Ramliel by A.M. Griffin

Chapter Eleven

 

While Mia spent the morning ignoring Ram, he could never ignore her. Her presence was everywhere. Her scent was in every room. It was one he’d never smelled before. He’d asked her if all human women smelled that delicious and she’d shot him a dark glare and didn’t respond.

Items of her clothing were left around the dwelling. Ram picked up a shirt from where it’d been draped across a couch. It was soft in his hand and smelled exactly like her. He was going to put it down but kept it in his hand and took it to his room where he put it under his pillow.

She spent the morning locked behind her closed bedroom door. He knew it was locked because he’d tried to enter to talk to her. When he’d knocked, she’d cranked up music. It had to be music she’d brought with her from Earth because he’d never heard anything so horrible sounding before.

“Hinduru.”

“Yes, Ram?” Hinduru’s voice came from Ram’s comlink.

“What does my mate seem to like above everything else?”

“She enjoys eating.”

Food. Ram smiled to himself and did what any male would do to win over his mate. He went to the kitchen to cook.

* * *

“He didn’t even bother to come to the transport vessel to pick me up!” Mia whispered angrily at the hologram projecting from her comlink.

“Maybe he’s trying to make up for it now?” Diana said. She was lying in bed, her hair messed up and she had the distinguishable look of being sated about her.

And Mia was jealous.

She wanted her hair messed up. She glanced toward the side to catch her reflection in the mirror. Well, it was messed up. When she’d taken off her bonnet after her argument with Ram it had been fine. The bonnet had done its job and kept her curls contained and buoyant, but hours later, with him all up in her personal space, she’d couldn’t help but run her fingers through it and pull at the strands. She blew out a heavy breath. Not the kind of messed up she hoped for.

“Nope. Too late. He can go back to his other house and hang out with his girlfriend.”

Even saying the word pissed Mia off as she remembered how the other woman hung all over Ram at the party.

“A girlfriend who probably isn’t his girlfriend anymore.”

Mia rolled her eyes. “That’s not the point. He can keep her. I’ve made a life for myself here. I have a good job. Which I like. I have a place. That I equally like.”

Back on Earth she would slave four to five days a week, working twelve-hour shifts at a job so demanding she still had nightmares about call bells and patient alarms going off.

Her new house was also better than the ranch she had at home. She’d been proud and happy to have it. Proud that she’d bought it herself and happy she had a place to call her own. But this house was…different.

It’d been lived in. This was a family home and she felt it down to her bones. This house held love in it. There were pictures of Ram’s family hanging on the walls, landscape scenery of places she didn’t know but felt like good memories had been held there. There was happiness here and it felt like it belonged to her. Mia didn’t know why. Maybe it was because she’d spent the last two hundred years in stasis.

“Give him time to make it up to you. Make him grovel though.”

Mia wiggled her nose. There was no making it up to her. First impressions were everything and so far, Ram had made a shitty first impression. And second if she took into account being abandoned on the day of her arrival.

“Are we still up for shopping tomorrow?” Diana asked. She used a hand to stifle a yawn.

“I don’t know. I have tomorrow off but I think I might go in just to get away from here.”

“Oh, no! I’m looking forward to shopping.”

A delicious smell hit her nose. “We have everything we need. What are you trying to find?”

“There’s a place that sells handcrafted glass figurines. I have some pictures of my mom, dad, sisters and brothers that I brought with me. I’m hoping to get something made in their image.”

Mia sniffed at the air. The smell was absolutely mouthwatering. Sweet and spicy, bold and delectable. “That sounds delicious.”

Diana frowned. “Delicious? Maybe I should’ve explained that glass isn’t meant for consumption. Although I don’t see why I would’ve had to mention that.”

Mia tilted her head to the side. “Is that music?”

“Music? Delicious? What is going on over there?”

Mia glanced toward her bedroom door. What was he doing out there? “I’ll call you back.”

Diana chuckled. “That sounds oddly ominous.”

