“Why didn’t they make more in the labs?”
“They tried. None of the females made it beyond the third month of gestation. There’s something in the genetics that got messed up when women were no longer able to conceive females. Their eggs were damaged as well. The men are trying to undo the damage.”
“Wow,” she whispered and snuggled against him. “So now you guys have to go to other planets to find women.”
He pulled her into his embrace and stroked her cheek. “There’s talk about bringing some to our world, but there’s a debate about the ethics involved. Some say Earth and Alaris aren’t ready for alien contact, especially not with the intention of giving up some of its women to help repopulate our world. Right now, they’re still looking for a medical cure. Some of the men seek out other worlds, choosing to blend into the new world as if they were born there. Some stay behind. I chose to come here.”
“Well, even if we met through unconventional means, it’s nice having you here.”
He rolled onto his side so he could face her. In the faint moonlight pouring through the blinds, he made out the soft curls that rested against her face and the slight smile on her lips. She looked at him with a sparkle in her eyes. She was full of life and vitality. On his world, there was the underlying sense of resignation in the air, even if the men sought a way out of the hole they found themselves in.
His world was dying. Less children were born each year, and any attempts for producing females had been in vain. Unless they brought women to them, the men would eventually give up the fight or depart for another world. But as it was, things didn’t look hopeful. He hadn’t realized how bleak things had been until he came here.
He didn’t know why women on his planet suddenly decided they didn’t want to bear children anymore, but their role had been a crucial one. Maybe the men had taken it for granted. He wouldn’t. A woman was a most lovely creature. Soft and beautiful and sweet. Caitlyn fit well next to him, and their bodies were fully compatible, making them one complete unit when they came together.
Maybe he had a lot to learn about Earth and women and controlling his body’s more demanding functions, but he wouldn’t take this gift for granted. His wife was a gift. Star Systems Unlimited couldn’t have selected a better one for him, and he felt a sense of excitement in being a part of creating a new life with her. He’d only heard of pregnancies and births, but he was going to get a chance to witness both firsthand instead of reading about them.
“I’m glad the agency sent me to you,” he whispered, noting her yawn and heavy eyelids.
She wiggled closer so he wrapped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. She smelled nice. He couldn’t place the fragrance but knew that every time he smelled anything like it, he’d think of her. She drifted off to sleep. He, however, remained awake for a good hour, content to experience holding a flesh and blood woman in his arms.
***
Caitlyn wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and released her breath. Lunch hour had been unusually busy that day, and she was glad for a reason to sit and rest her feet. Since there was only one person in the diner—and that man was reading a newspaper and sipping his coffee—she figured it was a good time to grab a bite to eat.
“Hey Jack,” she called out to her boss who was in the kitchen, “can you fry me up one of your cheeseburgers?”
“Did you pay for it?” he asked, glancing her way from the dishes he was washing in the sink.
“You’re all heart, you know that?”
“I’m here to stay in business, Mrs. West.”
She grinned and said, “Then consider my lunch a wedding gift.”
He scowled playfully at her. “Deal. But you better tell me next time before you get hitched.”
“Yeah, well, how else am I supposed to keep you on your toes?”
He let out a loud sigh.
“I want Sandy’s lunch on the same tab,” she added when she saw her friend coming out of the restroom.
“You’re pushing it,” he warned.
“Oh for real. You can’t spare a $5 plate? I could demand you chip in for china, a blender or some other standard wedding gift.”
He grimaced. “Pass. Fine. But this is the only meal I’m letting you and Sandy have on my dime.”
She smirked. “Since you sign our paychecks, aren’t all the meals we eat here technically on your dime?”
“Ha ha.”
Sandy grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her away from the window separating the kitchen from the rest of the diner. “Spill it. I’ve been waiting all morning to find out what happened with that guy from last night. Did you really marry him?”
Caitlyn glanced at Jack who was already placing their hamburgers on the range. She motioned for Sandy to follow her to the seats lining the counter and sat next to her. After a moment of trying to determine how to proceed, she said, “Yes, I did. But I didn’t realize it until after we had sex.”
“What?” Sandy shrieked.
The man at the booth at the other end of the diner looked up from his paper and focused his gaze on them.
“Shh…” Caitlyn warned her friend. She smiled at the man. “Don’t mind Sandy. She’s naturally high strung.”
The man shrugged and turned back to his paper.
Turning her attention back to her friend, Caitlyn said, “If I tell you what happened, you have to promise not to tell anyone.”
“Why?” Sandy asked, her eyes wide. “Is it awful?”
“No, but there are some things about him that are better left secret.”
She frowned and fiddled with the apron in her lap. “This doesn’t sound good.”
“I know, but it is. I swear.”
She bit her lower lip and asked, “There’s nothing wrong with him? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Caitlyn laughed. “No. It’s nothing like that.” The memory of his hands and lips on her body made her flush with desire. There was absolutely no pain involved in the things that had transpired between them.
Sandy took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright. I agree to keep whatever you say a secret. Now, what’s up?”
