Tempting Auzed: The Clecanian Series Book 4 Page 9

Her dark hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, and healthy warmth seemed to light her skin from the inside while the lights of Sauven twinkled in the distance behind her. Fuck, she was beautiful. Something in his chest expanded, and he took a few quick breaths to calm himself before walking toward her.

  If she noticed him, she didn’t show it. She just sat there with her legs dangling off the side of the porch, sipping from the bottle and humming a soft tune. When he reached her, she silently held the bottle up to him.

  With a sigh, he sank beside her and took a small swig.

  “Is it day or night?” She tilted her head toward the treetops. The movement made her hair drape down her back and exposed the curve of her neck.

  He quickly looked away. “Early evening, I’d say.”

  “How can you tell? Because of those lights inside?”

  She observed so much. It continued to surprise him. While she quipped and bounced around, seemingly uncaring of the world around her, she was actually taking in and processing everything. “Yes.”

  Scuffling from above had him leaping to the ready, but he slumped back down when he spotted Wilson settled on the sloped roof above them.

  A small grin played at her lips, but she said nothing.

  “Your tuey doesn’t seem to like me much,” he grumbled.

  She grinned and peered at him sidelong. “That’s ’cause you always look like you’re preparing to go into battle. Maybe if you relaxed a bit, she wouldn’t be so uptight. Just look at this.” She gestured to the gently glowing city sprawled all around them.

  In direct opposition to her observation, his shoulders tensed. He leaned back on his palms and gazed out at the view in an attempt to relax, but he couldn’t understand it. How did people sit and stare like this? It was a waste of time. If he were home right now, he could be accomplishing so much. His legs itched to rise and patrol the porch, but he forced himself to remain still.

  “A for effort,” she mumbled, her lips twitching.

  He only grunted and took another small sip of the alcohol. He couldn’t tell exactly what flavor the liquid was, but he decided that would be his last taste.

  “What is this whole thing about mates? You mentioned it before, and you said Noito was trying to ‘recognize’ me, and the regents said something about it too.” She continued to gaze into the distance, but he could tell by the tightness around her eyes that she was far from relaxed. “What does it mean?”

  “Historically, our people have had the ability to recognize a mate. Someone who you’ll bond with and spend your life with. Sort of like Wilson there”—he nodded toward the tuey sleeping on the roof—“but in a romantic way. There’s a reaction that occurs. A mated pair are linked to each other inextricably. Mating all but died out when the plague hit, though. There hadn’t been a report of mating marks appearing on a Clecanian’s hands in centuries. Not until the humans arrived.”

  “That’s why he was checking his hands,” Alex said softly. Her eyes were unfocused, like she was dazed, having this conversation while also listening in from afar.

  Auzed leaned forward, his brows creased in concern. “Are you alright?”

  She took a deep breath and peered at him with a weak smile. “No.”

  The sadness in her eyes jabbed at his insides. What was he supposed to say to that? Of course she wasn’t alright.

  At length, she cleared her throat and spoke. “If those are the CliffsNotes, then what’s the real meaning? Everyone is tense. Everyone looks at me like I’m something sparkly they want to take home—except for you, that is. Don’t just tell me the facts, tell me the reality of my situation…please.” She studied him, her piercing dark-brown eyes searching his face for the truth.

  Auzed clenched his jaw, trying to decide whether to soften his words or not. “That may be because on some level you are. For hundreds of years, every person on this planet has grieved the loss of matehood. We’ve worked so hard to get to a place of peace, to a system that works, but it doesn’t mean it’s perfect or that most of our people are happy. You…humans…are the key to fixing that. Males could finally be judged for more than their ability to please a female. Females could finally let down the walls they’ve built. Clecanians, like Relli, wouldn’t be shunned and mocked for their choice to remain with the one they loved. So, are you something sparkly they all want? Yes and no. They don’t want you—they want what you can do, what you represent.”

  A smile suddenly broke out over her face, and she let out a derisive hoot of laughter.

  “What?” This female made no sense. On the verge of tears one minute and laughing the next.

