Brida Pact

by Leora Gonzales

  “Seriously?” sputtered Poppy. Wheaton seemed completely oblivious to the anger she was feeling and that was starting to piss her off.

  “I am always serious,” he deadpanned, appearing unsure why she questioned him.

  “Yeah, I’m getting that. The polite thing to do would have been to let me know you got home…and the carrying to bed would have been nice also.” Did she sound as if she were pouting? Poppy hated people who pouted.

  Wheaton turned to face her after making himself a drink. Staring at it for a few seconds, he placed his cup back on the counter. “I do not understand the interaction you want. Did you want to procreate last night? I have a small amount of time if you would like to do so now.”

  If Poppy had been angry before, she was even angrier now. She was silent as she stared at him for a moment. He actually had the balls to appear hopeful at possibly getting some sex. Poppy was done. Done.

  “Wheaton, we need to talk. And I need you to listen.” Walking over to the couch, Poppy waited for him to follow.

  “I really have to go, Poppy. There are many items that need my attention this morning.” He turned toward the door to leave.

  “Wait, you have time for sex but not talking?” Stunned at what she was hearing, all she could do was just stand there staring at him.

  “Yes. Sex is more important than talking so I would have made time.” And with that he simply turned and walked out the door.

  Wheaton thought it was better to leave before he did something to make her even more upset with him. Considering he did not know what had set her off in the first place, that seemed like a solid plan.

  As the door closed behind him, he tried to think of what could have angered his new bride but was quickly distracted when he ran into another warrior in the hall. Going over meeting notes for the day, his mind was occupied more with items that would need to be discussed and less with his prickly bride. Hopefully tonight would be better and she would calm down enough to explain why she was so upset. Even better would be if she completely forgot about it and they moved to physical relations. As he walked with the warrior away from the door, he thought he heard a loud huff come from their apartment but must have been mistaken. She couldn’t be that angry, could she?

  In the apartment, Poppy stood glaring at the door. What the hell had just happened? Wheaton had to have known how angry she was, right? She did understand that he had limited experience with humans but the emotion of anger was broader than just her species. He had essentially brushed her off and acted as if she were only there as a physical vessel when he needed her.

  Poppy let out a frustrated scream. Not only had that douchebag left her alone again, but he hadn’t even realized how not cool that was. She’d better try to calm down before he came back, whenever that may be, and try to figure out a way to communicate to him she wasn’t going to be treated as an afterthought. This was supposed to be their bonding time, dammit! How was she supposed to bond with someone who only showed up when she was sleeping?

  Staring at the door, she had one word running through her head.

  Fuck.

  For the next three days, Wheaton and Poppy saw each other in passing. Barely any words were spoken and the physical contact and any “exploration” they’d had the first night didn’t happen again. Poppy did wake up snuggled into him but going to bed alone sucked. She had a feeling she would actually fall fast and hard for him if given the opportunity. From what she was able to see of Wheaton, she could tell he was honest, sincere, and loyal to his warrior brothers. A day didn’t go by that he wasn’t busy with everything he needed to do and Poppy admired his work ethic. It made some of the boyfriends she’d had in the past seem like the losers they were.

  Listening to the Rain album on her player, she sat on the couch and decided to have a pity party. The album was a compilation of music Poppy always listened to when it rained outside and she felt blue. Poppy had to admit, when she wallowed, she went all-out. The only difference was that she didn’t have Oreos to gorge on or Pixie to call and complain to. Thinking about Pixie ended up being the push to make her actually start crying. As hot tears tracked down her face, she had never felt so alone in her life. Closing her eyes and leaning her head against the back of the couch, she didn’t notice anyone behind her until she felt a finger trace a tear on her cheek. Opening her eyes, Poppy glanced up into Wheaton’s concerned face.

  When Wheaton had walked into their quarters, he had been taken aback to find Poppy looking so miserable on the couch. Thinking she might be feeling unwell, he walked closer until he noticed that she was crying. His first experience with her tears had been when she was sad as she was leaving Earth and her sister, and his gut clenched to realize that maybe she was missing her old life. Walking up quietly so he didn’t startle her, he touched her face.

  “What is wrong?” he asked. Since she still had her headphones on she couldn’t hear him but was able to read his lips. Taking off her headphones, she tossed her player onto the table in front of her.

  “I’m sad,” she whispered, wiping her face on her hands.

  Wheaton might be dense when it came to humans but he could tell she was sad. He wanted to know why she was sad. She had food, clothes and entertainment to keep her occupied in their rooms when he was gone. Unsure if he should even ask what was wrong, he did and braced himself for the answer.

  “What happened to make you sad?” Wheaton moved around the couch until he was sitting beside her.

  “Wheaton, I’m not happy. I don’t think this is going to work out…maybe I should contact Valerie and make arrangements to end our trial period early.”

  Wheaton felt anger when he thought of her leaving. He had not seen her much during her stay so far, but the time that he was able to spend with her left him craving more. The only thing that had kept him back was his earlier idea of not becoming too attached.

