She looked at the time and knew she needed to speak with Zwyk. Instead of calling, she put on a pair of skinny jeans with a nice shirt and slipped on some ballet flats. It wasn’t her typical attire, but she wanted to look nice without looking too nice. When she reached his home, the windows were dark and his car was missing from the driveway. He could have been anywhere, but something was guiding her toward the Stardust bar. The entire fifteen minute drive, she worried about what she’d say when she saw him.
Rory parked and walked two blocks to the bar. It looked like it would be packed, judging by the lack of parking. When she stepped through the doors, she saw both the alien who owned the place working the bar along with a human male, neither one sparing her a glance. There were wall to wall bodies on the dance floor and every table and barstool were taken. Her gaze scanned the crowd and found a table at the back with several Terrans, including the one she wanted. And there was a bitch sitting in his lap pawing all over him. Oh hell no.
If Rory had been wearing long sleeves, she’d have pushed them up and prepared for a fight as she elbowed her way through the place. When she reached Zwyk’s side, she grabbed a handful of the blonde’s hair and yanked until the woman sprawled on the floor at her feet. Zwyk stared at her in surprise, both of his eyebrows shooting upward. He made no move to stop her, nor to help the woman on the floor. The blonde shot to her feet and came at Rory with her hands formed like claws.
Rory smacked the woman’s hands out of the way before they reached her face and then drew back and punched her right in the eye. The blonde reeled backward and fell on her ass again, holding her eye and staring up at Rory in shock, like she couldn’t believe she’d just been hit.
“Hands off,” Rory said with a glare in the blonde’s direction. “He’s not available.”
“He looked available to me, and I don’t recall him complaining when I sat in his lap.”
Rory looked over her shoulder to give Zwyk a fierce look. He merely watched and waited to see what she would do next. Dumbass male. The blonde pulled herself up off the floor, dusted off her ass, and sauntered away. The tension didn’t leave Rory’s shoulders as she turned to face Zwyk. His friends were watching in curiosity. Now that the fight was over, she wasn’t sure what to do next.
“I figured you were done with me,” Zwyk said. “You haven’t returned any of my calls.”
“I wasn’t sure what to say. I needed some time to think.”
“Finished?”
Her lips twitched. “Yeah, I’m finished. But I think we need to talk. Want to go somewhere quieter?”
He nodded and tossed some cash on the table before standing. Zwyk took her hand and led her outside, pausing on the sidewalk. He nodded toward his SUV, but Rory pointed toward where she was parked.
“I’m two blocks that way.”
“I’ll walk you to your car, then I want you to meet me at my house. Unless you’d prefer to go to your place?”
“Could we go to my place? It’s not that I don’t like your house, but you’ve never been inside my place.” She shrugged. “We can go wherever though.”
“Your place is fine. I don’t remember how to get there. Give me the address and I’ll program it into my GPS.”
Rory told him her address as they walked to her car. Zwyk waited as she closed and locked the door before walking back to where he’d parked his SUV. Rory drove straight to her apartment and waited in the parking lot until Zwyk pulled in. They walked together up to the apartment door on the second floor and she put her key in the lock, feeling a little anxious over what he might think of her place. Her apartment was a little more colorful than his home.
She pushed open the door and the lamp in the living room lit up the small space. Her couch and chair were dark gray, but she had throw pillows in jewel tones on both, as well as a brightly patterned area rug. Her lamp was large and made of blue spun glass with little crystal beads hanging off the shade. It was an overly feminine room, but Rory thought it felt rather homey.
Zwyk looked around, taking everything in, as she motioned for him to have a seat.
“I have sweet tea and bottled water if you want something to drink. I’m out of soda. I probably should have picked some up on the way home.”
Zwyk sat on the sofa and pulled her down beside him.
“I don’t need anything right now.” He held her hand. “Why didn’t you call me back?”
“Because I’m afraid that I want more than you’re willing to give and I needed some time to think things through. What happened between us was amazing, and I want to spend more time with you, but I had to decide if I was willing to have something casual with you or not.”
His brow furrowed. “You mean you want to be my mate?”
“Well… yes, but I’d have settled for the title of girlfriend. I just get the feeling you don’t want that. I know you were engaged to my sister about a week ago so things are moving really fast, but I don’t know that I’m ready for casual.”
Zwyk rubbed her hand with his thumb as he contemplated her words. She was a little afraid he’d tell her that things were finished between them and she waited with bated breath for his response. It felt like it took forever for him to come to a decision.
“You’re asking for the title of girlfriend, but you won’t ask for me, ask for being my mate?” he asked.
“I don’t want to push you away, Zwyk. I know it’s too soon for something like that, and it’s probably too soon to ask to be your girlfriend, but it’s what I want. I don’t want to just be a friend you sometimes have sex with, if that makes sense.”
“You want a commitment of some sort.”
She nodded.
“The only times I’ve ever made that sort of commitment with someone, it’s ended badly. I’ve had a few girlfriends since moving here and in the end I failed all of them. I’m never enough. They want someone with a better job, or someone less… what’s the Earth term? Geeky?”
