by Roxie Ray
“Thank you so much for lunch. It was so kind of you.”
“Of course, my dear. Any time.”
I stood and bowed my head, taking my leave and hurrying back to the garden path. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
The whole way down the path, though, I could feel eyes practically burning a hole into my back, and I was certain it wasn’t Niall.
One glance over my shoulder confirmed it—Yivonne. If I hadn’t been sure of it before, I was now—I’d made an enemy here before my very first week was up.
9
Niall
I surreptitiously watched Brittany walk away. Or so I’d thought. When I turned my attention back to my mother, she was watching me with a faint smile on her lips. I knew that smile all too well. She was scheming, no doubt about it, and I wondered just how much my father or Soren had said to her about the mating gene.
Before she could say anything, I gave her a warning look. “Drop it, Mother.”
She widened her eyes in feigned innocence and raised her hand to her chest. “Why, whatever do you mean, dear?”
I gave her another look, one that clearly said I was onto her, and she simply smiled.
“Fine, I’ll see you later. Yivonne and I will continue to have a nice lunch, won’t we?”
I glanced at Yivonne, knowing why she was there. It seemed hounding me relentlessly about finding a suitable wife wasn’t enough for my mother. Now she was taking matters into her own hands. But I wondered why she was bothering with Yivonne when she knew I was mated to Brittany, unless Mother was forcing me to compare one woman with the other in an effort to make me choose. The thing was, she knew I would never choose Yivonne.
Yivonne came from one of the wealthiest Hollander merchant families, but money and beauty were not things I cared about. A charismatic personality was a quality I cherished, and Yivonne didn’t have one.
“Nice to see you again, Yivonne. However, as you heard, I have other plans for this afternoon so I’m afraid I must be going.”
Yivonne’s eyes darkened to a storm gray—a sure sign of her temper. Of course she’d be upset. I was basically dismissing her in favor of spending time with Brittany. She blinked rapidly, the stormy gray eventually dissipating and her eyes returning to their normal silver, though the anger was still apparent in her expression.
I turned to Mother and kissed her on the cheek.
“Stop meddling, Mother,” I whispered in her ear, low enough so only she could hear.
She laughed softly and whispered back. “Don’t you know? That’s what mothers are for.” Then she patted me on the cheek. “Enjoy your lunch, darling.”
With another glance and nod at Yivonne, who was observing me with clenched teeth, I turned and headed home.
I walked more quickly than I might normally have, anticipation buzzing in my veins knowing that Brittany was there waiting for me. Had she truly wanted to accept my invitation to lunch? Or had she felt that she had no other choice? I couldn’t be sure, but she hadn’t hesitated to jump up and head home the minute I mentioned it. Not that I could blame her. I couldn’t get away from Yivonne fast enough, either.
When I arrived home, Brittany was standing by the windows that looked out over the lower half of the mountain toward the sea, her back to me. I took a moment to just look at her, taking in her long braid and Hollander style clothing.
I had to admit, she looked even more gorgeous decked out in our fashions. It suited her. And I loved the way the fabric draped over her subtle curves, showing off so much of her smooth, creamy skin. When I first saw her in the courtyard with my mother, I hadn’t been able to look away. The pull in my chest had grown impossibly stronger, and the urge to reach out and touch her was almost overwhelming. Just as it was now.
I took a step forward, and she whirled around, eyes wide.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” I said softly.
She relaxed, a small smile curving her lips. “It’s okay. So…lunch?”
I smiled back, no small amount of relief coursing through me. She hadn’t just agreed to lunch out of obligation, then. In truth, I probably shouldn’t have worried because if there was one thing I knew about Brittany by now, it was that she would let me know exactly what she truly thought. It was refreshing. So many people bowed and kowtowed to me since I was the prince. It was nice to be around someone who actually spoke their mind.
I gestured to the door. “Shall we?”
Brittany nodded and crossed the room, and I couldn’t help but notice the way her hips swayed, the gauzy fabric of her dress caressing her thighs as she moved.
Forcing myself to look away, not wanting to make her uncomfortable when it felt like we might actually be making further progress toward her not hating me, I reached for the door and held it open for her, then followed her out and led her to my transport pod.
“Where are we going?” she asked as we strapped ourselves in.
“It’s a surprise,” I said with a smirk.
She merely lifted her eyebrows but didn’t say anything else as I steered the transport away from the house and down the mountain.
After a while, she cleared her throat and spoke, though she kept her gaze fixed on the view outside her window. “So, Yivonne seems nice.”
I laughed out loud at that. The lie was plain in her tone.
“You don’t have to pretend with me, Brittany. I’m pretty sure you don’t like her any more than I do.”
She looked at me then, mouth parted slightly, which made me chuckle once more.
“Yivonne is spoiled, pretentious, and everything you’d expect from the only daughter of one of our planet’s wealthiest merchants. She’s never lacked for anything and has almost certainly always gotten anything she wanted. Her family isn’t much better.”
“Wow,” she said. “You really don’t think that highly of her, do you? I’m not sure your mother has gotten the memo, though.”
