11. Clair #2
“Oh, come on!” she exclaimed, putting a hand on her hip. “We spent half the afternoon trying to convince those people we’re madly in love. What if someone finds out you slept on the floor?”
He shot her a glare.
“No one will find out.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I will lock the door,” he growled.
Clair stared at him.
“You know, for a supposedly brilliant scientist, you’re being surprisingly dense.”
Kaelus glared at her.
“I am being practical.”
“You’re being ridiculous! You’re acting like I have cooties.”
“I do not know what cooties are—I am simply attempting to make certain you are comfortable.”
“I would be more comfortable if we didn’t get kicked off the planet before we can even start our research!” Clair exclaimed.
Kaelus ignored her. He dropped the pillows onto the strange living carpet, which immediately curled soft green tendrils around them as though attempting to incorporate them into the floor.
Clair pointed at it.
“Look! Even the carpet thinks this is a bad idea.”
He frowned.
“Don’t be ridiculous. The carpet has no cognitive function.”
“You don’t know that. Everything on this planet seems alive.”
Kaelus gave her another dark look and spread the blanket on the floor. But just as he was getting comfortable in his “bed” there was a knock at the door.
Both of them froze and Clair’s heart started pounding. Crap—what were they going to do now?
Before she could answer the knock, the door slid open and Maera stepped inside. She was wearing a long, flowing silver robe and her midnight-blue hair hung loose around her shoulders. Her metallic eyes immediately went to Kaelus…then to the pillows…then to the blanket on the floor.
She looked confused.
“Why, Doctor Kaelus—are you preparing to sleep on the floor?” she exclaimed.
“Oh, er…” Kaelus clearly didn’t know what to say.
“He…um…” Clair began, but she couldn’t think of a good excuse either.
Maera shook her head.
“Honestly, the two of you behave so oddly one would almost doubt if you are married at all!”
Panic shot through Clair. They absolutely could not have Maera doubting them. Not now—not when they had finally convinced Varell to give them at least limited access to his research and the Blood Archive.
She jumped into action.
“Of course we’re married—it’s just a Kindred custom,” she said quickly. “The husband sleeps on the floor, close to the door, to guard his wife the first night they stay in a strange place—that way he shows he’s willing to protect her from danger.”
Kaelus turned his head and looked at her.
Clair widened her eyes at him.
Just go with it, she thought as hard as she could.
For once, he apparently understood.
“Yes,” he said stiffly. “It is a Kindred protective custom.”
Maera frowned.
“Well, I assure you, there is no danger here,” she said. “Titus Four is a peaceful planet—it’s perfectly safe for you to sleep in the same bed.”
“Of course it is. Get up here, honey!” Clair gestured desperately.
Slowly, Kaelus picked up the pillows and blankets and got back into bed.
She barely waited for him to settle before climbing in beside him. Then she snuggled up against him, pressed her entire body against his side, wrapped one arm across his broad chest, and rested her cheek against his shoulder.
“See? Snug as two bugs in a rug!” she exclaimed, smiling at Maera.
Kaelus went rigid—every muscle in his enormous body tightened beneath her.
Clair could feel the hard planes of his chest and abdomen against her, and suddenly she became very aware of exactly how little fabric was between them.
His chest was completely bare, and her breasts were covered only by the thin nightgown. Also, because she wasn’t wearing a bra, her bare nipples were pressed directly against his hot skin with nothing but one silky layer between them.
Crap.
Clair swallowed hard. That was considerably more intimate than she'd intended.
Kaelus looked down at her and she saw that his golden eyes were glowing. But she couldn’t exactly say anything—Maera was still watching them, her lovely metallic eyes narrowed in skepticism.
She smiled brightly at the other woman, hoping it didn’t look as strained as it felt.
“I’m so glad you let us know it’s safe here so I can sleep with my husband,” she said. “I’m always so cold when we go someplace new and Kaelus insists on sleeping on the ground. He’s so big and warm it’s like sleeping beside a furnace.”
Maera gave them a searching look, then nodded.
“Very well. I only came in to ask if the two of you would like goosenburly for breakfast tomorrow. It’s a local specialty and my dear Varell is something of an expert at making it.”
“Oh yes—goosenburly sounds delicious!” Clair said, nodding. “Thank you so much for being so thoughtful.”
“Of course, my dear.” Maera smiled warmly at her. “Well, I wish you a good night and pleasant dreams.”
“Good night,” Clair said.
“Rest well,” Kaelus added in a strained voice.
Maera smiled one last time. Then she shut the door and finally left them alone.
