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“Yes, that’s right. But do you really want to?” she asked uncertainly. “Because earlier, when we first went to sleep, I thought…you seemed to want to stay on your side of the bed. I thought maybe you preferred having your own space to sleep in.”
“What I prefer is to have you in my arms,” Torus said. “I was only keeping my distance because I was afraid getting too close would activate the Bonding Fruit compounds you’d ingested. Speaking of that—how do you feel? Are you satiated?”
Molly felt herself blushing.
“Yes, and thank you for, er, helping me through it. I’ll be more careful what I drink next time,” she added.
His silver-gray eyes were suddenly half-lidded.
“It was my pleasure to help you, sweetheart. I’m more than happy to give you anything you need.”
Molly sighed.
“I’m just sorry you couldn’t, er, fit yourself inside me,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks get hot again. “I honestly thought that Bonding Fruit was supposed to help a girl, you know, open up. Maybe I’m immune to it or something.”
He frowned.
“I thought it was supposed to help, too. But even if it had, I still don’t think our sizes are compatible. I’m afraid Bonding just won’t be possible for us.”
At his words, Molly felt a wave of sorrow go through her—a feeling of loss so great it nearly took her breath away.
Torus must have felt it too because his eyes widened as he looked at her.
“What is it, little bird?” he asked gently.
“Nothing.” Molly swiped at her eyes which were suddenly stinging. “I’m being silly. We haven’t known each other that long—well, in a personal way, I mean. But I guess I was hoping…”
“I was hoping too,” Torus rumbled. He pulled her closer and gave her a tight hug. “But let’s not dwell on what might have been. We’re together now—let’s live in the present and try to enjoy our time together. All right?”
“All right.” Molly sniffed and rubbed her cheek against his broad chest, inhaling his warm, soothing scent. It occurred to her that though she and Torus hadn’t even been Joined a whole twenty-four hours yet, her fake marriage had already brought her more joy and sexual fulfillment than her real marriage ever had.
“I’m glad, sweetheart.” Torus dropped a soft kiss on the top of her head and she knew the big Kindred had picked up on her thoughts. “Now let’s get cleaned up so we can get back to bed and snuggle.”
Molly couldn’t help grinning. The word “snuggle” sounded so funny coming from the huge Kindred but it was clear he meant it. She could feel the warmth and sincerity coming through the TET link as well as his desire to hold her close and protect her.
It was such a nice change, she thought. Zach had never wanted anything to do with her after sex—her ex had always rolled off her and started snoring as soon as he got his rocks off. The idea of cuddling or snuggling would never have crossed his mind.
Stop thinking of him! she told herself sternly. He’s in the past—Torus is here in the present, concentrate on him and on enjoying this moment together, like he said.
But though she tried her best to live in the present, she couldn’t help wondering what her future might hold and if the big Kindred would be part of it or not…
30
MOLLY
The next week felt like a whirlwind. Every day they got in Torus’s ship and flew to a new Florida location to enjoy their “honeymoon” where people could see them.
Molly’s favorite day was the trip they took to Ichetucknee Springs State Park and went tubing down the Ichetucknee river. Though it was difficult to find a tube to rent that was big enough for Torus, they eventually located one and spent the day drifting lazily down the beautiful waterway and trying to ignore the stares they got from the other people on the river. They even got to see a Manatee and her baby swimming alongside them for a little while. It was a magical memory Molly knew she would never forget.
Their tubing trip was definitely the most peaceful day they had. Their other trips, to Disney World, Sea World, and Universal were considerably more crowded and less enjoyable—at least from Molly’s perspective. And she didn’t think Torus enjoyed them much either—though he expressed interest in learning more about the marine life on Earth and did enjoy trying the different “Earth cuisines” when they walked through Epcot.
By now the Press had gotten hold of the story of how a Kindred warrior had come from the Mother Ship and beaten “tech genius Zach Wyndham” within an inch of his life and it seemed like more and more reporters found them every day.
Molly did her best to ignore them and Torus did as well. The big Kindred was excellent at it—he kept a stone face and refused to answer questions except for once. This was when a particularly persistent reporter—a guy in a backwards baseball cap and torn jeans—followed them back to where they had parked the ship with his cell phone out, recording them and yelling questions.
“Excuse me, Commander Torus—is it true you beat up Zach Wyndham and put him in the hospital? I thought the Kindred were supposed to be peaceful—how can you claim to want to help humanity after nearly killing one of the greatest tech geniuses on the planet?” he shouted as they tried to avoid him.
His questions made Molly want to puke. So what if Zach was good at making video games and apps? He was still an abusive asshole! But she said nothing and just kept walking, hoping the reporter would lose interest and leave them alone. However, the man followed them all the way to their ship—which was parked a considerable distance from the theme park they had been visiting that day.
