Alien salesmen and saleswomen. It’s all very surreal.
Danek laces his fingers in mine, bringing my palm up to his lips. He brushes a kiss across the back of my hand. “Eighteen years,” he says, his voice tinged with admiration. “I can only hope that Naomi and I will be as happy as the two of you.”
My skin prickles with nervous energy from his kiss. My emotions are all over the place. The way Danek looks at me, the way he touches me—something inside me is shifting, something that started two days ago, when I kissed him. I want it to be real. It’s been a long, long time since someone’s acted like I was the center of their universe, and I’ve missed it. I crave it.
When Will died, I missed him fiercely. For the first year, it was impossible to breathe. So many times, I wanted to stop in the middle of my day and just scream. Why did the sun continue to rise in the sky, day after day, when Will was gone? Why did a steady stream of customers trickle through my bank branch’s front door? Why did bills appear in my mailbox, month after month, like malignant clockwork? Why did the tulips bloom in early spring, why did the lilacs scent the air with their sweet blossom, why did birds chirp, why, why…
That’s the thing about death. Life goes on regardless. After Will died, life carried on, inexorably moving forward, and eventually, so did I. I even made myself go out on a few lackluster dates, but the men, nice as they were, didn’t matter.
But when Danek’s fingers brush mine, as if he can’t bear not to touch me, a powerful yearning fills my heart, and a realization clicks in place. I might be forty, but I’m not ready to give up. I want to love and be loved again.
I’ve been silent too long. Lashi’vi is looking at her tablet and saying something about needing to get back to the office. I force a smile on my face and bid her farewell—there’s more bowing—and then, when she’s gone, Xeni approaches me.
“Stand in the circle,” she orders. “I need your measurements. Two hands, two legs, yes? Are there others?”
What?
Danek replies for me. “No, Naomi’s species is a Zorahn-variant. Smaller though.” His voice lowers to a caress. “Infinitely more delicate.”
I swallow. Xeni takes note of my measurements, tells me to wait, and disappears into the back room. She returns with a rack of clothes floating alongside her on some kind of hover-platform. “Try them on,” she encourages. “Your bondmate can watch.”
There are far too many items on that rack. Despite my threats to buy everything in sight, this feels like an unjustifiable indulgence. “That’s too much,” I protest. “I just need a few things.”
Xeni doesn’t understand. “My bondmate thinks there are too many clothes on this rack,” Danek translates. “She is rarely wrong, but this time, she is.” He cups my cheek and stares into my eyes. “If it would make you happy, I would buy you the suns and the moons and the stars in the sky. But because I am a safety inspector, on a safety inspector’s salary, it must be clothes instead.” His hand is warm. My heart races when he touches me, like the wings of a trapped butterfly. His thumb grazes my lips, and I want to kiss him, and I want to do so much more…
Xeni chuckles. “I have the most reasonable prices in the exchange,” she assures Danek. “Let me activate a privacy shield, and you can get started.”
The privacy shield turns out to be similar to a one-way mirror. I can see out, but nobody can see inside. It’s surreal to be naked in the middle of the shop floor, with Danek in full sight of me, but it’s also strangely arousing. My nipples harden and my insides tighten as I strip.
I don’t remember much of what happened last night, but I had been wearing a jumpsuit on Bestea, and when I’d woken up, I’d been wearing a sleep shirt. Danek must have helped me get changed. He must have seen me naked. I should be offended, but instead, it’s turning me on. Did he like what he saw? If I pull him into this dressing room, will he reach for me with hunger in his eyes?
Naomi, get a grip on yourself.
Most of the time, my stern warnings work. But not today. Danek settles down on a narrow bench. For the next hour, I model clothes for him, and he watches admiringly. He looks at me with naked desire, and it’s a heady, heady feeling. He’s acting like he’s the luckiest guy in the universe. Nobody has looked at me like this in a very long time, and I’ve forgotten how addictive it is. My stomach churns and flip-flops, and my skin prickles with excitement.
A part of me is intensely aware that Xeni is watching us, and that she’s married to Lashi’vi, and so we have to maintain our cover. But Danek is so good that he makes me forget it’s all an act. His response is fake, and I’m still falling for it. My body is flushed with heat and need pounds through my blood.
Together, we choose about two dozen outfits, and then it’s time for lingerie.
Zorahn lingerie bears only a superficial resemblance to anything I’m familiar with. Xeni hands me what looks like scraps of fabric, and I stare at it, confused. “How does this go on?” I ask.
“I can show you,” Danek replies. He rises to his feet, sleek and powerful, and he stalks toward me. “Activate your shield.”
Anticipation blazes through my body. Wordlessly, I obey, and then it’s just the two of us, alone, in the middle of the boutique, shielded from prying eyes.
“Take off your clothes,” he instructs, his voice deep and smooth.
I swallow hard. Houston, we have a problem. Danek’s big shoulders fill my vision. I’m standing a few inches away from this gorgeous, enigmatic