She smiled a little. “In case you’ve missed it, I’m rather geeky myself.”
“I think you’re great, Rory. I like spending time with you, and I think that things between us could be explosive in the bedroom. I hoped we could enjoy one another’s company without putting labels on it. I don’t know that I’m ready for a commitment. What exactly does the word girlfriend mean to you?”
She shrugged. “I want to be the only one you’re dating, the only one you’re sleeping with, and I want to spend time with you. Nothing really has to change. I want our relationship to remain the way it has since the day of your almost wedding. Except I want the assurance that you’re only seeing me and when we introduce one another to our friends or family, we use the terms girlfriend and boyfriend. I’m not asking for a marriage proposal.”
“But you’d like one,” he said softly.
“Zwyk, I won’t lie. If you were to ask me to marry you right now, I’d say yes. I like you just the way you are. I don’t think your wardrobe, your job, or your affinity for gaming needs to change. In fact, I love those things about you. I just want time with you, and maybe somewhere along the way, you’ll decide whether or not what we have is something you want to have forever or you want us to part and go our separate ways.”
He nodded and seemed to think about things. He was quiet for several minutes before he reached up and trailed his fingers down her cheek. Gently, he cupped the back of her neck and brought her closer for a kiss. His lips brushed against hers and she couldn’t help but open for more. When he pulled away, there was a tenderness in his eyes that gave her hope.
“We can give the girlfriend/boyfriend thing a try. I can’t promise to give you what you want in the future, but I’m willing to see how things develop. And in the meantime, I promise there will be no female in my bed but you.”
“And no more women sitting on your lap?” she asked.
“No more women sitting on my lap,” he promised. “Unless it’s you.”
“You don’t feel cornered, do you?” she asked. “Beca
use that’s the last thing I want.”
“You have a right to ask for us to be exclusive if things are going to go any further. I respect the fact you asked for what you wanted. I wouldn’t have agreed if I hadn’t wanted the same thing. As long as we’re clear that whatever this is between us may never go any further. A few weeks from now, I don’t want you to be upset if I don’t ask you to be my mate.”
Rory snuggled into his side. “You take as much time as you need, and if you never feel that way, then at least we’ll have tried. That’s all I ask, Zwyk.”
“So, girlfriend.” He smiled. “How would you like to pass the time? It’s still a bit early, unless you need to work tomorrow?”
She winced.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“I was sort of let go this morning. I missed my shift and forgot to call in, so I was asked not to come back. It was my first offense, but it didn’t seem to matter to them. I’ve worked there since my first year of college and I could probably fight them on it, but there’s not much point. It’s not like I need the job to pay the rent. I had to return my work shirts earlier today.”
“Are you going to be okay? I did inquire about a job for you at the Terran station, but then you didn’t call me back for three days. I worried that you had decided you didn’t want to spend time with me. Are you still interested?”
“What kind of job?” she asked.
“It’s working in our financial department. Someone over there could tell you more about it. I know it has to do with converting the currency when accounts are opened here on Earth, and you’d probably help walk new arrivals through the process. I know it isn’t quite what your schooling was for, but I thought it might be a step in the right direction.”
“It sounds like something that would interest me. How do I apply for it?”
“You need to email your résumé to Pentrax. He’s head of the financial department and will be the one to interview you. I have his email address if you’d like to send it now?”
“Just let me get my laptop.” Rory hurried into her bedroom to get it and then returned to the living room. It took her a half hour to compose an email she was satisfied with and hit send.
When she was finished, she set her laptop on the coffee table and turned to face Zwyk. He’d been patient and even helped her with what to say. There was no guarantee she’d get the job, but at least she had a chance. She’d even attached a PDF of her transcript from when she’d scanned her unofficial copy a few weeks ago. Rory went and got some bottled water for each of them and then retook her seat beside Zwyk.
“Does the water mean you want me to stay longer?” he asked.
She licked her lips. “How would you feel about staying the night? Neither of us has to be at work tomorrow, and you don’t have a pet waiting on you at home.”
“There’s something you should know before we’re intimate. I’ve always used condoms when I’ve been with anyone in the past. If you aren’t on birth control, there’s a chance I could get you pregnant. I’d prefer not to have barriers between us, but I don’t think either of us is ready for a baby without a proper mating.”
“I’m on birth control.” Sort of. She had some pills, and she was pretty good about taking them, but she did miss one here and there. Taking most of them should be sufficient though, shouldn’t it? She’d never actually used them for birth control before and couldn’t remember what her doctor had said. They helped her with her cycle or she wouldn’t be on them at all.
“I’m not asking because I expect sex tonight,” he said. “I just wanted to be clear up front about my past history. And I know you haven’t been intimate with anyone before, not more than fooling around, and I wanted to make sure you were covered.”
She smiled. “It was the responsible thing to do. I appreciate it.”
“Are you going to tell your family we’re seeing one another?” he asked. “I’m not sure how they’ll handle it.”
