control her breath and heart rate. She didn't think he could hear them or would notice the difference but she also wasn't really interested in taking the chance that he could. At least, not yet. The urge was there, however, and she was doing her best to ignore it. Mostly because she didn't know if he would understand what the differences meant or if he would be interested in them.

He seemed to be interested in her but she wasn't sure how much of it she could trust. While he didn't know much about who she was on Earth, he wouldn't be the first man to fake an interest because of what her family could do for him. When she'd thought he was just someone working on the ship, she was willing to entertain the fantasy of a future together, even if it was just spinning nebulous thoughts around very serious desire.

Now, though, she was going to have to find out what his intentions were and how they intersected with what he needed for his people. He might have been looking for a human bride just on the hope that it would make it easier to open negotiations for whatever his people needed. And she suspected they needed more than he was willing to let on.

The fact that she wanted to help him had, she hoped, more to do with how he spoke about his people than the bolt of desire she felt whenever he touched her.

Not that she'd complain about it. His finger on her chin gave her more tingles than she'd gotten from the last dozen concerts she'd attended. It was an amazing feeling and one she found herself longing for when he wasn't touching her. Part of her knew she should be concerned about her reaction but the rest just wanted to enjoy it for as long as it was available.

Because she couldn't help but acknowledge the nagging feeling that it was going to go away all too soon. He'd get what he needed, whatever that was, and then go back to his people. She didn't begrudge him the need to leave, but she also wasn't going to push for it, either. Maybe, when all was said and done, this would be the whirlwind love affair that would take her to the stars. More likely, though, they would rub along as companions while they worked toward what he needed and then he'd send her home.

She'd still get to see the stars and that would have to be enough.

He brought her attention back to their surroundings by putting a hand on the small of her back to direct her down the hall. Her fingers skimmed against the wall, feeling for doorways and hatches, so she could find her way back to the galley if she needed to. Without her glasses, everything was a mass of light and dark shapes and she could only hope there wasn't anything on the floor in front of her feet.

The doorway to her right opened and light greeted her.

"Wait here," Roger told her and he stepped ahead of her into the room. A moment later he was back and took her hand in his. He turned it over gently and put her glasses against her fingers. He held them until she had a good grip on them then let go and backed up.

Kaelin put her glasses on and blinked. The incipient headache was still present but she could feel it fading. He'd set her food up on the table and had a chair pulled out for her to sit in. "Oh," she said. "That's so much better."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry I didn't realize how much they meant to you or, I did, but not what it meant. I'm fumbling this."

She put a hand on his arm. "It's alright," she said.

"It's not," he argued. "But I'll do my best to make it better. I'm sorry. Now, would you like to sit and eat? I know you had a small snack in the galley but this is much more civilized."

She smiled at him. "Yes, it is. I'll be happy to sit with you. Thank you."

"I should be thanking you," he told her. "It's not every day I have such a beautiful companion."

Her smile dimmed slightly as she sat. She wasn't even sure why but something about their interaction felt forced. It might have just been her reaction to somebody being overly careful and apologetic; in her experience, that never boded well.

He sat across from her and watched her pick up one of the pieces of fruit. She raised it to her lips and his eyes followed her fingers.

She set the piece down abruptly. "Are you going to watch me eat?" she asked.

Roger sat back, startled by the question. "I'm sorry," he said. "Is that a problem? I like watching you enjoy yourself. And you seemed to enjoy the food in the galley."

"I did," she said. "It just feels weird to have you so focused on me. I'm not really used to that."

He nodded. "What can I do to help you feel more comfortable?"

Kaelin thought about it. "I don't know. Maybe if you participated? That sounds weird but if you were doing something besides being completely focused on the food I was putting in my mouth, that would be better."

"But I like watching your mouth," he told her then seemed to realize what he'd said. "But I can participate, if you'd like."

He moved his chair around so he was sitting next to her and picked up the piece of fruit she'd just put down. Instead of popping it into his own mouth, however, he turned and held it to her lips. With a raised eyebrow, she opened her lips and accepted it. She chewed and he ran his thumb slowly across her lip to collect the juice the fruit had left then licked his thumb.