  “I’m just…I’m livid. Beyond angry that some fuckers took me and who knows how many other women from Earth just ’cause they could. For a damn experiment.” She looked at him and shook her head, still smiling. “But if everything you’ve told me about this place is true? If that’s what this world is like? I mean…” Her brows rose. “I get it. I hate it. But I get it.”

  “You get it?”

  She chuckled under her breath and swung her legs back and forth over the ledge. “Yeah. I get it. This place sucks. What’s happening to you guys sucks. And even though they’re bastards and should be stampeded Jumanji style, I understand why they did it. Desperation. And the worst part of all?” she practically shouted before laughing again. “They succeeded. It doesn’t make it right, but they found what they were looking for. Wow, Auzzy. What a fucking nightmare for humans, and what a fucking blessing for you lot.”

  Auzed clenched his jaw as her nickname for him skittered over his shoulders. He wished she’d stop using it. The familiarity of it made his insides heat, but he wasn’t sure if it was in irritation or…something else. He suspected that even if he gave her leave to use his common nickname, Zed, she’d still refuse to use it.

  “They broke intergalactic law and imprisoned hundreds of races before they ever found humans. They don’t deserve any understanding,” he shot back.

  “I mean, that’s how I feel, but I can understand someone from here not feeling that way. They’ve basically saved your people, haven’t they? It seems to me that if they hadn’t done what they did, you’d continue to slowly go extinct. And as you said, it wouldn’t even be a good ride out.”

  Auzed shifted in his seat, growing uncomfortable. He enjoyed black and white. Gray areas were too complicated. He held out the bottle to her, hoping the alcohol would interrupt her musings.

  She chuckled again and took a swig. Luckily for him, the questions that followed fell within safer territory. They talked seriously for hours, just as he’d wanted. He explained everything he could think to explain. The reasons she wasn’t allowed to return to Earth. The ceremony in Tremanta, husbandry schools, The Intergalactic Alliance and their function among the planets belonging to the alliance. The roles of Clecanians males, females, and all who fell between and outside.

  As she lay on her back staring up at the dark undersides of leaves, he recounted the history of their planet and the planet they’d inhabited before. He could’ve stopped there, but something about the way she gazed at him, the softness and interest in her eyes, pushed him to find more to say.

  He thought of everything he could, no matter how innocuous, just to linger on the dim porch, inhaling her scent and watching her lids start to grow heavy. When the only thing left he could think of was information about himself, he stopped.

  She turned her head, the alcohol making her movements sluggish. He ground his teeth against the urge to ask her about herself. What her planet was like, what her life was like. Where she’d gotten that gold ring she kept twirling around her finger.

  Most Clecanian females wouldn’t answer such questions when asked, and he knew why. It formed an attachment. A bond that hurt to cut. He couldn’t allow himself to form that bond with Alejandra. He already felt too drawn to her as it was. Better to keep things need-to-know.

  She raised an arm to cover her yawn, and her shirt lifted slightly.

  His gaze
lingered on the smooth skin covering her ribcage just a little too long before he tore it away. “We should get some sleep.”

  “What about Wilson?” She remained lying and scrunched her forehead upside down until she spotted the tuey.

  “She’ll come in if she wants. Wilson may be bonded to you, but she’s still lived the majority of her life as a wild creature.” Standing, he held out a hand to help her up. When her soft palm slid into his, electricity crackled under his skin.

  They silently walked into the house, then stood together on the lift.

  With an abrupt “Good night,” he turned to his room, but she gripped his forearm, halting him.

  She stared up at him and swallowed. “Look, I know I haven’t said it, but…I am sorry. You’re right. I didn’t know what I was doing. I just made a snap decision. It was naïve of me to think I knew better.”

  Auzed shifted from side to side. Females didn’t apologize like this. He didn’t know how to react. Any anger he still had with her fizzled out, but flashing warnings blared in their place. He needed more distance and for her to act more like a Clecanian female.

  He pulled his arm out of her reach and straightened his shoulders. “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow, and I’ll make sure to load your language into the home so you can control the lift.”

  Her brows knit together, but then she nodded, as if the brisk tone he’d used was understandable. “Alright. Good night, Auzzy—sorry, Auzed.” She gave him a brief, apologetic smile, then disappeared into her room.