  “Tell me what to do to make you not sad. You cannot leave me,” Wheaton said, reaching for her.

  She shook off his hand and stood up. Poppy was annoyed he was deciding now was the time to talk. Were tears the only way to get through to the big lug?

  “Do you realize this is the first time you’ve touched me in three days? We barely talk and I think the last thing you said to me was when you asked me to move out of your way so you could leave yesterday.”

  Deciding it was always easier just to rip the bandage off quickly, she spat out the thoughts that had been tumbling around in her head since her second day of solitude.

  “I don’t think we are a good match, Wheaton. You act like you can’t stand to be around me and I’m lonelier here than I ever was on Earth. At least back home I could still see my friends and Pixie…and visit dogs at the shelter.” With a sad smile she continued, “I’m totally isolated here and I haven’t been able to talk to her on that video thingy because our timing doesn’t line up. I’m just really unhappy.” Craving some sort of physical contact, she leaned into him as she started crying.

  Wheaton stiffened up for a second as if he were uncomfortable with the contact and then reached over to hold her shoulders. Putting his arms around her, he leaned his face toward the top of her head while she rested her face against his chest. After a few moments she stopped crying but didn’t move away. This was the only interaction she had experienced with another person in three days and she was going to soak it up while she could. Tilting her face to the side so she could breathe easier, she felt his arms tighten as he took in the scent of her hair.

  Wheaton felt the warmth of her body and relished the contact. Even if her face was puffy and leaking, he had to admit this contact was better than if she left and he had absolutely none. He had, unknowingly, made his bride feel unwelcome. Not having a human before, he had been unsure what their care involved. Realizing that something needed to change to convince her stay, he thought for a couple moments.

  “This is nice,” he whispered, his breath moving her hair slightly.

  “This”—she stopped to swal
low hard—“this is what I was missing. I need someone who will be present…someone who’ll talk to me and ask questions and just generally care if I’m there or not. I can’t be ignored…I refuse to be ignored.” She looked up at him with a determined expression on her face, no matter how much it hurt.

  He moved one of his large hands to her face and her cheek to wipe a stray tear away. “This hurts me. Please don’t cry again. I don’t understand why, but it makes me upset to see you sad.” Wheaton compared watching her cry to being hit in the stomach. For some reason it made him feel sick and angry. He felt the need to make her stop and fix whatever was the cause. Realizing that he was the cause made him feel awful.

  When Wheaton had originally been matched with Poppy, he had questioned the program. Sure there had been a glitch for it to say his potential bride was a medical office worker when he was a diplomat, he had asked the science sector to check into the matching algorithms and make sure they were working correctly. But Wheaton no longer questioned his match. Not one bit. In fact, he’d had no doubts shortly after they had met but his previous complaints had stirred up enough warriors so now an official investigation was being conducted.

  The last thing Wheaton wanted was Poppy to know he had doubted their joining in the beginning and that he was the reason there was a problem with the Bridal Pacts. Talking and laughing with her was the one thing he had started to anticipate toward the end of the day. Prior to her arriving, Wheaton had thrived on government meetings and negotiations. And now, some Council members had even questioned his commitment to his race because he called for shorter meetings and had defended his innocent little mate when she was disparaged.

  Gazing into her face, he took in every detail of her upset visage, wanting to replace it with a smile, but actually being able to accomplish that seemed like a huge task.

  “Will you do something for me?” she asked quietly while she searched his face.

  “Anything,” he answered, hoping he was able to do whatever it was quickly and it wouldn’t involve her leaving him to do so.

  “Listen to this music. I think it will help you understand what I’m saying…how I feel.” Reaching for her music player, she took her earbuds and placed one in his ear and the other in hers. Selecting a couple songs from Patty Griffin’s 1,000 Kisses, she started playing the music. “Just listen,” she whispered in his free ear.

  Three songs later he finally got the point. By this time, Poppy was basically sitting on his lap with her head against his chest as they listened. When the track ended, she gently tugged the earbud from his ear.

  “It sounds so sad,” Wheaton said, gazing deep into her eyes. If this sad music was comparable to the way he’d made her feel, it made him want to punch himself in the mouth. How had she sat here feeling like this for days?

  “It’s supposed to,” Poppy said, staring into his eyes just as intently, seeming to realize he finally got it.

  His hands, which had been rubbing her back in a comforting motion, moved to cup her face.

  “I don’t want you to feel that,” he said before his mouth slanted across hers. Wheaton vowed to himself the pain and loneliness she was feeling right now would never be caused by him again. He was realizing his happiness was hinged on her own. “I should explain…”

  Pausing for a moment to suck in a huge breath, he realized he owed her the truth. “After our first night together I made a decision. A decision I now think was the wrong one.” Catching her gaze, he cupped her cheek in his palm. “I thought it would be best to not get too close to you, in case our match ended up not being permanent. I could not imagine it being easy to get over the feel of your presence if I let you fully into my life and then you decided to leave. Now I realize that I was pushing you away and that is the exact opposite of what I wanted to accomplish. I will fix this if you will let me.”

