Kahm walked away from the cabin and into the woods. He needed some time alone. His wife’s words haunted him and enraged him at the same time. How could she think he would jump on her the minute they were alone in a room?
Not that he didn’t want to. He did, much more than he had expected to. Selena’s picture had sparked his interest, and he had sensed an attraction far stronger than he had ever felt. But that didn’t turn him into a sex-driven monster. He wanted things to happen naturally between them, but his wife seemed to think he was going to force her into his bed.
Furious, he slammed his fist into the nearest tree, making an indentation in the trunk struggling to control himself.
She was scared. Kahm knew his appearance was quite impressive, especially for someone so small and defenseless like his wife. He needed to understand that and give her enough time to get to know him and accept him the way he was.
But patience had never been one of his strengths.
With a deep sigh, he walked through the woods for a long while before he returned to the cabin. Selena was sitting in the main room of the cabin. She seemed to have taken a bath and changed her clothes.
She jumped out of the chair she was sitting on the moment he entered the room. “I’m terribly sorry, it wasn’t my intention to offend you in any way,” she said, taking a couple of steps closer to him. “I’ve never been in a situation like this before, and I let my fears control my actions.”
He let out a deep sigh. “We’re both new at this, and if you add that to the natural anxiety of a first meeting, I guess it’s understandable you were scared,” he said, with a faint smile. “I could have been more understanding instead of acting on my hurt pride.”
She let out a nervous giggle, immediately covering her lips with her hand.
He closed the distance between them and gently removed her hand. “Don’t hide your reactions from me. I want to know all about you, Selena.”
She nodded. “I want to know all about you too.”
“We have all our lives ahead of us, there’s no need to rush things.”
She nodded again. After he had left, she had put herself together and decided to face whatever came her way. She could be facing a far worse destiny than being married to Kahm. Despite the differences between their species, she found him very attractive she knew she wouldn’t have any trouble at all being his wife.
She had allowed her nerves to get the best of her and create a problem where obviously there wasn’t any.
“Correct.”
“I’ll take a bath, and we’ll be able to get something to eat,” he announced, heading to the bathing room.
Selena watched him leave and sighed. She had to calm herself, or she would end up turning her marriage into a royal disaster.
Feeling a bit restless, she left the cabin and wandered the small garden around it, examining the strange flowers and insects. They were completely different from those on her home planet. The colors seemed brighter, and the flowers were larger. For instance, the red flower she was looking at the moment, looked like a rose, but it was as big as a sunflower.
The petals looked as smooth as silk, but when she touched them, it stung, as if it had a million of tiny thorns. That would teach her not to touch anything without knowing if it was safe.
“I see you’ve met our simias,” his voice sounded amused, behind her.
“Yes, it will teach me to be more careful.”
“You have to, at least while you learn which plants as safe and which aren’t. The simias will sting you, but others might kill you. Of course, no one keeps a poisonous plant in their gardens, but you should be careful anyway,” Kahm warned her.
“I will believe me,” she said, looking at her finger with a frown. The tip was red and swollen proving the reaction for her might not be the same as in Kahm.
“I’ll take you to visit Melanie one of these days. She’s human, like you and she will be able to tell you about her own experience on this planet,” he said, taking her hand and examining her finger thoroughly.
His touch felt hot, and again, she felt a jolt of energy rushing through her whole body.
“Yes, that would be nice. Was she a Mail Order Bride?” she asked curiously.
“Yes, she was. Her husband is a very good friend of mine, and he was the one that insisted I should order a bride for myself,” he explained, keeping her hand in his.
“Oh, I see, is he of your own species?” she asked, curious, as she tried to ignore the heat produced by his touch, but she could feel it spreading through her body.
“No, he isn’t. As far as I know, I’m the only Arghearian in Sumirion,” he replied in a stern tone. “Raye is from Hyadea, in the third quadrant. We became friends when I fought alongside his people to destroy their invaders.”
“Do you miss your people?” she asked, with a slight frown.
“No.” The answer was short and brusque. It certainly didn’t invite further questions on the subject. “Let’s get some food. I’m starving.”
She nodded and followed him when he headed towards the main building. It was apparent she was married to a very complicated man, and it would take her some time to get to know him well if she ever did.
Once at the refectory, they were presented with a vast buffet, and despite her expectations, the place was crowded.
“How come there are so many people here?” she asked him, looking around.
“This place is used by all travelers. It’s conveniently located to suit most travelers’ needs,” he explained. “Are you familiar with the food from Sumirion?” he asked, changing the subject.
He apparently had no intention to explain why most of the people there were couples. Hiding a smile, she nodded. “Yes, on the trip here, we were served the typical food of the planets we were going to,” she explained.