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, wishing her expression told me more about what she was thinking. Was there a hint of jealousy in that statement? I was certain Yivonne would have made it clear why she was at the palace, especially with the way she’d been eyeing Brittany, like she was a threat.
“It doesn’t matter what my mother thinks. I’m not interested.”
Brittany shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me who you are or aren’t interested in.”
As she said it, the feeling in my chest pulsed harder, and this strange connection I felt to Brittany grew stronger. I smiled to myself. I’d spent the morning doing more research into what was known of the mating gene.
What I’d learned was that the magnetic pull between us would grow stronger in conjunction with both of our feelings toward each other. Meaning that Brittany might pretend she didn’t care who I was interested in—and maybe she had truly convinced herself of that—but what I was feeling indicated otherwise.
Something was shifting between us, and for the first time, I had reason to believe she might actually be interested in me. Even if she did deny it or try to fight it. That was enough—for now. Besides, I was still trying to figure out what I thought about all of this mating gene stuff and what it meant for the two of us.
We arrived at the restaurant moments later, one of my favorites at the base of the mountain, right on the coast. This particular stretch of beach was made of glittering black sand, remnants of an ancient volcano.
As I docked my transport and pressed a button to open the glass doors, Brittany’s eyes were wide as she took it all in.
“This is incredible,” she said, and I smiled at the awe in her voice. She was genuinely impressed and unreserved about it, something I hadn’t seen from her before now.
“Just wait,” I said with a wink, and then I took her arm to lead her down the dock. As soon as my skin brushed against hers, a zing raced up my arm.
She flinched, and I wondered if she felt it too, but she didn’t pull away. A definite improvement.
As we walked, she just looked around silently. The restaurant was a blend of nature and technology, one of the reasons it was my favorite—other than the incredible view. It was open to the elements, and many of the tables were located on the beach itself. Exotic flowers seemed to run wild through the landscaping, though I knew it was carefully crafted to give customers the feel of being in a tropical oasis.
Once we seated ourselves at an outdoor table, she looked at me curiously.
“Where are all the people?”
“People?” I asked, cocking my head and gesturing around at the other patrons. There weren’t many, but it was a bit after the usual lunch hour, so it seemed about right to me.
She shook her head. “No, like waiters. Hostesses.”
Those terms were only slightly familiar to me, but I thought I recognized them from my studies of Earth customs. “You mean people who serve the food?”
She nodded.
“There aren’t any.”
She laughed incredulously. “What do you mean?”
I grinned and pressed a button on the tabletop. Immediately, the table split apart, and a thin screen rose between us. I could still see her through the holographic screen, and her eyes looked like they were about to bug out of her head.
“Everything is automated,” I told her. “You scroll through the menu on the screen and just select what you want.”
“Then what?” she asked, her voice slightly teasing. “It magically appears on the table?”
“Pretty much, yeah.” This was going to be fun, watching her first experience at a technologically advanced restaurant.
I selected one of my favorite seafood dishes, then gave her some suggestions. Once our order was complete, I pressed the button again and the screen slid back inside, and the tabletop was clear once more.
A moment later, a hovering tray floated to our table with glasses of my favorite wine and some fresh fruits as an appetizer.
“What’s this?” Brittany picked up the glass of wine and studied it, fascinated by the gradients of deep burgundy and blue.
“Vamblosne.” I picked up my glass and lifted it toward hers in the universal signal for a toast. “Wine made from a berry native to Hollander.”
“It looks like a magic potion.”
I laughed at the uncertainty in her voice. “I promise it’s perfectly fine. It’s my favorite, in fact. As are these fruits. But first—” I clinked my glass against hers, “to a fresh start.”
A genuine smile spread across her face, and for a moment it felt like I couldn’t catch my breath. I definitely wanted to see that smile more. And I wanted to be the reason for it even more.
She echoed my words, and the pulsing in my chest kicked up a notch. Not uncomfortably this time, though. In fact, I felt somewhat settled. Happy to just be with her.
“So, Brittany,” I said after taking a sip of wine. “Tell me something about yourself.”
“Like what?”
I shrugged. “Anything.” When she still looked uncertain, I decided to prompt her. “How about you tell me what it’s like on Earth.”
“Okay, I can do that.” She took a sip of wine and scrunched up her face as if she were thinking. “It’s completely different than it is here. Obviously. But not just the environment.” She gestured around at what had to seem like exotic scenery. “But my way of life as well. I’ve never known luxury like this. At least not for myself. I’ve worked for plenty of wealthy clients and seen luxury. But I’ve never experienced it firsthand.”
She went on to tell me more about what it had been like to work for her clients, how she struggled to get by and make ends meet, how her entire home was smaller than the room she was now occupying at my house. She wasn’t looking for sympathy, I could tell, but just telling it like it was.
Still, something in me ached to give her everything she’d never had. To fulfill her every wish and shower her with anything she could possibly desire. To make sure she never had to struggle or wonder where her next meal might come from.