“His name is Chris West, and he is an alien from another planet who went to some place out there in outer space called Star Systems something-or-other, and they brought him here to be my husband. On his world, as soon as you go through the bonding ceremony, you’re married. So I left here single and came back a married woman.”
Sandy gave her a blank stare for a good ten seconds before she rolled her eyes. “If this is your idea of a joke, it’s a really lame one.”
“This isn’t a joke. I’m serious.”
“I don’t know. I mean, an alien from another planet who came to Earth to get a wife? It’s a lot to take in.”
“I know. Believe me, I was the first one to doubt him. But then when I got home and checked my accounts with my credit cards and bank, they had me down as Caitlyn West.”
“No way,” Sandy said.
“Way.” Caitlyn ran behind the counter so she could grab her purse.
By the time she returned to the chair, Jack came out with their food. He plopped the plates on the counter in front of them and said, “Congratulations on your wedding.” Then he went outside to smoke.
Sandy gave her a startled look.
“He signed my paycheck, remember. He knows I’m married,” Caitlyn explained as she sat down. She opened her purse and took out her wallet. “You were with me up until the time I left with Chris. You know I wasn’t married at that point.”
“Uh…I guess.”
Caitlyn handed her the wallet.
Sandy held it but bit her lower lip. “What exactly am I looking for?”
“My driver’s license, credit cards, library card… They all have my new last name on them. When would I have had time to make these changes?”
“I don’t make it a habit of looking in your wallet, so for all I know, this could have been done a month ago.” Even as Sandy said it, she op
ened the wallet to look at its contents.
“You’re my best friend. Why would I get married and not tell you?”
“Okay, you have a point. You wouldn’t.”
“So? Do you believe me?” Caitlyn motioned to the wallet before she picked up the cheeseburger and took a bite.
Sandy sorted through a credit card and voter’s registration card. “Alright. I believe it. No one would take the trouble to change the name on the voter’s card until it got near the time to vote.”
Caitlyn swallowed. “Exactly. Those people at the Stars thingy are thorough.”
Sandy returned Caitlyn’s cards to the wallet and slipped the wallet back into her purse. She zipped it up and went to grab two cups and poured coffee into them while Caitlyn continued eating. Once Sandy was done with the coffee, she started to eat her french fries.
“Are you going to say anything?” Caitlyn asked as she opened a packet of sugar to put into her coffee.
“What’s there to say? You left this restaurant a single woman, had sex with a guy—an alien—in your car, and suddenly you’re married. That kind of thing happens all the time to a whole bunch of women.”
She shot her friend an amused look. “Very funny.”
Sandy wiped her hands on her apron and reached for the bottle of ketchup. “So, is this a good thing?”
“I think so. He seems like a really nice guy.”
“For your sake, I hope he is.” She unscrewed the top and poured ketchup to the side of her fries. “You want some?” She pointed to the ketchup.
“Sure.” She stirred her coffee and set the spoon down on the saucer. “I’ll have to bring him in so you can meet him.”
“I really hope he’s legit. I mean, what if you found out he had a wife and six kids out in some place like Kentucky?”
Caitlyn laughed. “Oh come on. That’s definitely not the case.”
“What if he went to the space agency thing, requested a wife, got Kentucky girl, had the half-dozen kids, couldn’t take it anymore, went back to the space thing, and then ended up here with you?”
“You are really stretching.”
She sighed. “I hope he does right by you. If he doesn’t, I’ll get Andy to beat him up and send him back to his home world.”
“No. I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Why not?”
Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “You really need to ask?”
Sandy laughed. “Oh, come on. That was a long time ago. How old were we?”
“That’s not the point, and you know it. I don’t think he ever forgave Randy for marrying me.”
“That’s ridiculous. He was one of the groomsmen at your wedding. He was totally cool with it.”
“As cool as an ice cube.” Caitlyn picked up her cheeseburger.
Sandy sighed and dabbed her french fry in the ketchup. “Okay, so he never got over the fact that you chose Randy over him.”
“And sent Randy to the emergency room with a broken nose when I did.”
“Yeah, but Randy got him good. Andy got a nice shiner.”
Caitlyn grinned at the memory. “Randy could always hold his own.” She took a bite of the hamburger and looked at her friend in surprise. After she swallowed the food, she said, “I can’t believe it. Jack added extra cheese and pickles.”
“Well, it is your wedding gift. He probably figured he’d go all out.”
“I should get married more often.”
“I’m sure your new husband what’s-his-name would like to hear that.”
“His name is Chris, and you know I was kidding.” She gave her friend a smile. “I think this is going to be a good marriage. He’s nothing like Randy, but he is so sweet. That’s not to say that Randy wasn’t sweet because he was, but Chris is different. He’s shy and quiet and uncertain about what he’s doing. Of course, that could be because he came from another planet and has to adjust to everything. I’m sure if I was on a new world, I’d be the same way too.”
Sandy burst out into laughter. “Impossible. You’d be introducing yourself to everyone and asking them questions about the world.”
