A pretty pink blush spread over her cheeks, but she didn’t deny it. With a smirk, she muttered, “Cocky male.”
“Is it cocky if it’s true?” he teased.
Suddenly her eyes grew unfocused and her brows knit. She searched his face. “Have…” She nibbled her thumb nail briefly before continuing. “Have you ever been married?”
Could that be jealousy etched on her face? Luka had to subdue the satisfied grin that threatened to spread over his face. “No, love. I’ve been picked a few times, but never ultimately chosen. I made sure not to be.” He snatched her hand away from her mouth and kissed the tip of her thumb. “Would you be upset if I had?”
She pursed her lips and looked away from him. Her voice was falsely casual when she said, “No.”
“Liar.” He said, allowing his purr to rumble through his and show her his true feelings.
She narrowed her eyes at him, but he saw the corner of her mouth lift in a smile. “Can I see what you made? We could eat together now if you’re hungry.”
He allowed the subject to shift, but continued to bask in the idea that his mate was covetous of him. “That’d be wonderful.” Was this how it would be with her? Easy and happy and intimate in a way he’d never experienced.
Rifling through his bag, he extracted the food and drink he’d carefully packed this afternoon and set it on the table. He programmed the warming lids to heat their food and then handed Alice a glass of tury. “Jade told me she calls this prosecco 2.0 and you would understand what that meant.”
Alice licked her lips, drawing his eyes to her mouth yet again. You’ve gone your whole life without kissing. You can wait a little longer.
She took a small sip, and her features lit up. “Mmm. That’s really good. I was worried it was going to be too sweet, but it has a tartness I like.” Crossing her legs, she took another sip and relaxed against the soft cruiser wall. “When do you have to go back to work?”
He shrugged. Thinking about work would be all but impossible right now. There used to be a rule that allowed for extended absences from work if you became mated, but he wasn’t allowed to reveal his marks. “I’m not sure.”
“If it’s not too distracting, I’d like to go with you to the reserve again. Watch you while you work.”
Luka couldn’t contain his wide grin. “You’re making my life quite difficult, you know.”
Her hopeful expression faded. “Oh?”
With any other female, he’d be treading dangerous waters with his teasing, but he sensed Alice enjoyed seeing that side of him. “If you aren’t there, I won’t be able to get any work done because I’ll be thinking about you, and if you are there, I won’t be able to get any work done because I’ll be thinking about you and looking at you.”
Alice blushed. “Thank you.”
Luka uncovered the food, making sure to hand her the plate containing the ingredients her taste preference scan had revealed she’d like.
“This is wonderful. Thank you,” she said in between small bites of food. “Will you tell me more about your family?”
Luka described his brothers and sisters for the rest of the ride to the Temple. He didn’t know if there was anyone else he enjoyed talking to quite as much as Alice. She was funny and sincere and talked about everyone she knew with a genuine, open kindness he’d never experienced before.
A dark part of his being twisted when she talked about the males she’d met so far. At her mention of Rhaego and how he’d be returning to teach more of the Tremantian language, Luka had to focus on not shattering the thick glass in his hand. This wasn’t good.
His mind started to spin. They were headed back to the Temple now, where unmated males patrolled freely. A savage part of him screamed for him to redirect the car back to his home with so much force that his hand actually shot out before he quickly pulled it back.
It was unnatural to even think about leaving her alone. I could watch her again, his mind hissed. She’s my mate; I need to make sure she’s protected.
The cruiser stopped, and the door hissed as it slid open. Luka worked to pull himself together, but he feared the slightest movement on her part to leave him would make him drag her back into the cab.
Alice set her plate down and looked at him expectantly. “Luka, are you alright?”
He set his plate down as well and ground his teeth.
She rested a hand on his knee and caught his hard stare. “You can tell me. What’s wrong?”
Could he tell her? He swallowed. “I’m struggling with this, Alice. It feels wrong to let you leave.” A guard walking in the distance caught his eye, and his hands fisted.
Her brows drew together, but Luka was relieved to see sympathy in her eyes rather than anger. “I’m sorry this is hard for you. You need to let me go, though. How will we be together if we can’t ever be apart? It’s not healthy.”
He sliced his hands through his hair and tried to calm himself. She was right. If she was going to work as a veterinarian and he was going to continue his research, he needed to be able to be apart from her. He suspected his Traxian half was exacerbating the effects of the mating instinct, and he had to find a way to control it.
He nodded and lifted his head, forcing a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She got up and knelt in front of him, taking his hands in hers. “I can see how hard this is for you, and I appreciate the effort.”