“I was happy, though,” she said with a wry grin. “Even though I’ve pretty much only ever known poverty, I was still happy. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining.”
And I knew she wasn’t. She was clearly a hard worker, someone who wasn’t afraid to do whatever it took to survive.
Her expression softened. “My parents were amazing. They loved me more than anything and did everything in their power to provide for me, to teach me the value of hard work and perseverance. They were also responsible for my sense of ambition, of bettering myself.”
“They sound like amazing people.”
“They were.” Brittany glanced down at her wine glass and swirled the shimmering liquid before taking another sip. I could tell she was fighting off a wave of sadness.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I said softly, and she looked up with a smile.
“Thank you.”
Another hover tray floated up to the table then, and silence fell as we placed our meals in front of us. I couldn’t stop looking at her as we began to eat, though. I’d severely misjudged her in the beginning.
Brittany wasn’t rude or condescending or hateful at all. She was a strong, independent woman who’d struggled all her life just to make a living and survive in the most basic sense of the word. I had no idea what that was like, and I admired her for her perseverance and strength. Joining the IEP had to have taken a lot of courage, and she’d done it to better herself, to make a better life for herself.
Guilt washed over me unexpectedly. It was because of me that she was here on Hollander and not on one of the planets she’d wanted to go to. I couldn’t blame her for having been upset initially. But I hoped she truly would come to love it here, even if Hollander wasn’t her first choice—or maybe hadn’t even been a choice at all.
I’d taken that choice from her, and that didn’t sit well with me. Still… I couldn’t find it in myself to truly regret what I did. If I hadn’t, she wouldn’t be in my life now. And with every moment that passed, I knew having her in my life was one of the most significant things that had ever happened to me.
“So,” I said after a few moments of eating. “Would you like to learn to speak some of my language?”
She perked up, giving me another one of those smiles that made me feel things I didn’t quite recognize. “I’d love to. But how?” She wrinkled up her nose. “With this communicator, everything you say is automatically translated, right?”
I nodded. “There’s a way to turn it on and off. Right here, behind your ear.” I reached over the table and gently ran my finger over the sensitive skin at the base of her earlobe. Our eyes locked, and I could have sworn I saw a tiny spark of heat flare in those rich brown depths. I let my finger linger there longer than necessary, fighting the urge to run it along her jaw, down her neck.
My cock stirred to life at the thought. Fuck. I had to get control of myself now. We were making great strides, and I didn’t want to go and screw it up by scaring her off.
I pulled my hand back and cleared my throat. “You just tap right there, and it will switch it on and off.”
She nodded, biting down on her lip, and it was all I could do to keep from groaning out loud at the sight. She was killing me here and didn’t have the first clue.
Needing to focus on something else, I dove right into the language lessons. I had Brittany turn off the communicator, I would say a word, then she would turn it back on and I’d say it again, the communicator automatically translating it for her.
We practiced for a while as we finished our meal, and I was impressed by what a quick study she was. I’d never taught anyone my native language, but I was fairly certain she was more adept than most.
We stayed at the restaurant longer than I normally would, and I was surprised to find it was early evening. The time had passed quickly, and I found myself wishing for more time with her like this, away from our roles as prince and housekeeper.
By the time we made it home, sh
e seemed pretty tired, so I walked her to her bedroom door. “I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure you have things you’d like to do on your night off.”
She opened her mouth, and for a moment I thought she was going to tell me differently. Part of me hoped she would—that she would say she’d like to spend it with me. Instead, she just smiled and nodded.
“Thank you. I really enjoyed this afternoon.”
“As did I.” I stared down at her for a lingering moment, then gave her a slow half-smile that had her biting her lip again. “Goodnight, Brittany.”
I turned and headed back down the hall, but I could feel her watching me as I went. I smiled to myself, a plan forming in my mind.
Now that I’d spent time with her like this, I knew what I had to do. The only thing I could think to do. I was going to woo her, win her over, and get her to fall in love with me. That way, when her time here was up, she would choose to stay because based on the way I was already feeling, if she truly was my mate, I knew there was no way I would be able to let her go.
10
Brittany
I wandered around the big empty house, wondering what I should do with myself now that I’d finished my work for the day. It wasn’t even mid-afternoon, yet I had nothing more to do. I’d even recleaned some of the things I’d cleaned yesterday just because I wanted to make sure I couldn’t be seen as slacking off.
But what else was I supposed to do? Working for one person, who really didn’t make that much of a mess, was entirely different from juggling a multitude of clients like I had on Earth. And the sum of my contract was so far beyond what I could make in a year of slaving away as a housekeeper back home that I almost felt like I was taking advantage of Niall and the generous amount he’d bid on me—almost.
After all, aliens who purchased contracts through the IEP obviously weren’t hurting for money, especially the Hollands.
I stopped to look out the open arched windows toward the beach, thinking about the lunch I’d had with Niall last week. It had been really nice. I’d enjoyed my time with him more than I expected. And since then… Well, let’s just say Niall was starting to grow on me.