She swallowed hard and nearly choked on the fruit she'd been chewing. She closed her eyes, fighting off the coughing fit, and swallowed so she could breathe.

"Are you alright?" he asked, the concern obvious in his voice.

"Fine," she gasped.

"Was that not what you meant when you said you wanted me to participate?"

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I meant maybe having a couple bites yourself but that works. I just wasn't prepared for, um, that."

"Are you better prepared now?" he asked.

"Maybe?" she said. "I think I need a drink first, though."

He handed her a bottle of water that she hadn't seen him put on the table but was grateful for. A long pull off the cool liquid soothed her throat and gave her a moment to ease her nerves. When she put it down, he had another piece from the tray in his fingers. This time, she opened her lips without prompting, and the morsel dropped on her tongue.

His thumb brushed her lip again and this time she was ready for the jolt of pleasure that sang through her. She closed her eyes and savored the taste of the cheese-like bite and the way her body felt with the gentle touch.

Her tongue flicked out to lick the place he'd touched and she opened her eyes again. His were wide, his lips parted, and she thought she could see his chest rising and falling with each breath. She gave him a smile and he shivered.

Kaelin touched his hand gently and he jumped. "You okay?"

"Forgive my lapse," he said, looking down at the tray. "I was struck by how beautiful you are when you are enjoying something."

"Is that, were you...really?" she asked.

"Is it so hard to believe I enjoy looking at you?" he asked. "I find your conversation stimulating and I greatly enjoy touching you but watching you enjoy yourself is quickly becoming one of my greatest pleasures."

When he looked up at her again, she could see the sincerity in his face, and it took her breath away.

"I don't know how to answer that," she told him honestly. "I've never known anybody who could say that with a straight face. Well, unless they were such an accomplished liar that they could tell you the moon was green and made of waffles without cracking a smile."

"Do you think I'm lying to you?"

"No, I think you're telling me the truth which makes it even weirder."

"Why would that be weird?" he asked. "Do you not deserve to hear the truth?"

"I'm used to hearing the unpleasant truths," she said. "Very few people bother with pleasant ones. Pleasant lies, sometimes. Usually, actually."

"Then I must make sure to tell you all my pleasant truths," he said. "And the first of these is that I like to watch you enjoy yourself. The second is that, watching you taste and enjoy these things makes me want to taste them off your lips. Perhaps there is something about the taste of them on your lips that makes them more delicious, more enjoyable."

Kaelin shivered but couldn't take her eyes away from his expression.

"Of course, that makes me think that I must taste your lips, first. Because whatever strange magic your skin holds, it must start there, to make you close your eyes in pleasure when you take these mundane pieces of food into your mouth."

His fingers stroked her cheek just before his thumb ran over her bottom lip. Her tongue slipped out to taste him and they both shivered.

"I should tell you to stop," she told him.

"Why?" he asked. "Do you not enjoy this?"

"I'm enjoying it too much," she confessed. "I don't trust myself."

"A taste," he said, leaning closer, his thumb running lightly back and forth across her lip. "I promise, only a taste."

She closed her eyes, drowning in the feel of his skin on her, and held her breath when his lips closed on hers.

It wasn't her first kiss, if she were honest it barely qualified as a kiss at all, but it was the first one she could feel through her entire body. He lingered for a moment, then pulled away, and she found herself following him back until her eyes blinked open to see the stunned look on his face.

"Was that-" she started and he kissed her again.

When he pulled back again, she was sitting in his lap, her arms around his neck and breathing like she'd just run a marathon.

"Your lips," he said, dropping another gentle, lingering kiss on her mouth. "Are the most divine thing I have ever tasted. I could hold you like this and do nothing but sip from them all day and still not have enough time to taste them as much as I want."

"I should object," she said.

"Why?"

"Because we have other things we have to do," she answered. "But I don't want to do anything else but be here, in your arms, and kissing you."