Big Blue Valentine: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Read Online Free Page B

ache stabbed his heart and his breath came in painful bursts. “We are married, Minnie,” he said, the words coming out harsher than he’d intended. “Come with me. We will finish this discussion in our chambers.”
    He guided her back to their wing of the palace, his spirits heavy. What if she wanted to leave? The possessive side of him wanted to keep her, even against her will. But the part of him that loved her couldn’t fathom hurting her. Today hadn’t turned out anything like he’d hoped.
    He would do everything in his power to keep her at his side, even leave his home planet to live on hers. Of course he’d never told her that, and maybe that was part of the problem. He’d been forceful in his courtship of her, practically stalking her until she agreed to go on their first date. He still remembered everything about that night, how a warm summer breeze ruffled her hair and drove him wild with her scent as they walked through a moonlit park, and how her shy smiles heated his blood while they shared a banana split at an all-night diner.
    Although he hadn’t wanted to go to Earth, a nomination for an ambassadorship was an honor, even for a prince, so he’d traveled to the faraway planet to fulfill his obligations and honor his family. He hadn’t planned to fall in love with a human woman, especially considering the current upheaval on Erta’Aklann over interspecies unions, but one look into Minnie’s sparkling, intelligent blue gaze and he was lost.
    No, not lost, but at home. Each time he looked at her he felt as if he’d arrived home after an arduous journey, even before he’d spoken to her that first time. Humans called it love at first sight, but Aklannians possessed a keen sense when it came to their life mates that surpassed such a simple explanation. A primal urge coupled with tenderness had filled him to bursting when he spotted her in one of her government’s buildings, and he hadn’t been the same since. Her sweet innocence and kind heart made him want to be a better man, and her feisty spirit and bouts of stubbornness strengthened his desire to protect her. She wasn’t on her home planet anymore, and she was a princess in a world vastly different from Earth. As her husband, it was his duty to love her and guide her, a duty he took very seriously.
    The sight of their chamber door pulled him from his thoughts. He ushered Minnie inside and into their bathroom, where he immediately began drawing a bath. He peered down at her trembling form. Emotion tightened in his chest. Duty and honor and love meant nothing if she didn’t wish to remain at his side.

Chapter Four
     
    Minnie watched the water and soapy bubbles rising in the massive bathtub. Once the water became deep enough it turned off automatically, and the abrupt silence thickened the tension in the room. She couldn’t meet Zak’s eyes, so she kept her gaze low and tried not to cry.
    “Take your dress and underthings off, Minnie.”
    She glanced up to find gentleness flickering beneath his firm exterior. She latched onto the hope that he would forgive her, and she vowed to behave herself from here on out. No more schemes. No more impulsive behavior. No naughtiness whatsoever. She would spend more time with mild-mannered and soft spoken Princess Genna and learn all that she could about how a proper Aklannian wife conducted herself.
    “Minnie,” Zak said, coming to tower over her. “Remove your clothing now. Don’t make me ask again.”
    Under his watchful gaze, she slipped her shoes off and worked the buttons of her dress open. He continued staring at her, his demeanor dark and forbidding. She couldn’t ever recall feeling so vulnerable in her life, but what choice did she have? If she tried to run away and hide again, he would catch her before she stepped foot outside their chambers.
    Taking a deep breath, she pushed her dress over her shoulders and it fell into a pool of silky fabric at her feet. She wore a sheer, snug chemise that