Page 52 of I Married A Syllen

“So my question is why do you concern yourself with what off-worlders may think of our relationship? What happens in the privacy of our home concerns no one but us,” he said gently. “No one here will care what you do when it comes to intimacy, except if you go with any other after you found your soulmate.”

“You’re right. I think it’s more of an instinctive reaction due to my upbringing,” I said pensively. “When I lived on Triton, the Thalans shared your mentality. And I didn’t find their way of life shocking or offensive. I guess it will take a while for me to rewire my brain and be less stuck up.”

Instead of laughing at my self-derisive comment, Taelen frowned.

“Do not change who you are to please me, Mirella. I want you to be comfortable with me and with my people. If you need time, take as much of it as you need. We have the rest of our lives together. As you said so well, there’s no need to rush anything. Your ways are strange to me, but they’re your ways. And for clarification, I wasn’t asking you to copulate with me. I was merely suggesting we sleep in the same bed. Are you projecting, my mate?” he added teasingly.

I scrunched my face at him, his last comments making me unsure if I wanted to melt more at him being so willing to respect boundaries or kick him for teasing me.

“I am comfortable with you, more than I ever thought I could be with someone I just met. And I don’t need more time for this. My mind is made up. We will share a bed tonight,” I said firmly.

He studied my face a few seconds longer to make sure I was truly comfortable with this. Then with a nod, he placed my bag on the console under the sculpture.

“While you prepare for bed, I will leave you for a few minutes to see if the others have returned or if we received any new messages,” Taelen said. “Let me know if you need anything else added to the room for your coverings or other belongings.”

“Thank you,” I said with a grateful smile.

Chapter 10

Mirella

As I watched his receding back, I realized that he was probably doing this more to grant me a bit of privacy and not out of a real necessity to physically go check these things. He truly was a sweet and respectful male, even though he didn’t quite understand me. My cheeks still burned at having been such a pearl-clutcher regarding sharing his bed. It was all the sillier that I had spent half the Nordjarimm ride fantasizing about getting frisky with him.

Taelen was right. Human societal norms had nothing to do here and least of all in our relationship. He was my soulmate. If I wanted him to fuck my brains out, that was our business.

Another wave of heat crept up my cheeks at the raunchy thought.

I opened the bag Maeve had provided. Seeing enough clean underwear for a week, three pairs of leggings in a style similar to the ones I was wearing, a handful of shirts, and two sundresses made me squeal. The two silk negligees would come in handy. They were just the right level of sexily demure. I could have kissed her for including a comb, antiperspirant, tampons, and panty liners. I snorted at the nail clipper and file. While I wasn’t high maintenance, I didn’t like people with cruddy nails. The best laid at the bottom of the bag. Two thin, superabsorbent towels, a light wetsuit, and a gill mask. I squealed again upon seeing the latter.

I’d fallen in love with those devices during my stay on Triton. It looked like the visor of a helmet. The upper half was made of glass with the bottom half made of a pink, spongy material. That same sponge lined the edges of the mask. Those wondrous things allowed people without gills like me to breathe comfortably underwater without requiring a full diving suit. The glass part possessed a digital interface that could display text and information, as well as directional arrows from the integrated GPS system. It also supported audio so that we could communicate with other people nearby equipped with the same technology.

If I went swimming with Taelen, he would be able to hear me through the glass if he was right next to me, although the sound would be a bit muffled for him.

Chewing my bottom lip, I glanced outside to see if he was returning. Seeing him all the way back at a Sentinel tree, I grabbed a nightgown, fresh panties, and a towel before racing to the bathroom. I tied my hair into a bun to avoid getting it wet, then beat every galactic record for the fastest shower. I’d be damned if I shared my future husband’s bed for the first time with my unwashed ass after an entire day spent traipsing through the wilderness.

I hurried back to the bedroom, feeling a bit bummed out that they didn’t have a mirror in the bathroom. It made sense as they didn’t have to adjust their clothes or comb their hair. Although barely a little over ten minutes had elapsed by the time Taelen returned, I genuinely believed he had taken his sweet time to let me get ready.

The way his gaze roamed over me had my nipples instantly getting hard. I felt naked as his gaze darkened, and his face took on a slightly sensual expression. My gut said he was trying hard to remain stoic.

“You changed coverings,” he said softly. “It looks pretty on you.”

“Yes,” I said timidly, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “It’s a nightgown, a garment meant specifically for sleeping.”

His brow shot up.

“For sleeping? You wouldn’t wear it to go outside?” he asked, surprised.

I shook my head. “No. It’s only for sleeping. We have a wide variety of sleepwear. One day, I will show you some ‘special’ ones.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Why do you say it like that?”

“You’ll see,” I said with a mischievous grin that made him snort.

“Very well. Do you prefer a side?” Taelen asked, waving at the bed.

“No. But I see you prefer the left side since your nightstand is there. So I’ll take the right.”

He smiled and gestured for me to proceed while pulling back the blanket. It was a very pale sea spray color, matching the pillowcases. I moaned at the incredible softness of the mattress. I didn’t know what material they stuffed it with, but I approved.