Faron was a cheeky bastard. Kendra leaned against the door as her heart pounded, and a mixture of anger and surprise ran through her. How dare he come here practically naked and gorgeous looking and expect everything to be fine.

Screw that. He wasn’t going to turn her head because he displayed everything he had. A fine set of muscles and some garbled nonsense about her being a comet would not make her relent so easily.

After her conversation with Ivy, Kendra had been confused. She cared about Faron, but it wasn’t as simple as that. She wasn’t sure they’d ever find enough common ground to make a go of things.

“You’re the idiot,” she muttered under her breath as she thumped her forehead against her palm. Faron had come here for her, and she’d shut the door in his face.

She closed her eyes and let everything he’d just said sink in. He was lousy at talking about emotions, but he was trying. Faron had turned down something he’d longed for, the chance to be accepted by his family and have a Tolong mate. The chance to go home. He’d done that for her. He’d come here for her, and she’d coldly rejected him.

It was a petty move, and Kendra had done it to hurt him. “You fool. You want this. You want him.”

She drew in a slow, deep breath and opened the door. Her heart stuttered. Faron had gone.

She peered along the corridor, hoping to catch a glimpse of his bare butt as he strode away, but there was no sign of him.

Disappointment hit her in the gut. He’d given up so easily. He couldn’t be that keen if he wasn’t prepared to give her a few moments to think about the rest of her life and if he should be in it.

“Remember, logic and order rule this guy,” she whispered to herself. Her rejection would have seemed final to him. He wouldn’t have believed she was lying or confused.

Kendra shook her head, retreated to the bathroom, and scowled at her appearance. No wonder he’d made a run for it. She’d barely slept the previous night and had still been in bed when Faron had arrived at her door. Her skin was pale and blotchy and her eyes puffy.

She spent a few minutes tidying herself up and trying to smooth her hair. She was working up the enthusiasm to get in the shower when her door alert pinged again.

She bit her lip and smiled to herself. It had to be Faron. He was back for another try. This time, she wouldn’t reject him. She would open up to how hurt she’d been. She would also tell him exactly how she felt about him. She hurried to open the door.

Faron stood outside. He was dressed in a clean red jumpsuit and held a box of chocolates in one hand.

Kendra’s eyes widened. “What’s this?”

“My attempt at trying something different,” he said. “You’re correct. I have been focused on my own courtship rituals. I neglected human ones. I believe giving the gift of chocolate is an appropriate human mating symbol.” He handed her the box.

Kendra grinned, and the nerves she felt eased. “It’s a great start. Come in.” She felt touched that he was making this effort. She also felt like a bitch. She should have let him dance for her when he first arrived. She wanted to see that.

Faron walked in behind her, and they settled on her couch.

She stared at him for a few seconds in silence. His shoulders were tight, and his hands clasped together. He looked as nervous as she felt.

“Tell me what happened with your family.”

Faron sighed. “They are not my family, not anymore.”

“What happened?”

“They disrespected you. And me. I have spent years trying to be accepted by them. It was a waste of time.”

Kendra took hold of his hand. “You were trying to fit in and gain their love and acceptance. You shouldn’t be punished for doing that.”

“I never received that from them. Even if I’d joined with Donik, it would not have been enough. I could have given my mother fifty grandchildren, and she would have demanded more. I suspect she might have taken some for her own.”

Kendra leaned back. “And done what with them?”

“Not treated them kindly. It is not uncommon for grandparents to use grandchildren to barter with.”

Kendra’s gut tightened. “They take your children and give them to others?”

“It happens. Some families are desperate enough to pay a high price to have more children in their ranks. It gives them another step up the social ladder.”

A fierce flood of protectiveness slammed into Kendra. “If that bitch tries to take any of our children, I will kill her.”

Faron smiled. “Our children? We’re planning a family? We’ve only known each other a week.”

Kendra’s cheeks flushed, and she laughed. “Funny guy. I’d never let anybody take a child of mine.”

“Neither would I. It was one of the reasons I turned them down.”

“You won’t miss them?”

“I have not been a part of their lives for a long time.”

She laced their fingers together. “That’s not answering the question.”

