Unconsciously rubbing her check against his chest, she relaxed into the gentle feel of his hands moving soothingly over her back. She let out a little sigh. “Liken…”

Her voice was so soft he would not have heard her without his extraordinary hearing. “Yes?”

“It was beautiful, wasn’t it?” Her voice faded a little with each word. Her lids closed as she drifted off.

Reaching down to place a soft kiss on her head, he whispered, “Yes,sherree, it was beautiful.”

He lay there in the dim room, seeing images of Sharon in his mind. Sharon standing across from him as they made their oath. Sharon, staring at the portal her eyes wide with fear and courage. Sharon, at the table eating, biting into the yellowrerha fruit, her grimace comical as she quickly put it back onto her plate. Sharon, coming apart in his arms, in his bed.

With a sigh of his own, he reduced the room to darkness, and ignored the renewing ache in his body. The merging had been beautiful. But it was not just her physical beauty and their passion that had made it so incredible. It was her inner beauty as they joined that had brought such joy. He would never grow tired of experiencing the wonder of her.

They were going to be very happy together. She could not leave him. He would do whatever he must to make sure of it. Her comment about males being shallow echoed in his mind. His last thought before sleep claimed him rang with determination. He might be shallow, but stupid he was not. He would find a way to keep her.

Chapter 7

The next morning, Sharon hesitated in the doorway of the kitchen area. Liken had his back to her. He was once again dressed in black, although he was barefoot. He was reaching into an oblong recessed area, gathering fruit from inside, and then placing them in a bowl. There was a panel with buttons to the left. When he had gathered enough, he pressed one of the buttons and a small section of the wall slid back in place.

The Shimerian version of refrigeration or food transport, she guessed. She waited for him to turn as she gathered her composure. What exactly were the Shimerian rules of behavior for the morning after? She pasted a polite smile on her face and decided she could bluff her way through it. She was calm. She was sophisticated. He turned and spotted her in the doorway. She was in trouble.

She felt heat climb into her cheeks. “Do you ever wear anything but black?” The words all run together and her voice was too high. She cringed inwardly. She hadn’t meant to sound critical.

His eyes glinted with some unnamed thought. He said, “It denotes my profession. Only guardians are allowed to wear black.” His voice teased her gently as he added, “Should we talk of footwear next or would you come greet me properly?”

Feeling foolish, she walked over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She kept the bowl between them and moved back too quickly for him to grab her. Walking back toward the table, she could see it was already set. There were beautiful flowers of some kind resting in a vase in the center. There were cups by each plate and a pitcher next to the flowers.

Her voice was very serious in an attempt to remain composed. She didn‘t want him to realize how deeply nervous she was feeling. “Can I help with anything?”

She looked like she was facing an angry death squad instead of her lover. He responded with equal gravity, although he felt like laughing. The urge to tease her was almost irresistible. “No, but I appreciate your offer of assistance. I am merely placing this bowl on the table and we will be ready.”

She sat down in the seat before he could assist her and watched him put the bowl on the table. She scooted her chair into place and placed a small cloth from the table into her lap. He sat down across from her. With a little nod of his head, he gestured to the bowl. “Please take whatever you desire.”

Her eyes flew to his face, but his tone was innocent. Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt, she studied the fruit. Immediately she noticed there were no bitter yellow ones. Picking up a purple and red one that she remembered was pretty tasty, she took a bite. It was strangely salty for a fruit, but pleasant.

Again in that same overly innocent tone, he said, “It is indeed fortunate that you enjoy salty flavors.” His eyes were devilish.

She choked. “Okay. Enough. I haven’t had breakfast yet. I’m not up to mind reading and double entendres. I’ve had that bloodbath of a shower, but I need caffeine. What are the odds that you have coffee?” She wasn’t annoyed but his teasing wasn’t helping her frayed nerves.

He smiled. “I am sorry, but we do not have coffee.” He gestured to the opaque cup in front of her. “We do haveykanze juice. It is very refreshing.”

She peered suspiciously at the dark green liquid in the cup. “It looks like cough medicine.” When he laughed, she took a cautious sip. It was surprising good. The liquid was hot and a little spicy. It tasted somewhat like a Bloody Mary. She felt the heat as it made its way to her stomach. “Is it alcoholic?”

He shook his head. “No, it is not fermented. It is also not addictive, although many claim it unthinkable to begin the day without it.”

“I like it.” Her voice reflected her surprise. “It’s different, but it’s good.”

He looked as if he wanted to tease her again. At her discouraging look, he merely shrugged and began eating. The two of them ate in companionable silence for a while. She concentrated on her food in a conscious effort to avoid thinking too hard. When she finished, she looked up to find him watching her. “What?” She said, a little apprehensively.

“I am merely enjoying the sight of you this day,sherree.” His eyes roamed her body with possessive satisfaction. “I have fantasized about you for so long. It is still a wonder to have you here.”

Straightening in her seat, she decided it was time to take control of the situation before sex clouded things. With as much firmness as she could muster, she said, “We need to talk.”

He winced. She guessed those words struck fear into the heart of any man, regardless of home planet. With a resigned shrug, he nodded his head. Sharon was relieved at his agreement. It was time to get some answers. She had been avoiding some things and he had deliberately distracted her about others. That was going to change. She was a librarian. Information was knowledge. Knowledge was power. Where to begin?

She remembered his comment at the portal. It had been nagging at her since that time. “What did you mean when you said you knew about me a year ago?” She wiped her face with the cloth from her lap.

“I found you telepathically a year ago.”Liken paused, searching for the best way to make her understand. “You would have experienced it as a kind of daydream. I had been reaching out to you since my twentieth year and then suddenly, you were there. My mind brushed yours.”

“How oldare you?” What if Shimerians aged differently? She hadn’t thought to ask about it until now. He could be much older or younger than she thought.

“I am the equivalent of thirty-four Earth years.” He answered her unspoken thought. “Earth years and Shimerian years are roughly the same. I was thirty-three when I found you.”

She thought about that for a minute. “Why did you wait?” She quickly tried to correct that. “I mean, not that I’m complaining or anything. I’m curious.”

His eyes were steady on hers. “You were not ready, Sharon. I knew the adjustments you would have to make would be very hard. I wanted to give you time. Time to yourself. When I connected with you, I saw your image of your future.”

When she merely continued to stare at him in confusion, he elaborated. “You think of yourself as very ordinary. You are cautious by nature. You value safety and control. The future you envisioned was very comfortable. Your job at the library, a few good friends, a very ordinary man who would love you, one or two children. Nothing extraordinary. No trips to foreign planets. No alien pactmates. Nothing too different from the safe life you were leading. You did not want adventure, Sharon. You did not want disruption and challenge and a new culture. In short, you did not want a life with me.”His voice held no hint of hurt, merely stated the facts.