Distant Desires: Part 3

by Cambria Hebert

  Basically, I was a watermelon with legs.

  So waddling out into the sticky heat and back into the crowded stifling bar only seemed to make me more irritated. Matt and another bartender were behind the bar, serving up drinks as fast as they could as me and the rest of the waitresses hurried through the loud, rowdy weekend group.

  “Hey,” Matt said, catching my arm as I stepped around the waitress station beside the bar to steal a quick drink of my water. I lifted my eyebrows in response as I poured the cool water down my throat. “You doing okay?”

  I nodded, setting down the water. “Yeah, Matt, I’m good.”

  “You look flushed,” he observed.

  “It’s hot in here.”

  “Maybe you should sit down.” He worried.

  “I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” I pointed out.

  “Where is Tarek?” he asked, looking over my head toward the bar.

  “It isn’t his job to babysit me, you know.”

  “I realize that. But the guy is good at making sure you don’t overdo it,” he said, looking back at me. “At least he’s good for that.” His lopsided smile made me grin.

  I smacked him in the stomach. “Admit it. You like Tarek.”

  He shrugged. “He’s not as bad as I first thought.” He allowed. “You seem really happy, Soph.” Matt reached up and tugged on the end of my ponytail.

  In the three months that Tarek and I had been officially together, with him living at my apartment, Matt seemed to gradually accept him. Tarek spent a lot of weekend nights at the bar, mostly watching me and hanging out. During that time, he and Matt had developed a sort of relationship. I wouldn’t really call it a friendship because they definitely wouldn’t be hanging out anytime soon. It was more like mutual respect.

  “I am happy.” Just saying those three words made me realize how far we’d all come in three short months. Before, I wouldn’t have been able to say that to Matt. I would have gotten a stomach ache just imagining it.

  I never wanted to hurt Matt, but Tarek was it for me.

  Matt seemed to accept that, and after a few awkward weeks, we settled back into our friendship with ease.

  Matt started to turn away, but I caught his arm. “Matt?”

  “Hmm?” he asked, turning back.

  “Are you happy?” I wanted Matt to be happy.

  “You know me.” He grinned. “I’m always happy.”

  I did know Matt, and that’s why I didn’t really believe him. True, he went back to his player ways, but something seemed a little different. He seemed less into it than before. Something whispered inside me that maybe Matt was ready to focus all his charm onto one lady.

  I felt a light, warm tingle of energy race over my arms and little butterflies erupted beneath my ribcage. Tarek must be here. I always knew when he was nearby because I felt him before I saw him.

  I picked up the tray of drinks waiting for me as my eyes searched the bar, but I didn’t see him. Figuring he hadn’t made his way through the crowd yet, I went around and delivered the drinks and checked on all my tables. After taking a few more orders and putting them into the computer, I glanced back at the bar.

  Still, he wasn’t there.

  I felt a little disappointed and focused inward, looking for that rush of energy he always gave me. It wasn’t there anymore. I was feeling as tired as ever.

  Odd.

  My eyes swept the crowd on the way out to the deck, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I thought about texting him but decided to wait until I had a short break.

  A few minutes later, Matt waved to me from the bar, and I hurried over to get the drink order he set out for me. As I was loading it on the tray, a strange feeling of being watch slithered over me. I looked up.

  My eyes met a pair of purple ones.

  My lips parted on a gasp as I tried not to show too much reaction.

  It wasn’t Tarek.

  But I would bet all of my money it was another Sapien.

  It was a woman, sitting at the bar alone. She was tall and lean. She almost looked like a graceful ballerina. Her hair was very dark, thick, and long. It cascaded well down to the center of her back. Just like Tarek, her skin was very pale, her lips full, and her eyes the shade of amethyst.

  But her eyes weren’t like Tarek’s.

  They lacked the warmth of feelings.

