Page 13 of Temel

Her daughter’s voice was as distant as her gaze, and after a brief hesitation, she sat down next to her.

“What’s going on, sweetheart? Why does being here bother you so much?”

Dora’s cheeks turned pink, but she shook her head.

“It’s nothing. I’m sorry if I was rude.”

“Just a little,” she said, nudging her daughter’s arm, relieved when she smiled.

“It’s just… so much change. First Daddy dying, and then having Angel, and now we’re moving. I don’t really want to stay in town, but I’ve never lived anywhere else. And now we’re in his—I mean the aliens’ house and it’s all very confusing.”

His?The emphasis on the word didn’t escape her. It hadn’t seemed as if the two of them knew each other, but perhaps…

“Have you met Temel before, Dora?”

“Temel? No. Why?”

“Just wondering.” She put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders, and Dora leaned into her. “I know it’s been a difficult year, but we still have each other and that’s what really counts.”

“I know, Mama.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes until a burst of laughter from Tommy was accompanied by a large splash. She hugged Dora again and rose.

“Why don’t you get some sleep while I take care of our clothes and talk to Temel about the best way to get back to town?”

“Are you going to ask about the size of his… horns again?”

Dora’s eyes sparkled when Ida blushed, a genuine smile finally crossing her face.

“I’m sure we have much more important things to talk about,” she said with as much dignity as she could manage, but Dora’s laughter followed her out of the room.

Tommy had done his best to swamp the bathroom so she hauled him out of the tub, dried him off, and tucked him into bed in the other bedroom.

“But it’s light out,” he protested. “Only babies go to bed in the daytime.”

“So do little boys who spent the night in a cave.”

His attempt to argue was interrupted by a huge yawn and by the time she’d put their clothing in the washer and returned to check on him, he was sound asleep. A second check revealed Dora and Angel sleeping as well, but she felt too restless to join them.

She mopped up the water Tommy had splashed everywhere, then took her own bath. The hot water felt heavenly and helpedto relieve the lingering ache in her leg. She slipped down until only her nose and her nipples were above the surface. Remembering the way they had stiffened under Temel’s gaze, she brushed her thumbs over the taut peaks, heat curling low in her stomach.

How long had it been since she’d felt even a flicker of desire? And yet her body undoubtedly responded to the big, powerful male. An alien at that. An alien who had saved her son and rescued her and her family, she reminded herself. Perhaps it was just gratitude…

But as she remembered the feel of his big hands clasping her waist, another wave of heat washed over her body. Definitely more than gratitude.

She played with her nipples for a few more seconds, wickedly imagining that Temel was the one touching them, then sighed and reached for the soap. Her secret little fantasy would have to wait until she was alone in her own bed. Right now there were things to be done.

CHAPTER 6

By the time Ida wrapped herself in a large and somewhat threadbare towel and emerged from the bathroom, the wash cycle was done. She moved the clothes to the dryer, grateful that they could be done by machine. The elaborate clothes her father had preferred to see her in could only be hand-cleaned. Pleasing him had made her happy too, but her simpler clothes were a better fit for her new life.

Yawning, she climbed into the other bed in Tommy’s room, expecting to fall asleep immediately. Instead, her mind refused to shut down, worrying about Dora and thinking of all the things they would need to do to the rental house to make it fit to live in—a task that loomed even larger without a carriage to go back and forth to town. Perhaps if the receding waters didn’t sweep it into the creek, she could ask Temel to help her get it upright.

That thought led to an extremely pleasant image of those big muscles rippling as he heaved it back into place, and she threw off the covers as another wave of heat washed over her.

Really, this was ridiculous. She was far too mature to be spending this much time thinking about a man, let alone havingsemi-erotic daydreams about him.Not a man, an alien, she reminded herself, but the reminder did nothing to quell the lingering arousal. Sighing, she rose to her feet and tiptoed out of the room.

Her dress and underthings weren’t completely dry, but they were dry enough to wear and she dressed quickly, then tied her damp hair back in its usual neat bun. After another quick check on Dora and Angel, she slipped into the kitchen, closing the door quietly behind her.

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