Page 24 of An Alien for Her Heart

“New Horizons sent these in the welcome pack. I really have no idea what they taste like.”

Should I stand still? Should I lean closer?

My brain says to remain where I am, but something tugs me closer to Catherine anyway. As if every muscle within me refuses the distance between us. I lean in, inhaling the packets she’s holding. Glancing up, I see her throat bob, a slight almost imperceptible tremor going up her arms. The reaction isn’t one I can easily read. Am I scaring her? But when my gaze rises further to her eyes, something trills within me. Catherine doesn’t look scared. The look in her eyes isn’t one I’ve seen before, either. Beneath her lashes, those green eyes hold a depth of emotion that almost arrests me.

“This is calla,” I point to the tee petals in her left hand. Her throat moves again. “And this one is pargentum.” I point to the other packet of tee petals. She nods slightly.

“Any—” Catherine makes a sound in her throat as if the words got stuck and she needed to clear the blockage. “Any, um, any idea what they taste like?”

I lean back, standing normally now, my eyes narrowing slightly as I take her in. She’s affected by something. Was it what I’d said? Or is it…oh gods…

My core-beat skips a note. Could she be affected byme?

“Pargentum has a strong scent. I do not know of the taste.” I tilt my head, watching her still. She brings the packet of pargentum to her straight little nose, sniffing deeply. Her eyebrows lift. “Calla’s scent is mild but sweet.”

Her unexpected smile makes my core-beat flutter. Her eyes find mine. “We’ll go with calla then.”

She turns back to the steaming receptacles, and I lean closer to see what she’s doing. Opening the packet of petals, she pulls out a few and drops them into each receptacle before getting a curved utensil and swirling them around in the hot liquid. The steaming water slowly changes color as if dyed by the petals within it.

“We have a flower back on Earth with the same name, so maybe it’s a sign.”

“Earth?”

There’s a subtle pause in her stirring, one that would have gone unnoticed if I wasn’t watching her so closely.

“Yes. My, uh, my planet. My home.” She glances at me for a moment, that one word seeming to ricochet in the room.

She still thinks of her old planet as her home. Of course, she does. Despite that she’ll never be able to return to it, it’s all she knew. Everything that occurred the day before comes rushing back. How she’d seemed to shutter when she’d mentioned her homeworld.

This isn’t a topic that brings back wistful memories. Just like me and Zynar, all Catherine must feel is pain when she thinks of the world she left behind. I grimace again. I’m supposed to be making her thinkgoodthings, making herlikeme, not reminding her of the trauma she experienced to get here.

Frakk me. I’m failing at this.

“I didn’t mean to remind you of—”

“It’s okay.” She sets down the stirring utensil and places the drink receptacles on separate small trays. “Biscuit?”

I jerk my chin to my chest without even understanding what she’s asking. She smiles again and I swear a part of me melts. I’m somewhat confused, not sure where I’m standing but completely convinced I’ve destroyed this attempt at getting closer to her. But she hasn’t cast me out of her dwelling yet. There must be hope.

When she grabs both trays and a pack of flat meal squares she jerks her head toward the main room and I take it as an indication to follow.

The linen she’s wearing sways as she walks and my head tilts as I catch the faintest outline of her curved behind underneath the clothing. When she suddenly glances over her shoulder, my fangs could have retracted into my gums and I would welcome the pain. She caught me staring.

“Feel free to have a seat.” She jerks her chin at the broad table as she sets both trays down and puts the meal squares in the center. As she pulls out a stool and sits, I hurry to the one on the opposite side.

My gaze drops to the tee and ‘biskits’, wondering the correct etiquette for such a meal. Zynar didn’t go into much detail. He’d hurried off the line because he hadn’t wanted to wake his sleeping mate. I’m in unchartered waters here.

My gaze shifts to the crate of senzsi fruit I purchased for Catherine. It sits off to the side on the table and for a moment, my core-beat rises again, hope fueling each beat. But it only takes a click to sink. It’s not hard to see she hasn’t eaten a single portion of the fruits. I’d thought she’d wanted them. Their untouched presence is not a good sign.

My claws twitch as I rest them on the table, eyes shifting back to Catherine, watching and waiting for her cue. When she takes up her receptacle, I watch her lips as she blows on the hot beverage before taking the smallest of sips. As she sets it back down, my gaze snags on her lips as she takes one of the biskits and takes a bite. Her tongue is the smallest little pink thing as she gathers a few fallen crumbs from the side of her mouth.

When her cheeks begin to change color, turning an intense shade of red, I realize I’ve been staring again. Grabbing the receptacle in my fist, I ignore the heat as I take a big gulp of the tee.

I freeze. Frakk, it’s hot. My face twists as I force it down.

I feel like I’ve messed up again, my embarrassment growing. But then, to my surprise, Catherine laughs. It’s a light, melodic sound that fills the room and makes my ears perk up.

“You don’t have to guzzle it like that,” she says between giggles. “It’s meant to be sipped.”

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