His shoulders slumped, and he looked at the ground. “Even after everything they’ve done, I will miss them. When things went well in our family, it felt incredible to be surrounded by so many siblings and relatives. I didn’t often feel included, but when it happened, it was amazing.”

Kendra’s heart clenched as she heard the sadness in his voice. “There are other ways to surround yourself with people who care for you. I have no family, but I have my friends. And you can always make your own family.”

Faron nodded and lifted his gaze to hers. The intensity in his eyes took her breath away. “I understand that now. I clung to the hope of being accepted and tried so many ways to get my family to love me. That is over now. It is time to try something new.”

“Who do you plan to try that something new with?”

His smile was tentative. “I was hoping you might be interested.”

Kendra pretended to think about it. “It’s a big question. And I did recently spend an incredible day with a Rolon. He opened my eyes to the opportunities that come in furry packages.”

Faron scowled so hard that Kendra couldn’t help but laugh.

“I don’t want you to be with anyone else,” he said.

“Are you asking that we become exclusive?”

“We need to have tests done before that decision is made.”

Kendra jerked back in her seat. “What kind of tests are you referring to?”

“To make sure we are suitable for each other.”

She dropped his hand. “You want to do the genetic testing rubbish?”

He smiled and took hold of her hand again. “You misunderstand me. I was thinking tests to find out what we like doing together. You call them dates.”

Kendra let out a relieved sigh. He was trying so hard to make this right. “Oh! Sure, dates! Going on dates is an excellent idea. Maybe don’t call them tests. I’m not going to pass or fail you.”

“I might fail you.”

She laughed. She’d have to get used to this new, teasing version of Faron. It wouldn’t be hard. Every second they spent together, she felt herself falling.

“Of course, if you have the genetic tests done, as well, when the time is right, it won’t be a terrible thing. For the health of our many children.”

“Yes, when the time is right. But you’re not planning on getting me pregnant today, I hope.” Her heart stuttered at the thought of getting naked with Faron.

“Not just yet. But I want a family. A big one. And I want it with you.”

Kendra sucked in a breath. “I want kids, as well. We’ll have to negotiate over the number, though.”

“I am open to those discussions.”

“This won’t be easy,” Kendra said. “We’ve got a lot of differences to overcome.”

“What did you say to me? We’re different but the same. I believe how we were raised was not so different. We missed out on a close, loving family. We both yearn for that. We can give that to each other. We can make each other whole.”

“For someone who hates talking about feelings and emotions, you’re doing an amazing job.” Kendra swallowed against the tightness in her throat. That was what she wanted more than anything. Someone who fully accepted her. Someone who didn’t change her or mold her into somebody else in order to be good enough. For Faron, she was enough.

He shrugged. “I am learning. I like you, Kendra.”

She smiled. “And I like you, too.”

“You’re right. I’m not used to talking about feelings,” Faron said. “It will take me time to get used to it. If I cause you offense, you will let me know?”

“Likewise. I don’t want to say something that makes you unhappy. We’ll be honest with each other.” She drew in a slow breath as her gaze traveled over his body. Even in a jumpsuit, he made her feel warm and tingly. “Since you have a hard time telling me how you feel, why don’t you show me instead?”

Faron grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against hers. “Like this?” he whispered against her mouth.

“Oh, yeah.” She returned his kiss with equal passion and pulled him close as she lay across his lap. His kiss stole her breath, and she clung to Faron, desire pouring through her. How did he manage to do this every time he touched her?

Faron pulled back and shook his head. “No. This must be done the right way.”

“What do you mean? It felt right to me.” Kendra’s vision was blurry with lust. All she wanted was to get Faron out of his clothes and into her bed.

“I mean, my courtship dance. I’m happy to incorporate human courtship symbols, but my desire to dance for you is strong.”

Kendra groaned and rested her forehead against his shoulder. “For real? You want to get naked and dance for me?”

He tilted her head up with his hand, and his smile made her heart pound. “For real. You must see me perform. I promised I would, and I never break a promise.”

Kendra wasn’t sure she was up to the challenge. She’d explode with desire if she had to watch Faron naked and writhing when she couldn’t touch him. But this was important to him, so she’d be on her best behavior, even if she had to tie herself to the chair when she watched.

“Okay then, we’ll make a date to dance.”