Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“Sorry about the pinch, shortcake.”
“It’s okay,” she said softly. Their eyes met.
Zane’s chest tightened at the look on her face.
“Did it hurt that much this time?” He examined it and the edges were already turning darker. In fact, the entire gem appeared a darker shade of blue than he’d recalled in his trials.
“I’m okay,” she said softly and looked away from him.
He tipped her chin so that she had to look at him.
“What’s wrong then?”
“Nothing,” she lied.
Was she disappointed in his ceasing the physical exchange?
“Tanya, I wouldn’t consummate a relationship with anyone in my lab on a worktop. Dalliances aren’t going to be a factor in Project D. So, this just isn’t how the start of anyone’s love story should be remembered. Besides, after the attack on you yesterday, perhaps we should slow it down.”
First, she looked shocked, then looked mildly embarrassed, before she replied.
“Being whisked away a few minutes after being abducted to another planet, thrown over someone’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes and going from being afraid for your life to excited about your future is a pretty darn interesting way to start a love story, Zane.”
She was an interesting little surprise, wasn’t she?
She met his eyes with something like challenge or conviction perhaps, continuing. “Especially for someone who has had a really boring and uneventful life for the most part. Except that just before she was abducted to another planet, she was at her wits end with a string of bad, bad luck, so all the new stuff turns out to have been a blessing instead of more bad luck, and yeah, she’s got a new lease on life so her story feels suddenly like a good one and she just feels excited about seeing how that will go. Even if she almost got stolen yesterday, nearly hurt badly, but she was rescued by someone heroic and handsome, and who is a really good kisser. I’m not sulking at you stopping things where you did, only a bit humiliated at the way you did it.”
She looked away, now looking mildly angry.
He stared at her with a bit of wonder.
What a fascinating, beautiful, little creature she was.
“Believe me, my stopping was difficult. I almost couldn’t stop. I’m trying to respect you, Tanya. Not hurt your heart. We can go home now. Would you like to do that? See what’s next up for our adventure?”
She looked back at him and seeing she was on the verge of tears made emotion seize his chest.
“Okay,” she said.
“Hey?” He wrapped both arms around her.
She looked up into his eyes and her lip quivered. It nearly undid him. It nearly resulted in him laying the world at her feet, ready to give her whatever her heart desired.
“I’m only trying to be respectful. Of you. Of the fact that I also have a son to consider.”
“And that your wife and daughter died?” she asked, looking into his eyes with wetness in hers. “I’m very sorry, Zane. I didn’t mean to be like… that. I can’t imagine how hard this has been for you. I’m not trying to rush you, I just – you know.” She shrugged. “I’m just worried.”
She stopped talking but chewed her juicy-looking bottom lip.
What was she worried about?
“There’s nothing to worry about, Tanya. I’ll make sure of it,” he vowed.
He stared a beat, watching to see if the worry in her eyes dissipated. It didn’t. She looked away and bit down on her lip some more and then dabbed at her eyes with her knuckles.
“Do you have a Kleenex?”
“A… pardon?”
“A tissue for my eyes.”
“Oh.” He reached for his desk drawer and pulled out a handkerchief and passed it to her. He hit the intercom button on his desk and asked Pace back to the lab so he could get everything finished up.
CHAPTER 13
TANYA
After passing me the handkerchief, he swallowed and looked stricken with pain suddenly and if I’d already had a cold-water bucket sort of dumped on me, that look on his face was ten times worse than that.
I’d only wanted to put his mind at ease that I was absolutely fine with whatever it was that was happening with us. I didn’t want him to feel guilty about putting his hands on me after someone tried to attack me the day before. Also, I was panicky.
Is it possible he doesn’t know that the clock is ticking? Should I tell him that if he doesn’t erm boink me that I might die? Or is that the fastest way to seem like a desperate woman, hence someone he definitely wouldn’t want to have sex with?
Do I want a pity boink?
He’s obviously educated. He runs this company with all this fancy equipment and created the translation and tracking software so surely, he had to know about the 72-hour window, right?
Pace came back in and I watched as Zane clamped on a tiny silver stud into the same place on Pace’s ear as mine.