  Wariness prickled the back of my neck. The longer she watched me, the more uncomfortable I felt. She was here for me; I knew it by the way she stared. As I moved around, her eyes followed my swollen belly, like she was hungry and awed at the same time.

  After I delivered all my orders, I returned to the bar. She was still watching me. God, didn’t she know how rude it was to stare?

  “I’m going to take five,” I told Matt.

  He nodded. “Take ten if you need it.”

  I didn’t look back at the woman. Instead, I hurried toward the back into a little corner where the wait staff kept their coats and bags. It was empty except for a couple extra aprons lying around, so I sat on the little bench and pulled out my phone.

  Where are you? I texted Tarek.

  Seconds later, my phone buzzed with his reply.

  Are you okay?

  I felt a little bad that I probably worried him. I never texted when I was at work. But then I thought maybe he should be worried.

  There is someone here, at the bar. I typed out.

  Who? he replied.

  She’s like you.

  I waited, but he didn’t text back. I started to wonder if maybe my text hadn’t gone through when I felt that familiar rush of energy over my skin again. This time it was stronger. I knew it was him. He was here.

  I told myself I shouldn’t be freaked that he rushed over here. Maybe he was just curious. Or maybe I should have asked more questions about the meetings he had with the other Sapiens.

  Maybe the time I thought I had to ask him those things had just run out.

  the unexpected

  I

  was stupid.

  Stupid to have lived in blinded bliss for the past three months. I should have asked more questions. I should have pinned him down about what would happen after the baby came.

  I shouldn’t have trusted him so completely.

  And the fact was I did trust him.

  I trusted him almost as much as I loved him.

  But…

  I shouldn’t have let my overwhelming feelings overshadow the doubts I buried deep inside of me. The fact there was another Sapien here, and she was clearly interested in me, proved they were still very interested in my son.

  (In case you are wondering, I had an ultrasound and it confirmed I was having a boy. Score for mommy spidey senses!)

  As soon as I felt Tarek, I went back out into the bar, but the woman and Tarek were not there. I glanced at the door and caught a glimpse of him out on the sidewalk, and I knew she was out there with him.

  It took everything in me not to storm out there and demand answers.

  Instead, I kept working. Causing a scene wouldn’t do any good, and the woman might talk more openly to just Tarek without me standing there glaring at her.

  It seemed like forever had passed when the door finally opened and Tarek and the woman came inside. His posture was stiffer than usual, but it wasn’t unfamiliar. I realized he was carrying himself the way he did when I first met him. More controlled. More rigid.

  Our eyes collided and for a quick moment, stark emotion passed through them. It was almost like he was trying to say he was sorry but at the same time telling me it was going to be okay. When the woman turned toward him, all the emotion was wiped clean, and I was looking at a colder version of the man I loved.

  Following his lead, I straightened my back and continued to the bar where he and the woman were sitting down.

  “Hey,” I said, stepping up to the corner of the bar. “Your usual?” I asked casually, and he nodded. I felt the woman’s stare so I looked at her and smiled. She didn’t smile back, but
she didn’t give me an angry look so I figured that was progress.

  I stepped behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of beer out of the cooler and popped the lid before handing it across to Tarek. He took a long pull, which surprised me, but I pretended like it was normal.

  Usually, he was a sipper, not a chugger.

  This did not bode well.

  My belly started to churn.

  “You look tired,” Tarek observed, setting down the bottle and studying me.

  “Busy night,” I answered, wanting to shout at him for an explanation.

  “Come here,” he said, his lilting accent calming my frayed nerves.

  Not caring about our audience, I stepped around the bar and up against Tarek’s side. His arm slid around me, causing a sigh to slip through my lips.

  I closed my eyes and leaned into him a little farther. It never ceased to amaze me how my body seemed to absorb some of his energy, like I was a phone and he was my docking station. The further along I got with this baby, the more of his energy I seemed to need.

  I understood now why pregnancy between a Sapien and a human was so unsuccessful. If Tarek wasn’t here to recharge me, then my body might not be able to handle this.