She considered her friend’s comment. “Probably. So maybe Chris is like that anyway.” She picked up the coffee and took a drink. “I think he’s going to be a good husband.”
“I hope you’re right. I don’t think I could ever be as brave as you to get into the car to do a…what did you call it?”
“It was a bonding ceremony, which is equivalent to a wedding on Earth. And I didn’t realize what was happening. I mean, I did. I knew I was having sex with him, but I couldn’t control myself. I had to do it. So bravery had nothing to do with it.”
“And it doesn’t bother you that you were forced to have sex with him?”
“I see what you’re getting at. No, it wasn’t rape. Look, I may have lost control of my urges, but I really did think he was cute and sweet when I was serving his food. I wouldn’t have sat down to eat with him if I didn’t like him.”
“Really? And would you have had sex with him last night if you had a choice?”
“No, of course not.”
Sandy shot her a pointed look.
Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “I get it. You made your point, but it’s really not as bad as it seems. On his world, a man gives off a hormone to make the woman of his choice so aroused that she has to bond with him. I believe he said it made them life mates. The space agency sent him to me, so what else was he supposed to do?”
“Wait until you agreed?”
“I think he was afraid I’d say no, and then he’d miss out on his chance to have a life mate. He wasn’t sent to anyone else, so there’s a reason I’m supposed to be with him. He’s an alien. You can’t expect things to be the exact same as they are here on Earth. The rules are going to be a little different.”
Sandy sighed. “I guess that’s why they sent him to you. They knew you’d accept it. If it was me, I’d be pressing him for rape charges and getting a divorce ASAP.”
“No, you wouldn’t because he’s a cute and cuddly teddy bear and you have a weakness for teddy bears.”
“Doubt it.”
“Besides, the sex is incredible. On his world, men adapt to accommodate the woman, and orgasms are easy to achieve.”
Sandy’s eyes grew wide. “Really?”
“He can’t ejaculate until I peak, and there’s something about the way he moves inside me that sends me over the edge. I can’t explain it.”
She set her french fry down and frowned. “Great. You get all the luck. Why can’t I get an alien like that?”
Caitlyn chuckled. “And here you were ready to haul him off to prison.”
She shrugged and gave her a wicked grin. “Who am I to deny an awesome sex life with a sweet and cute teddy bear kind of guy?”
“Exactly.” Caitlyn glanced at the man who set his newspaper down and stood up. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Then she got up so he could pay for his meal.
Chapter Eight
When Caitlyn came home from work, Chris greeted her at the door and gave her a long kiss. Content, she leaned into him and returned his kiss. It was nice to come home to someone who was glad to see her.
“Do you work tomorrow?” he asked when their kiss ended.
“Yes. But I have the next day off. We’ll go to the mall and get you some clothes and a haircut.”
“Is my hair cut wrong?” He reached up and tried to smooth his shaggy dark hair.
“It doesn’t fit your personality.”
“This is how all men on my world wear their hair.”
She nudged him playfully in the stomach. “Because there are no women. You need to get more clothes too.”
He glanced at the same clothes he came to Earth in. “I can’t argue that point. Oh, I searched through the job postings on the Internet, and I got an interview tomorrow at the Air Force base.”
“Really? Which one?”
“Eglin.”
“What job is this for?”
“A
n engineer. I was going to fill out the online application, but I ran into a problem understanding one of their questions, so I called up the department. The next thing I knew, I was transferred to the man who is hiring, and he wants to see me tomorrow.”
She gasped in surprise. “You might be an engineer?”
He looked at her. “Is that bad?”
“No. No! It’s great! They make a lot of money.”
“The job is pretty basic. It’s stuff I learned in high school, but it sounded like the most challenging thing the job postings offered.”
She rolled her eyes and stood up. “How difficult it must be to muddle through this place called Earth.”
“I didn’t mean it to sound bad, Caitlyn.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I want to be here. I’m only saying that the job was the best I could find given Earth’s limitations.”
“Okay. Seriously, that doesn’t sound any better.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be rude.”
She felt her sudden tension ease. “I don’t want you to regret coming here, that’s all.”
“How could I regret it? You’re here. You’re my life mate. You complete me.”
Blushing, she took his hand and led him to the bedroom.
“You want to go to bed?” he asked.
She glanced at him. “Not yet. I’m going to get you some clothes for tomorrow.” She paused and looked at him. “What time is the interview?”
“8:30.”
“Good. I don’t have to go to work until 10. If we plan it right, then I’ll get back in plenty of time.”
Though he considered the job “basic”, she was excited he might get it. If he became an engineer, then her dream of owning a house might come to pass! She’d love to have her own place with a nice yard for a dog to run around in, and maybe a couple of children to play with the dog. She hoped he’d get this job!
She led him to the closet and opened the side that had been Randy’s. She had long ago cleared it all out except for the trunk resting on the floor. Opening it, she inspected the clothes until she found the suit Randy wore on their wedding day.
Suddenly a Bride Page 6