For several seconds, neither Clair nor Kaelus moved.
Clair was still plastered against him, and his body was still stiff as a board. Also, her nipples were still rubbing against his chest.
“Well,” she said eventually. “That was close, but I think we fooled her.”
Kaelus looked down at her, his eyes narrowed.
“Yes.” His voice was a hoarse growl, but he made no attempt to move.
Neither did she. The warmth of his body felt wonderful, and his spicy scent surrounded her, making her want to breathe more deeply. Clair became aware of the slow rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek and the steady pounding of his heart.
Actually, perhaps not entirely steady—it seemed to be beating rather quickly.
She smiled and snuggled closer.
“You’re tense.”
“I am aware,” he growled.
“You can relax now.” Clair patted his chest. “She’s gone.”
“That will not be possible.”
Clair tipped her head back to look at him.
“Why not?”
Kaelus stared down at her. His golden eyes dropped briefly toward her breasts, then came back to her face.
“Clair,” he said in a low voice. “Do you truly wish me to explain?”
She opened her mouth to answer…then she realized the problem.
“Oh,” she said, feeling her cheeks get hot with a blush.
Kaelus closed his eyes briefly.
“Yes. Oh.”
Clair suddenly became very conscious of her thin nightgown again…and her nipples…and the fact that they were pressed firmly against his chest.
“Sorry,” she muttered. She started to pull away but Kaelus’s arm tightened instinctively around her waist. Clair wiggled and somehow one of her breasts ended up in his hand.
She froze and looked up at him again. Their eyes locked and for a long time it seemed like she’d forgotten how to breathe. For a moment neither of them spoke. Then Kaelus released her as though her skin had burned him.
“My apologies,” he muttered. “I did not mean to grope you.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Clair said quickly.
He shook his head.
“I touched you without intending to.”
“You’ve touched me before,” she pointed out.
“Not like this.”
The words came out low and rough and hungry and Clair's heart began beating faster.
She shifted onto her back, putting a few inches of space between them. That helped…slightly. But Kaelus was still right beside her. He was still shirtless and still enormous. And still looking considerably better than any male who had irritated her as much as he had should be allowed to look.
“Look,” Clair said, keeping her voice light. “We can share a bed without making this weird. We’re both adults.”
He nodded reluctantly.
“I suppose so.”
“We work together every day,” she pointed out.
Kaelus nodded again.
“Yes.”
“We’re friends,” Clair went on.
Kaelus hesitated.
She frowned.
“You could at least pretend to agree with that one.”
“I was considering the terminology.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” she exclaimed.
“You are my friend,” he said at last. “Though I suppose I had not thought of you in those terms before.”
Clair smiled.
“See? That wasn’t so hard.”
Kaelus gave her a long look.
“You have no idea.”
Something about the way he said it sent another little shiver through her, but Clair decided to ignore it.
“The point is, is should be no big…no big…”
But as she spoke, her eyes happened to travel down from his chest to the area of his groin and what she saw there made her brain glitch. The golden metallic comforter they were under was sporting a tent big enough to camp in! Clearly her lab partner/fake husband was in desperate need.
God, did I do that to him? Clair wondered. Was the big Hybrid really that turned on just from seeing her in her nightgown and having her pressed against him for a few minutes? This was going to be a problem, she thought. Unless she did something about it. But what could she do?
“You were saying?” Kaelus growled, interrupting her thoughts.
“Oh!” Clair realized she’d been staring at his crotch saying nothing. Quickly, she looked away. “I think I was saying that it should be no big deal for us to share a bed.” She took a deep breath. “But now I see that I was wrong.”
He frowned.
“I understand. I’ll sleep on the floor as I offered to before.”
“No, wait!” Clair put a hand on his arm to stop him before he could slide out of bed.
“What?” Kaelus demanded. “My state of arousal clearly discomforts you, so I am removing myself from the bed.”
“Don’t go.” Clair looked up at him. “Tell me something. Is all this…” She waved a hand at the tent in the covers. “Just because of me? Or has it been a while since you…you know…took care of yourself?”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Took care of myself?”
Clair sighed.
“Do I have to spell it out? I’m asking if I’m to blame for your, er, problem or if you’re just horny because it’s been a while since you jerked off.”
“If you’re asking when is the last time I stroked myself, that is a personal question,” he said stiffly.
“But as for your other question, I have already told you how your scent and the sight of your luscious curves affect me. I can’t help getting hard when you come to bed in a gown that shows your gorgeous breasts and then rub yourself against me. ”