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)
“Oh, Torus…” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry I tried to break up with you. I didn’t understand—I thought you were just staying with me out of pity.”
“Never!” he swore softly. “You have too much pride and self-respect for me to pity you. Despite everything that bastard of an ex-Mate put you through, you kept trying—kept fighting. That’s why you came up to the Mother Ship in the first place. If you hadn’t, we never would have met and we wouldn’t be together now.”
“I don’t know about fighting—I was just trying to get away from him—from his influence,” Molly said.
“Well, I think he’s going to have a lot less influence now.” Torus didn’t even try to keep the note of grim satisfaction out of his voice. “What are you going to do with the settlement the jury awarded to you? Eighty-eight million US dollars is quite a lot, I believe?”
Molly laughed.
“It’s a hell of a lot—especially for someone used to living on a teacher’s salary,” she told him. “But the crazy thing is, I don’t really need it now. I mean, living on the Mother Ship is so affordable and everyone makes a living wage. Nobody has a mansion because everyone is living in suites, and nobody needs a fancy car because we have the tram system.”
“I suppose we could move down to Earth and you could live in the Earth equivalent of luxury,” Torus offered. He didn’t relish the thought of leaving the Mother Ship, but he would go if she wanted to.
But Molly shook her head.
“No, I don’t think so. I like it on board the Mother Ship—and I know you like it, too. People don’t stare at you nearly as much.”
“Well, that is true, but I can put up with the nosey humans if you want to live there,” he said.
She shook her head again.
“No. I think I’ll put some of it in the bank but most of it I’d like to donate.”
“Where to?” Torus asked, intrigued by her idea.
The Kindred had a very equal society, where the Head of the High Council made as much as a teacher working with the youngest children. They didn’t believe in having a small wealthy class which benefited to the detriment of everyone else. He was glad that Molly subscribed to the Kindred ideal rather than the human one.
“I’d like to donate it to battered women’s shelters,” she said.
“Women’s shelters?” Torus frowned. “What are those?”
“Places where women and children can go when the husband gets abusive,” Molly explained. “I know you don’t have anything like that in Kindred culture because you don’t need it. But on Earth, they’re really necessary.”
Torus frowned.
“It’s a great shame that human males can’t seem to understand that their females should be honored and cherished instead of beaten and belittled.”
“I wish more human guys were like the Kindred too.” Molly sighed and snuggled back against him. “Torus, will you hold me tonight? I’m afraid after everything that happened today, I’m going to have a hard time getting to sleep.”
“Of course I will, sweetheart.” Turning to her, he pulled her into his lap. “Are you sleepy now?”
“Mmm-hmm.” She yawned and snuggled against him in a way that made his heart swell with love.
“Then let’s go to bed.”
Torus lifted her easily and carried her back to the ship’s bedchamber. He pulled off her robe and started to give her a nightgown to put on, but Molly shook her head.
“Uh-uh. Can we just sleep naked tonight?” she asked, looking up at him shyly. “I, uh, really want to feel your skin against mine—if that’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay, little bird.” Torus took off his own robe and drew her close to his side. She turned on her side and pressed against him with her head on his shoulder and one arm wrapped as far around him as it would go. Of course his shaft reacted when he felt her warm, soft breasts and tight nipples press against him, but he did his best to ignore it.
Molly noticed it, though.
“Mmm, I’m sorry—do you want to do something about that?” she asked, nudging his shaft gently with her knee.
“We don’t have to, especially considering what you went through tonight,” Torus said. “Let’s just try to get some sleep.”
“But what if I want to get closer to you?” she asked, looking up at him. “What if I want to do something?”
“Well then…what about letting me give your sweet little pussy a tongue bath?” Torus asked, looking down at her. “It seems to me it might help you sleep if I made you come once or twice.”
She shifted against him and even without the TET device, he could tell she liked the idea. The scent of her feminine desire drifted up to his nose and her nipples got even tighter against his chest.