  I wasn’t able to stay in his arms as long as I would have liked because I was at work and because I couldn’t help but feel nervous about our unexpected visitor.

  “So it’s true,” murmured the woman sitting beside Tarek.

  I pulled back, about to fire a million questions, not caring in the least we were in public, but Matt sidled up beside us.

  “Hey, Tarek,” Matt said, holding out his fist for Tarek to give him a pound.

  Tarek returned the gesture with ease because they’d been doing the same greeting for months. I noticed our little guest’s eyes finally left me (thank God) and were latched onto Matt.

  Apparently, Matt’s good looks were just as effective on Sapien females as humans.

  “I was wondering where you were tonight,” Matt was saying, his eyes pulling away from Tarek and toward the woman.

  “I was with my sister,” Tarek said smoothly. I stiffened, but no one noticed. “This is Teagan,” he said in way of introduction.

  “Well, you definitely got the looks in the family,” Matt said, leaning over the bar toward Tarek’s “sister.” “Can I get you a drink?”

  Her wide purple eyes flared a little with everyone’s attention fully directed on her. I waited to see what she would do. I wondered if she was surprised by Tarek’s introduction, or maybe she really was his sister.

  I thought he didn’t have any family.

  “Thank you,” Teagan said to Matt, curving her lips up in a smile that I frankly thought looked like she never used it before.

  Matt didn’t seem to notice. He was a guy after all.

  “She’s a lightweight,” Tarek cautioned Matt, sounding exactly like an overprotective brother. “Nothing too strong.” For some reason, a pang of jealousy stirred within me.

  “I need to check my tables,” I said and left without another glance at any of them. My head was reeling, trying to make sense of it all.

  Why was she here? What did she want? Tarek hadn’t seemed pleased by her appearance, and I wanted to know why.

  After making a few rounds, I reluctantly went back to the bar. Teagan was sitting there with some blue concoction with a little umbrella in it. I wanted to roll my eyes.

  Matt was watching her from the other end of the bar, and Tarek was focused on his beer.

  “So…” I began, drawing both Teagan’s and Tarek’s eyes. “How long will your sister be visiting?”

  “Not long,” Tarek said.

  At the same time, Teagan replied, “A while.”

  At that moment, I wished I could drink.

  The rest of the night passed like a lazy turtle. So basically, it was the longest night of my life.

  I kept busy, which wasn’t hard because we were slammed, but even still, I watched Teagan and Tarek together.

  The blue drink Matt poured her seemed to warm up that chilly aura around her, and her smiles seemed to become a little more real. I caught them talking intensely a time or two, their heads bowed together as they whispered, and then a look or two would cut in my direction and cause my nerves to fray just a little bit more.

  As the night wore on, I slowly began to unravel like a poorly knitted sweater.

  When the bar finally was empty enough for some of the waitresses to be cut, I wanted to cry from the relief. I must not have done such a great job of looking like I wasn’t a nervous wreck because I was the first one they told to go home.

  I’d take it. I didn’t even bother trying to tell them I wasn’t completely exhausted. I couldn’t lie that well.

  Besides, I desperately wanted to talk to Tarek. Alone.

  Tarek saw me walking toward him and pushed off the stool and stood. His eyes swept over me as concern darkened his features. “I’m ready to go,” I said wearily.

  He pulled some cash out of his pocket and laid it on the bar and turned to Teagan. “Ready?”

  I slumped with disappointment. Was she coming with us? I wasn’t up to dealing with her right now. I wanted to get all the info out of Tarek before I talked to her.

  “I’m not done with my drink,” she said, surprising me.

  “Sophie is tired,” Tarek said. I heard a slight chill in his tone.

  “You staying at their place?” Matt said, interrupting the conversation to talk to Teagan. She glanced at Tarek and me.

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll bring her home,” Matt said, waving us off. I wanted to kiss him.

  “I’m not leaving her here alone,” Tarek said, his eyes narrowed.

