Page 43 of An Alien for Her Heart

Uncertainty makes me pace, my core-beat still thudding so hard against my chest it sounds percussive, the sound loud in my ears.

I’m losing it. Desperation overtaking me. Because it feels like I have a single chance. A single shot at this before I frustrate Catherine enough and she casts me away for good.

But Ihaveto try.

Just the thought that someday she might look at me with the same adoration growing within me for her, that she will see me not as an alien male she should be wary of, but as a male whowould move the stars and the planets to make her happy, is all I need to carry on.

Heading to the back of the outbuilding, I turn on the spigot and wash, the fresh pair of trouse and linen placed close by for me to change into. The water is cool and I welcome it as it takes some of the sol’s heat away.

It’s taken many hors to complete the outbuilding and move the creatures inside, and now, as I complete my preparations, turning off the spigot and getting dressed, the star has almost disappeared on the other side of the horizon. I brush my mane till it settles in waves over my shoulders before taking a deep breath.

It’s time to go. The Festival of Abundance is probably my one good shot at this.

Placing my dirty garments in the back of the hover truck, I head back down the path to Catherine’s lodge. Since what happened with the oogas earlier, I haven’t seen her and I briefly wonder if she’d hidden herself away and will refuse to come out and attend the festival with me.

I stop at her front door, doubt creeping in. Perhaps I should have reminded her about our ‘date’. Curses. It was Zynar who told me about such a thing. That Catherine would enjoy it and that it was an integral part of trying to woo her. Perhaps my strategy of keeping busy and out of her way so she wouldn’t find another excuse to not attend was not the right tactic.

Core-organ in my throat, I lift my fist and knock.

For a few moments, there’s no sound on the other side of the door. My doubt rises. I’m about to knock again when the door suddenly opens.

My fist remains there poised in mid-air as if I’m a fool. I cannot move.

Catherine’s eyes widen, her gaze skipping down my frame before she frowns slightly to look down at herself.

“Is this too much? I wasn’t sure what the dress code was. Perhaps I should change into—”

“You’re…beautiful.” The word doesn’t seem strong enough to describe the vision I’m seeing. It lacks woefully, failing to describe the goddess before me.

She wears a gown fashioned from the same purple linen that adorns the windows of her home. The fabric drapes over her curves, cinched at her waist and accentuating her figure in such a way that I grow so hard in my trouse my arm finally falls to clasp in front of the tent rising between us.

The neckline of the garment is simple, dipping just low enough to reveal the delicate lines of her collarbone. And the sleeves? Bare. Her soft skin is there for me to drink in.

“Thank you.” Heat rises in her cheeks, accentuating the fact that she’s stained her lips again. The color only makes them look plumper. Makes me wonder what it would feel like brushing my lips against hers in the way I’ve seen my siblingkin do to his human mate. “You look really good, too.”

I glance down at myself. I’m wearing my best tunic over my trouse but I wonder if she means it. When I turn my attention back to her, her gaze is moving over me in much the same way mine is drinking her in. The fact sends a wonderful tingle through me that shoots right down to my already hard cock.

Turning toward the hover truck, I shift to the side so it won’t be so obvious that I’m like a wretched, lifeblood-sucking thing that wants to consume her. “We should—”

“Ah, yes. Let’s go. Let me just get my comm.”

She heads back in and retrieves the device, placing it into a small linen satchel that hangs by her side before she beams up at me. But it’s strained, that smile. As we head toward the hover truck, I can only hope I can bring out her real joy before this sol ends.

Opening the passenger side for her, Catherine hops in and I head to the other side, pausing before I open my door. I don’t know what my plan is for this festival. Getting Catherine to relax around me. Getting her to give me a chance. Either of the two would be good, though the latter is more preferable.

I hop in and start the engine and as we zoom across the prairie the cab holds a comfortable silence. I break it by asking her if her planet has any such festivals and, surprisingly, Catherine speaks. She tells me about the various festivals that occur on her home planet regarding the harvest and of others, too. Her world sounds like it’s a colorful one filled with beings that enjoy their existence. I can see why she would wish to return and that makes my chest tighten. Because if she could return, I would follow her. Only, she mightn’t want that. And that’s why this ‘date’ is so important.

As we near the town, I have to park the transport on the outskirts. Catherine sits up straighter, eyes slightly wide and I can’t help but feel a sense of pride at what she sees.

Even from where we are, we can see that the whole town is lit up with colorful lights floating suspended above the streets.

“Wow,” she breathes.

I grunt a sound of approval. “It is even more beautiful when you get closer.” My gaze skips over her, knowing my words mean something completely different than what she’ll assume. Thank the gods she’s so entranced with the view she doesn’t notice my hunger.

I hop out and open her door for her, extending my free arm in the hopes she’ll use me for stability as she steps out of the truck. The moment her soft digits grasp my arm is the moment I almost groan. I manage to hold it back, remaining rigid as she gets on her feet. She’s touching me. But her eyes aren’t on me. They’re on the town ahead. We’re walking and she’s still holding on to my arm.

Unreasonable pride swells in my chest at the fact she’s still on my arm. The sights around us, the other beings heading in the same direction, some with painted faces, others with tall head adornments, I see none of that. My gaze is only on the human by my side.

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