Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Sorry,” he apologized to Molly, after the waiter left in a huff. “But I don’t want you to feel obligated in any way to do anything you’re not comfortable doing. And if you take Bonding Fruit in any form you’ll need…relief, to put it delicately.”
Molly knew exactly what kind of “relief” she would need if she ate Bonding Fruit. Being married to Twin Kindred husbands, Lana had told her all about it—in great detail. She was grateful to Torus for not automatically assuming that just because they were getting married, they would also be having sex. After the things Zach had done to her, she was still kind of shaky in that department.
In fact, she hadn’t had sex in five years since her divorce. She didn’t even masturbate because she felt too guilty doing it. It seemed like giving herself pleasure was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. If she would have just taken a bath and not played with her “toys,” when she was alone in the bathroom, the videos Zach recorded wouldn’t have been nearly so salacious…or so damning.
So she tried really hard just to keep sex out of her head and concentrate on anything else. Yes, it was cutting off a part of herself she used to enjoy—a part she’d tried to keep free, even after Zach started caging her in and making her do…things she didn’t want to do. But that was over now, she told herself. She wasn’t going to let herself go there again and she was relieved that Torus didn’t expect her to do anything sexual.
But the minute she had that thought, a new image popped up in her mind—the memory of the big Kindred holding her close as she “over-hugged” him the night before. She couldn’t help thinking of how gentle he’d been…or how good he smelled…
Stop it, Molly! she lectured herself sternly. This marriage is just for show—I’m sure he doesn’t even think of you that way!
The dinner was delicious and afterwards they walked in the rolling parklands in the center of the ship. They held hands quite naturally, Molly thought—it just seemed right to entwine her fingers with Commander Torus’s as they walked together.
Then the big Kindred had surprised her by stopping and getting down on one knee. At first, Molly had thought he was just getting down to her level so they could talk more easily. But then he pulled out the box with the Andalusian diamond ring.
“Molly Byrne,” he had rumbled, looking into her eyes. “Will you Join with me?”
Even though Molly knew the whole marriage was just subterfuge, she couldn’t help the way her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks got hot with a flush.
“Oh, Commander Torus—” she began.
“No, little bird,” he interrupted her gently. “You must stop calling me by my title. Just ‘Torus’ will do. Or you can pick a pet name for me, if you wish. I understand that humans use them quite frequently for the ones they care for.”
“Like you calling me ‘little bird’?” Molly had asked. He’d called her that several times, though this was the first time she’d had the nerve to ask about it.
“Exactly.” He nodded, a rare smile tugging the corner of his mouth.
“Why…why did you choose that name for me?” Molly asked him.
His face got a guarded look and he paused for a long moment before he answered her.
“Maybe…because of your hair,” he said at last, reaching out to stroke the long, wavy strands which framed her face. “The color reminds me of the feathers of an Earth bird I saw when I was studying your home world.”
“Oh…okay.” Molly had nodded. “So…what do you want me to call you?”
He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling.
“Anything you want as long as it’s not ‘Commander Torus.’”
“What about ‘honey’?” Molly suggested.
He raised his eyebrows.
“The sweet, sticky syrup made by the insects called bees? Is that a pet name that humans call each other?”
“Yes, because it means you’re sweet—like honey is sweet,” Molly explained.
He frowned.
“But you don’t know what flavor I would be. I think I would probably be salty more than sweet.”
Molly laughed, unable to help herself.
“No, I mean sweet-tempered. Like kind and patient and…and everything you are,” she finished, hoping he would understand.
Torus nodded thoughtfully.
“Thank you—then I’ll take the pet name ‘honey’ as a compliment. What other pet names besides ‘little bird’ would you like me to call you? I have heard some other Kindred males calling their mates ‘sweetheart’ which seems to be in the same vein as ‘honey.’”
“Sweetheart is nice,” Molly agreed. “Or baby or sweetie or really anything but just plain ‘babe.’ That’s what Zach used to call me.” She shivered, remembering the casual way he’d called her that—usually after he hurt her in some small but significant way.
“Honestly, babe, I don’t know what the big deal is—I was just teasing you a little. And I barely touched you! You’re way too sensitive,” he would say after yanking her hair or pinching her or tripping her or doing any of the hundred, mean little things that seemed to bring him so much pleasure.