Mia switched off the hologram and stood. She went to the door and after disengaging the lock, peeked her head out. The smell was more delicious on this side of the door. The door to Ram’s room stood ajar. He wasn’t inside. Although she couldn’t see inside the entire room from her viewpoint, she knew he wasn’t there because of the noise coming from the kitchen. Was he humming or was that a song that played?

Was he cooking? She had something that resembled a stove in her kitchen but there hadn’t been a need to use it since she had a food processor that could deliver food to her at the touch of a button. Why expend the manual labor to cook when her finger pressed buttons just fine?

Besides, it was only her now, there was no need to cook. She could probably count on both hands how many times she’d cooked since leaving her aunt and uncle’s house.

Five.

That’s how many thanksgivings she’d brought the macaroni and cheese to the family dinner.

Her nose led her down the hallway and into the kitchen. Ram stood over the stove with his back toward her. He’d changed his clothes. Well, he’d put on clothes. He had on a lounge outfit of dark blue. His shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and back. It hugged his narrow waist. His pants were loose but there was no hiding his round butt and muscular legs. The sight of him was sexy. What was even sexier was him standing over her stove.

He glanced over his shoulder. “You’re just in time for dinner.”

“Dinner?”

His answer was to grab a plate and fill it with a little bit of something from every pot. Then he crossed the kitchen and set it on the table. He made another plate for himself and did the same, taking a seat for himself.

Oh, he expected them to sit and eat together, did he? Mia walked over to her plate, picked it up and took it back to her room.

* * *

Last night had been a bust. Ram was the first to admit failure. He’d thought cooking her his favorite meal, using his mom’s favorite recipe would do the trick. It was enough to make her leave her room. That was a win.

Then she’d gone back into her room and he’d had to eat alone. He took the time to work on business related matters. Just because he was trying to win over his mate didn’t mean business stopped. Then there was the matter of gaining Zephon’s agreement on the contract. He was successful in finally setting up a meeting with him next week.

Then he’d gone to bed by himself. He could’ve gone back to his apartment and spent time with Varona, but he wasn’t interested in her anymore. He’d told her that. After listening to her ranting and raving about how she could get any male she wanted, she’d hung up on him. Her temper was ferocious. Ram expected his apartment to be trashed when he returned for the rest of his belongings.

That was fine. There was nothing valuable there. Everything of value was under this roof. His father and mother’s items, his childhood memorabilia and his mate.

This morning he made another favorite. It was breakfast food. Like last night, Mia came out of her room, took her plate and retreated again.

Now, after hours had passed, he was taking a break from work to make her lunch. He heard her door open and his heart sped up. He smelled her before he saw her. It was the scent that clung to the furniture and walls of his house. He would have to find out what perfume it was and have it replicated.

She wore a uniform. A work uniform. Ram growled low. His mate shouldn’t have to work. His mother never worked. His father had provided well for their family and his mother was content to stay home to take care of them.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

She raised her chin in the air and flicked those luscious dark curls over her shoulder. “Work.”

“You aren’t working today. Hinduru provided me with your schedule.”

She went over to the stove, leaned over and sniffed the contents. She closed her eyes and let out a small moan. The sound sent a shockwave through him. He wanted to hear that moan in his ear as he buried deep between her thighs.

“Hinduru doesn’t know everything about me.”

Ram growled. “It’s his job to know everything about you.”

She grabbed a plate and added food to it. “Sorry I didn’t check in with him before rearranging my schedule.” She held the plate up and glanced around the kitchen. “Do you guys have any plastic so I can cover this with?”

“Why would you need to cover your plate?”

“To take it with me for lunch.”

Yet another meal she refused to eat with him. Enough of this. Ram crossed his arms. “That food doesn’t leave this house.”

She did that thing with her eyes that seemed to cut him down two sizes. Then deliberately dropped her plate hard enough on the counter where it rattled. “Fine. Please don’t be here when I return.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, mate but I’ll still be here.”

“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes and left.

He watched her leave and stared at the front door. He knew what he had to do.