  Poppy had sucked in a deep breath before he blocked it with his mouth. His lips sucked lightly at hers while he cradled her jaw. Poppy slid her hands up to his face, tracing his cheeks, before running her fingers into his hair. Slow and deep. Consuming and drowning. Wheaton felt himself get lost in the kiss. His hands left her face to run down her back to her bottom. He rumbled into her mouth while licking at the seam of her lips. Unable to stop his hands from massaging the plump cheeks within his grasp, he then pulled her hips forward to grind against his erection. Breathing hard, he struggled for control as he pulled away.

  “Will you stay?” he asked softly.

  “For now,” she whispered back.

  Relief hit him in a wave. If she had said no, he was not sure what he would have done. Wheaton knew he wouldn’t have let her go but was unsure of how he would have convinced her to stay. Seeing their position on the couch, Wheaton smiled at her and twisted his hips a bit to call attention to it.

  “I would like to take you to our sleeping area.” Wheaton smiled at the blush on her face that replaced her now gone tears.

  Leaning her forehead against his shoulder, Poppy hugged him and then scooted off his lap. She studied his face and he wondered if she could read that he was not only listening, but also absorbing.

  “I would like to talk more first. A couple hours ago I was ready to pack my bags. You can’t keep me at an arm’s length and expect this to work. We need to have some time for ourselves. I know that you work hard but if you want me to stay then we have a lot to work on. From the small bits I’ve been able to be around you I can already tell you I like and admire you.” Poppy paused, cupping his cheeks. “And our physical chemistry is off the charts. I have never felt the desire that you make me feel. I’ll stay for now but we need to get to know each other better. What do you say we start over?”

  Wheaton nodded, pleased she was giving him a second chance to make up for ignoring her for so long. From what he had been able to see of the woman Poppy was, he was grateful for the chance to make up for the mess he had made. She was truly a wonderful woman and it was time she knew he recognized that.

  “We have lots to talk about.” Holding out her hand, she said, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t cuddle and talk at the same time.”

  Smiling, he followed her into the bedroom. “As long as you remember we will be doing this naked. You wore clothes the past few nights and I assumed you were cold because I wasn’t present. There will be no excuse tonight,” he teased, happy that she was giving him another chance.

  “Deal. But this time, I get to undress you too.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Their truce lasted through the following week and then the next. Poppy could tell that Wheaton was consciously trying to include her into his daily routine. She started a tradition of good-morning kisses, which he usually tried to make into all-day kisses. Not that she minded. The companionship she was receiving now was like night and day compared to the first few days here. Wheaton talked about his childhood, his life on the ship, home world and hobbies, which were all fascinating to Poppy. From what he described, Poppy realized he must have had a very lonely existence and his warrior friends were brothers by choice. She talked about her love of dogs but how she wasn’t able to have a pet, while he had trouble understanding the concept of an animal living with him. There seemed to be no subject that they couldn’t talk about, except his work.

  Whenever she asked questions regarding his time away, he would steer her attention to another subject. They ended up spending a majority of their time together alone talking and getting to know one another. He had taken her on more in-depth tours of the ship and she had watched him spar in the rec room with other warriors when he had the opportunity but she never had the opportunity to talk to other warriors. Wheaton seemed to want her to himself and for right now she realized she was okay with that since she wasn’t too keen on sharing his attention either. The two exceptions were Dathrow and Thorne. She had talked to them a couple of times when they stopped to ask Wheaton questions or have him sign papers.

  In the evenings, Wheaton now made sure they shared their meal and talked.
Some nights he would connect her music to the speaker system in their rooms and listen to her eclectic playlists. Their names always stumped him though. She smiled, thinking about the long discussion they’d had when she tried to explain Hootie and the Blowfish. He didn’t seem to like any music that was too moody, which meant she had to sing to Adele during the day when he was gone. One day when he’d come back from a meeting, he caught her dancing around the room to ABBA and laughed when she ended with a bow. Dancing with him was fun and she loved to see him smile as she tried to teach him some moves. His dancing always came out like a fighting stance, but she didn’t care. He seemed to be enjoying himself and that was all that Poppy cared about.

  After their dinners, she started showing him some of her favorite movies. He, of course, loved the action movies with explosions but also paid very close attention to the mushy movies she picked out. Watching him concentrate on the TV screen, she realized he was studying the interaction of the characters. Wheaton would now reach for her hand or put his arm around her shoulders when they walked up and down the gleaming metal hallways. Chairs were pulled out when she went to sit down and he stood when she entered a room. He’d quickly become one of the most attentive boyfriends she’d ever had.

  Late evening had become a time both of them had begun to anticipate. Cuddling without clothes but keeping sex in the “not yet” category made Poppy feel like a teenager. It was during their naked times that they asked each other the real personal stuff. They talked about what they liked and didn’t like. Poppy wasn’t a prude but lack of experience had dented her confidence a bit. Wheaton had explained they had “pleasure ships” the warriors visited but he also had been nervous about what would happen when his bride arrived, which explained the porn. She was curious about the Pleasure Sector but did not necessarily want to hear about it from her future husband.