  I wasn’t sure if it was because he was concerned for her or if he was worried about what she would do.

  Matt made a scoffing sound. “I’ll make sure she gets home. We won’t be that long.”

  Tarek hesitated. I reached out and wrapped my fingers around his and squeezed, silently asking him to go.

  Matt leaned across the bar toward Tarek. “Before you came around, I’d been looking out for Soph for years. Your sister will be fine.”

  I didn’t bother to point out that while I was apparently on Matt’s watch, I got pregnant with an alien’s baby.

  That probably wouldn’t encourage Tarek to leave Teagan.

  “I’ll be home shortly,” Teagan said, her eyes flicking right to me. It was almost a warning. “Better get her home. She looks like she might fall over.”

  Tarek’s attention focused fully on me, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go,” he said. “Thanks, Matt.”

  Matt waved and we left, Tarek helping me up into the passenger side of my Jeep. “This really isn’t the best kind of car for a baby,” I grumped, settling into the seat.

  Tarek leaned down and kissed me, silencing every complaint I likely would have made next. His lips glided over mine like a cool summer breeze. His tongue caressed the juncture of my lips until I opened and he slid inside. Our tongues tangled together, and I moaned lightly as his hand came up to knead my swollen, sore breast. I pushed my chest farther into his hand because it felt so good.

  After kissing me a few more moments, he pulled back and looked into my eyes. “I’m worried about you,” he whispered. The pad of his thumb brushed beneath my eyes. “You look exhausted.”

  “Nothing a little time with you won’t fix.” I smiled.

  He frowned and pulled away, going around to get into the driver’s seat. He didn’t say anything as we drove through the dark and quiet streets. I let the wind blow through my hair and make a mess of it. I pretended the worst of my worries blew up into the sky and disappeared.

  When we turned onto the long road that led to my apartment, I rolled my head toward Tarek and studied his strong features in the light of the dashboard. My heart hurt a little looking at him. I never understood the saying of “loving someone so much it hurt” until I met him.

  It was almos
t physically painful to love him.

  Added to the fact I wasn’t sure what the future held for us, it seemed to make me hurt worse.

  “What’s happening, Tarek?” I asked. My words were soft, but I knew he heard me.

  He didn’t answer as he parked the Jeep and came around to help me out. His hands lingered on my waist a little longer than needed, but I didn’t pull away. I started for the stairs, but he caught me, swept me up into his arms, and carried me all the way up to the apartment.

  Instead of stopping to reach for the keys, he used his telekinesis to turn the lock and open the door. The door closed quietly behind us, and I thought he would put me down.

  He didn’t.

  Instead, he carried me toward the bedroom. “I want a shower,” I said. I felt so sticky and gross from work that I desperately wanted to stand under the cool spray of water. I could question him while I washed.

  He veered into the bathroom, the door closing behind us as he set me on my feet and reached around me to turn on the water.

  I started to strip my clothes away, and I felt the heat of Tarek’s stare. He was watching me with this hungry, naked expression in his eyes.

  There was a sort of desperation that rolled off him, filling up the tiny bathroom. I reached around behind me for the clasp of my bra and unhooked it. My breasts spilled out, and I sighed in relief as I chucked the bra onto the floor. I couldn’t help but reach out and grab them, rolling my fingers around and kneading the swollen flesh.

  Tarek watched me, his eyes not once leaving my skin.

  When I reached for the waistband of my shorts, he pushed off the wall and came forward, replacing my hands with his and gently peeling away the fabric and bending to take them off my legs. His fingers skimmed up my bare legs, leaving a trail of tingles in his wake as he hooked two fingers in the waistband of my panties and slid those down as well.

  Once I kicked away the fabric, he looked up at me as his fingers reached for the area between my thighs I could no longer see. Anticipation singed through my blood as his fingers probed my folds, delicately dipping between them. I moaned just a little and spread my feet out on the floor to give him greater access.