Page 17 of Snowed in with my Alien Boss

“I found a place! Well, Jenny did. A lady from her book club moved in with her mate and can’t get a refund back from her building. It’s only temporary since it goes to the next person on the waitlist after her contract is up, but it means I’ll have plenty of time to find a permanent place. And I’ll get part of my rent back for leaving early!”

During the next few hours, as the colony plows made the streets navigable again and the guards evicted the dragus intruders, Abby got everything organized. Grogen was simultaneously disappointed and relieved.

He offered again to help her move and was surprised when she said they could do it today.

“Dinah’s already moved out. It’s ready anytime I am.”

Everything had worked out perfectly. Abby having a safe place to stay immediately meant he could stay home and see if he could slow down the mate bond.

They stayed at the shop until well past midday, waiting for the announcement that they were free to use the streets. Then they drove to her place together.

“Do you mind waiting outside while I pack? Maybe go get some joulka? I’m kind of embarrassed at the state of the place. My father made a mess of it, and I got sick of cleaning up after him, so it’s a pigsty in there.”

Grogen didn’t care how messy it was but offered a compromise: if her sire was home, Grogen was going in there with her, no argument. If not, he’d wait outside, and she’d call him if the deadbeat showed up. As it turned out, her sire was not home, so Grogen waited just outside the building until she was ready.

Her temporary home was one tunnel closer to the shop and to him. He helped her move everything over, and despite it being hard work, they were both enjoying themselves so much that it went by quickly. The sun was setting by the time they were done.

“Thank you so much for helping me move. See you tomorrow at the baths.”

Here it was: he had to let her down gently to give himself time. If he saw her again tomorrow at the celebrations, he was certain she’d give him the azak flower, and he would take her home. He knew without a doubt that the bond would solidify then. And if she didn’t love him back—and she couldn’t, it was far too soon for humans—it would destroy him.

“I’m sorry, but I changed my mind. I thought I could, but there are too many people.” He glanced out into the bustling streets.

Abby looked so hurt that he wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her that he was only giving himself enough time to delay the bond.

“I’m not rejecting you, I promise. I would join you if I could, but I just…can’t.” It sounded dumb and hollow even to him. He wanted to kick himself.

“It’s okay, I get it. The celebrations are crowded, and social anxiety is a thing. Maybe we can do something another time when the whole colony isn’t going to be there?” she asked hopefully.

He relaxed and smiled. “That sounds perfect.” It would give him time to calm down, and it also showed her that he wasn’t deserting her.

But he couldn’t miss her obvious disappointment when they said goodbye and the door closed, leaving him alone.

Chapter 13: Abby

Abby hated this.

She’d just had a wonderful day with Grogen. He’d even helped her move house. But all she could focus on was the fact that he’d canceled their winter solstice plans.

She’d noticed a change in him when they’d left the shop. He was quieter, more like the way he used to be around her, giving simple yes or no answers and not touching her at all, although he did insist on helping her move her things.

Was he starting to realize she wasn’t his mate? When Talleans got together with the goal of finding out if they were mates, they called it “testing compatibility.” Usually, that entailed staying together for an extended period and a whole lot of sexy times. It often took only a few weeks or months, sometimes even as little as a single weekend. Usually, if they continued testing, it was because they knew in their hearts that they were mates, but the bond was just taking time to form. But things ended immediately the moment one of them realized they weren’t mates; it was considered rude not to, since they’d be wasting the other’s time.

Was this what was going on here?

Although, when she’d suggested seeing him again, he’d seemed happy—relieved, even. So maybe it really was just the idea of being around so many people that was the problem. He’d hired her to deal with people, after all. Grogen didn’t only hide in his cabin during the Winter Solstice; she’d never seen him out at any other celebrations either. He did sometimes join the other two mechanics at the pub, but that was different.

The beeping of her comm had her glaring at it from across the room. It was most likely her father getting home to find that she’d moved all her stuff out except for the furniture he’d broken and some food. She was not in the mood for this but went to connect the comm anyway.

Sure enough, it was him. “What is all this?” came her father’s angry voice. “I get home, and everything’s gone. The alien bitch from the housing office is saying I have to take over the lease or leave.”

“It’s exactly what you think it is. I moved.”

“Well, where the fuck are you?”

“You’re not invited.”

“How dare—”

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