Chain frowned. “Didn’t your ex-mate ever go to his knees for you, beautiful Victoria?”
She shook her head.
“Not even when he proposed. Kevin is a very practical man—he’s an electrical engineer, you know. He was always more about logic than emotion.”
“He sounds like a boring bastard, if you don’t mind me saying so,” Chain remarked. “What fun is life with no ‘grand romantic gestures’ as you put it?”
“I wouldn’t know since I’ve never had any.” Victoria sounded like she was confessing something. “Kevin was the only man I’ve ever, er, been with.”
“Really?” Chain raised his eyebrows in surprise, when he understood what she meant. “I would think that a people like humans who are biologically able to discard mates and find new ones at will would be much more sexually active than that.”
“Well, most people are,” Victoria said tightly. “But Kevin and I got together young and I believed in honoring my wedding vows. So he was the first—and last—man I’ve ever been with.” She shook her head, her cheeks going rosy. “God, I don’t know why I told you that. It’s what my daughters would call a ‘major overshare.’”
“No, no—don’t feel like that,” Chain protested. Rising to his feet, he took both her hands in his and looked at her earnestly. “I want to know all about you, Victoria. I know that we met by chance, but I find you fascinating—I’m glad you shared such an intimate detail with me.”
“You can’t be for real,” she said flatly. “Why would you want to know about me or my life?”
“Maybe because I find you beautiful and interesting? Not to mention extremely alluring.”
Chain gave her a half-lidded look that seemed to make her blush harder. What an interesting mixture she was! A female of mature years who had life experience in almost every other area, yet she was almost as inexperienced sexually as a virgin.
He was willing to bet that “grand romantic gestures” hadn’t been the only area her ex-mate was lacking in. A male who wouldn’t go to his knees for a female he loved, even to ask her to bond with him, probably wasn’t very good in the bed chamber either, where it was also important to spend time on one’s knees—tending to a female’s pussy with your tongue.
“Well…thank you for your kind words,” Victoria said at last, a bit stiffly. “But I know you’re just being nice. I’m old enough to be your…well, if not your mother, at least your much older sister.”
Chain frowned. “What do our respective ages have to do with anything? Am I not allowed to find you attractive just because you happened to enter the universe a few years before I did? Think of the stars and the planets—does a star refuse to allow a planet to orbit it because it came into existence after the star did? Of course not—that would be foolish.”
This earned him a smile, albeit a grudging one, Chain thought.
“That’s certainly a unique way of looking at things,” she remarked.
“It’s the only way of looking at things,” Chain declared. “Why limit your chances of happiness in any way? Life’s too short for that.”
Her reluctant smile widened to a grin.
“I like your way of thinking, Chain. You’re pretty much the exact opposite of my ex.”
“Knowing what I do of that poor excuse for a male, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Chain made her a sweeping bow which actually made her giggle. He liked the sound of her laughter—it was low and musical and completely feminine. Sexy.
“All right,” she said when he came back up. “I’ll go with you. But I have to be back here by Tuesday night at the latest so I can teach on Wednesday.”
“You have my word,” Chain swore. “The danger should have passed by then and you’ll be able to resume your normal life.”
Though for some reason he didn’t like to think of the little Elite coming back here alone. But if this was the only way she’d come with him and let him protect her from the possibility—however slim it might be—that the Varians would come back to Earth searching for the T’lix-Kruthe, then it was a promise he would gladly give.
“Thank you for trusting me,” he said to her.
“I’m not sure I do,” Victoria said, a little smile playing around the corners of her lush mouth. “Not completely, anyway. But you’re a Kindred and they’re all supposed to be protective of women.” She shrugged. “No offense—it’s just that I’ll have to get to know you better before I decide if you’re totally trustworthy.”
Chain frowned. “Why would you agree to come with me if you don’t trust me completely?”
“Because,” Victoria said lightly. “I’ve been waiting my whole adult life to have a little fun and adventure—and I have a feeling you can offer me both.”
Chain grinned back. He respected her honesty and liked the attitude she was taking towards their impending trip together. Even if he only took her to the Mother Ship and stayed with her a day or two to give her the tour, he was certain it would be an experience neither of them would ever forget.
Chapter Eight
Was she crazy, agreeing to leave town—hell, to leave the whole planet—with a man she’d never met before tonight, Vicky wondered? She was sure her daughters would think so. And this was something she would never allow them to do. In fact, if either Melli or Jodi called her up and said, “Mom, I’m thinking of taking a trip to Europe with Carlos, this guy I just met in a bar,” Vicky would have done her best to talk sense into them.
Which is probably what they’ll do to
