Page 39 of My Christmas Alien Mate

"Are you tired?" I asked Amber when we were back aboard the XT4J.

"I'm exhausted," she admitted. "I think this was just emotionally draining."

I had already programmed our destination into the computer and could now take in Amber's wide eyes as she stared out through the windows at space.

"You like it?" I asked.

"I've never seen anything like it. Simulations in movies are one thing, but this is quite different."

I slowed the XT4J down a bit so that Amber could enjoy the scenic view a little bit better.

"Is that Mars?" She asked, pointing at a red planet in the distance.

"You tell me," I laughed. "You're the native. The computer says, T56U8."

"Can we… could you take us closer?"

I was all too happy to oblige her small wish and watched her more than the ever-nearing red planet.

She sat up straighter in her chair; her eyes were large like disks now and an expression of utter elation sat on her face.

"Wow," she exclaimed.

"Do you want me to take you closer? To the surface? We can't get out, the atmosphere is not compatible with us, but—"

"Oh," her head whipped toward me. "Can we?" She clapped her hands together in excitement and I was happy to take her on a tour.

For me there was nothing to see but red dust, but Amber seemed quite taken with the sight.

"Be careful, there is a rover here somewhere, we don't want it to capture your ship on camera."

"The XT4J has deflectors," I explained. "We'd be nothing but a blur."

"Oh my God, this is so exciting."

You are exciting,I thought, and amazing, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.I didn't think I would ever get enough of staring at her, taking her in and trying to figure out how to make that smile appear on her face or turn her eyes alight like this.

"Any other planet you would like to visit?" I asked after we finished a quick round over the planet she called Mars.

"Not today, but… can we do this again?"

"Any time you wish," I promised.

She leaned back in the chair, and I took us back to the lake, where I floated the ship to the pier and helped her disembark before I parked my ship underneath the water again. It was after midnight, way later than we usually went to sleep.

Having been back aboard the fleet though, made me appreciate Amber's soft comforter and bed even more. Not that our quarters were uncomfortable on the cruiser. They were designed to give a body the ultimate rest, but there was something to be said about snuggling under warm blankets, especially with the female you loved.

The next morning, Amber worked on a website forGrandma's Baked Goodswhile I took a trip back into town. I hadn't told Amber, but I wasn't going back to Charming. Merging my data processor with the human website gave me more insight, and I learned that a bigger city wasn't that far from here. It was only another hour or so drive, and I had plans I didn't want her to find out about yet.

It wasn't that I didn't trust the citizens of Charming not to fill her in on my activities—I didn't—but I also didn't want to arouse too much suspicion by selling too many of my diamonds so close to where we lived. A larger city with many jewelry stores was exactly what I needed.

I was a bit bummed that I wouldn't be able to help her with the website because it sounded like fun, but my plans needed me to be away from her if I wanted to surprise her.

She handed me a long shopping list as well, because Christmas was in a few days, and my family would join us for dinner. I felt honored over her trust in me with finding the right ingredients, but she had insisted on me buying asmartphone, which I altered just a bit to include some of our technology, and thus equipped, I felt somewhat confident I would find all the things she was asking for. It even worked in my favor, because I cautioned, "It might take me hours in the store."

"Call me if you need help," she offered when I kissed her goodbye.

"I'm determined to fulfill this mission successfully and without help from mission control," I laughed.

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