“How many women were on the trip with you?”
“Not sure, but at least two dozen. I was the last one to leave the ship.”
“Sumirion is quite far from your home planet.”
“So I was told.” And that worried her a bit. Surely bringing her parents that far would cost a lot of money. Money she didn’t have.
They chose their food and headed to a table near one of the giant windows. The sun was long gone and the night sky was filled with bright stars. It was quite breathtaking, especially when she hadn't seen a sky like that on Earth in years.
“Do you have moons on this planet?” she asked, not seeing any.
“Yes, we have two, but they won’t come out tonight,” he explained. “They are exactly the same size, and they swirl around the planet at the same speed, so when we can’t see one, we can’t see the other.”
“How interesting. Are they inhabited?”
“No, they aren’t. They are quite inhospitable, and there’s no breathing air on them.”
“Our moon is inhospitable too. I guess that saved it from being destroyed as well,” she stated with a scowl.
They chatted throughout the meal, mostly about the planet but Selena couldn’t help noticing all people around them seemed to be having a romantic dinner. She wanted to comment on it. But after the discussion they had had earlier, she decided not. Now she understood even better why asking for another room would have been the start of much gossiping.
When they finished eating, they returned to their cabin, and Kahm gently offered her to get to bed first.
“I’ll go for a walk first. I promise I won’t wake you up when I return.”
He was giving her the chance to get into bed and fall asleep before he did the same and she appreciated the gesture.
“Thank you.”
Once he was gone, she changed into her pajamas and slid under the sheets. The bed was as comfortable as it looked and despite her concern, she fell asleep the minute her head touched the pillow.
It had been a long day, filled with too many emotions.
When she opened her eyes again, the sun was starting to come up in the skies, lighting it all with its soft pink light, allowing her to see Kahm lying right next to her.
She hadn't felt him coming to bed, but at some point, during the night she had reached for him. Embarrassed, she realized one of her legs was over his, and her hands were resting on his chest.
Fortunately, he was wearing some kind of shorts that clung to his body like a second skin.
With heat coloring her cheeks, she tried to move away from him as gently as possible, trying not to wake him up. But the minute she looked up to his face, she realized he was already awake.
“Good morning, Selena, did you have a good night?” he asked with a naughty grin.
Blushing even more, if that was possible, she mumbled: “Yes, yes, I guess I was more tired than I thought.”
She tried to move her leg, but he stopped her, putting his big hand on it. “It was an eventful day,” he agreed.
She looked at his hand on her leg, feeling its heat go through the material and then looked at him, questioning his intentions. After all, he said they were taking things slowly.
“Yes, it was,” she agreed, her eyes on his, challenging him to take the next step. For some reason, most of her nervousness from the previous night had disappeared. She felt safe in his arms, which was insane, considering she barely knew the man.
“I’m determined to give you a better day, today,” he announced, just before he leaned over and brushed her lips with his, a couple of times. “And there’s no better way to start a day than this one,” he murmured against her lips, claiming a passionate kiss from her.
Surprised, she let out a small cry, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth, assailing every inch of it, stealing her breath away. His tongue felt like nothing she had felt before. A mix of harsh and soft that quickly took her arousal to a new peak.
He kissed her again and again, for a few minutes until they were both breathing hard and their bodies were so entangled, it was impossible to tell where one started and the other one ended.
Suddenly, he jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
Moaning, not sure she was happy or not he had stopped, she hid her face under the pillow and stayed there for a few minutes, waiting for her heart to regain its normal rhythm.
“The bathing room is free if you require using it,” he announced, coming out of it.
She took her head from underneath her pillow and looked at him. With just a tiny towel around his waist, he looked devastating. His powerful chest was covered with what looked like ink, probably some sort of tribal patterns and it looked fantastic.
He was pulling out a jumpsuit from his suitcase, similar to the one he had worn the day before, this one dark blue, matching his incredible eyes. For what she had seen so far, people on this planet basically wore that kind of clothing, men and women alike.
“Yes, I would like to bathe, if we have the time,” she mumbled, jumping out of bed, trying not to look at him, still a bit embarrassed for what had just happened between them.
“There’s no rush. Take your time.”
She nodded and headed to the bathroom. The night before she had had a bit of trouble deciphering the shower stall, but once she got the hang of it, she had loved the whole experience. That morning was no exception. The shower had all sorts of water jets that massaged her entire body, relaxing her.
But she didn’t stay long. She knew Kahm wanted to get to his farm as soon as possible and had only made this stop out of consideration for her.
When she left the room, with clean clothes on, he was already waiting for her in the cabin’s main room.