“I don’t talk to them very often. They only asked me to be part of Brittany’s wedding for the sake of appearances. They thought it would look bad if I weren’t even invited to the wedding.”
“But you hung out with us several times.” He frowned. “I thought the two of you were close.”
Rory snorted. “She shares what she wants to share, usually things she thinks will hurt me. No one is close to Brittany except the accountant. She spends more money than anyone I know. Consider yourself lucky. She’d have bankrupted you in no time.”
“I let myself by fooled by her beauty. I’m grateful she ran off instead of going through with the wedding. I think we’d have been miserable, and my kind doesn’t believe in divorce.”
Which explained why he wasn’t eager for another commitment. He’d almost married the wrong woman once, and she was certain he didn’t want to make that mistake again. She knew enough about Zwyk to know that he wouldn’t ask anyone to marry him unless he was sure it would work out. He’d learned his lesson. She only hoped that the almost-wedding with her sister hadn’t ruined him for all other women. What if he was never ready to get married ever again? It was a depressing thought.
“Let’s watch a movie and see where the night leads us,” she said. While she was anxious to feel his hands on her body again, she didn’t think jumping right into another night of intimacy was the correct thing to do. Not if she wanted a lasting relationship with him.
Sex would be awesome between them, of that she had no doubt. But she didn’t want sex to be the only thing they had going for them. She wanted him to laugh and enjoy his time with her even when they weren’t making out or in a bedroom. Rory wanted to prove that she was his friend first, someone he could count on, and someone who wouldn’t run away.
Chapter Seven
Monday came all too soon and Zwyk had been dealing with paperwork all morning. Even though it was his first day back after being off for a week, the mountain on his desk made it seem like it had been months that he’d been at home. He was tackling everything in his inbox before moving on to the other stacks. He might have moved a little faster if his thoughts weren’t filled with Rory.
Since the night she’d hit the blonde in the bar, they’d spent as much time together as possible. He hated that he had to return to work. It wasn’t that he didn’t like his job, but he wanted more time with Rory. Now he’d have to work all week before he’d have an entire day to spend with her. And no more late nights during the week. He’d stayed up a few times gaming and hadn’t been able to focus the next day.
Zwyk frowned. It wasn’t the first time he’d thought about Rory. And it wasn’t the first time today that he’d wished he were home with her instead. He didn’t understand why he felt the urge to spend every waking moment with her, but when they parted ways at night, he wished he was staying to hold her in his arms all night. She’d offered that night, but he’d decided to do the right thing and walk away. He wanted her, more than he’d ever wanted anyone before, but the moment hadn’t felt right. He didn’t want to rush things with Rory, even if she did seem eager to haul him into the bedroom. She’d tried luring him there every night.
“Zwyk, it’s time for lunch,” Vordro said. “And you have a guest waiting for you at the front desk.”
A guest? Zwyk frowned, not remembering an appointment for the day. He finished what he was doing and then made his way to the front of the Terran station. When he saw Rory standing there in a sundress, he thought his heart might burst. She looked so beautiful, and way more dressed up than usual. He wondered if it was a special occasion and he’d forgotten.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him. “I thought I’d surprise you.”
“I’m very surprised.”
“It’s your lunch break, right? I mean, you can leave for a little while?”
“I usually eat at the food court in the center of the station. I only have a half hour for lunch today because of how backed up my files are.”
She nodded. “Then we’ll eat here. As
suming it’s okay for me to join you?”
“Of course it is!”
He grasped her hand and led her through the station. When they reached the center, he showed her all the possibilities for lunch. There were a few Terran options and quite a few human ones. She surprised him by being brave enough to try the Terran cuisine, something none of his previous girlfriends had done. Once they had their plates, they found a table and sat down. Rory sat next to him with their knees brushing under the table.
“What made you come here today?” Zwyk asked.
“I wasn’t ready to go an entire day without seeing you. So, I thought I’d come have lunch with you. If you’d like, I can make dinner for us tonight. You could come to my place after work.”
“I will probably have to work a little late and won’t be finished until at least six. Will that be a problem?”
She shook her head. “I’ll time it so dinner is ready at seven. That will even give you time to go home and change if you want.”
He looked down at his gray T-shirt, black leather vest, and leather pants. Now that he wasn’t with Brittany, he was free to dress how he wanted. He’d opted for Terran attire today, although he would have been more comfortable in his jeans and geeky T-shirts. He didn’t fill out the Terran clothes as well as the warriors did, but Rory couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off him. Maybe he’d wear leather more often.
“I take it you like the leather?” he asked.
She licked her lips and nodded. “I admit, I’m kind of wondering what you’d look like with the leather pants and no shirt or vest.”
He chuckled.
“Maybe instead of going home to change, you should just come over straight from work.”
She amused him, and she was excellent for his ego. Women had desired him before, but none had ever looked at him with the heat that was always in Rory’s eyes. And the best part was that she didn’t just love him for his looks or the fact he was from another world. She seemed to like all the things most women found off-putting.
Rory and the Alien Groom (Intergalactic Brides 9) Page 6