  The grimace pulling his mouth tight remained in place far too long. Why did he suddenly dislike the sound of his proper name?

  Chapter 10

  Alex pulled a pillow over her head to block out the bright light shining from the ceiling. Although she hadn’t drunk much last night, the lack of food in her system had ensured a mild hangover this morning. Her head pulsed, and her mouth was thick and dry.

  Wilson, who’d somehow managed to find her way to the second floor and into Alex’s room last night, squirmed until her face was smooshed under the pillow as well. She blinked at Alex with her wide, intelligent eyes and gave a short little purr. The tuey rolled over and over in a circle, her large ears flapping around her head until she stopped upside down and trumpeted quietly at Alex.

  Despite herself, Alex grinned. “Is this your way of telling me it’s time to get up?”

  With a groan, she rose. As she used the bathroom and readied to face whatever the day threatened to bring, she thought about Auzed.

  Last night, she’d thrummed all over as his deep rumbling voice lulled her. She’d forced herself to listen to what he’d actually been saying as well, but it’d felt so good to just be next to him and hear him talk.

  After they’d returned inside, he’d become a little distant, and although it was unfortunate, she understood. He likely still held a bit of a grudge against her but was trying to be professional. For someone as uptight as him, this whole situation must be torture.

  She planted her bare feet on the lift, Wilson by her side, and commanded it to go down. To her surprise, it responded. A muted conversation floated to her when she reached the first floor. She spotted the corner of Auzed’s large shoulder, just out of sight through the open front doors.

  Before she could convince Wilson to play it cool so she could eavesdrop, the tuey had skittered outside and caught his attention. His eyes met hers, then scanned her body. Was it her imagination wanting it to be true, or did his perusals always take a beat too long?

  “There’s food waiting for you in there.” He motioned to a small grass-green compartment on the kitchen wall, then turned back to whomever he was talking to.

  Alex crossed to the compartment and then quickly tried to smooth the cowlick that always popped up on the crown of her head. She found that the inside of the compartment was warm and a plate of food lay waiting inside. Had he cooked this too? ’Cause he’d already been up, or specifically for her? Either way, she quelled a small smile. It wasn’t every day a sexy guy made her breakfast, after all. Ray never had. He’d always been more of the “can’t you just Postmates it?” type.

  Sniffing at the hunk of lumpy pink…bread, maybe?…she took a small bite. It wasn’t the worst thing she’d ever tried, but not the best either. Like a stale, crumbly English muffin. Still, it was better than the smashed bugs she’d been surviving on the past few days.

  She studied Auzed as he said goodbye to the visitor, who was still out of sight, and stepped back inside. He wore simple clothing. Comfortable and so different than the tactile pieces he’d sported when they’d first met. A berry vest—the same cut as the soldiers from yesterday but in a softer, more relaxed fabric—covered his broad, naked chest devoid of that odd undershirt from yesterday. His pants were a bit tight as well.

  Although she appreciated the amount of smooth skin and rigid muscle displayed by the outfit, she felt bad about how out of place he looked in it. She wondered if the clothing choices for men here were meant to be revealing. Was it a cultural norm as the opposite was for women on Earth?

  He made his way over to her, and her gaze kept straying to his wide shoulders and those curling, shimmering markings as they disappeared beneath his top. She focused on her food instead.

  “The regents would like us to visit the market tree today.”

  She glanced up at him and saw that restrained look on his face again. “Th—” The large bite of crumbly bread she’d taken threatened to fly out with her words, so she covered her mouth and finished chewing. “Thanks for the food.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Sorry the quality isn’t better. I…don’t cook often.”

  “Well, I don’t cook at all, so I love it. No work, and I get food. It’s a dream come true.” She thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitch and wondered again what he would look like if he smiled.

  “Would you like me to make you more? You seem to be very hungry.”

  Heat rose on her cheeks, and she followed his gaze down to her almost-cleared plate. “Aren’t you supposed to say you love a girl with a big appetite?”

  He shifted from foot to foot again and tilted his head. “Why would your appetite affect my affection for you?”

  Because that’s what guys in romantic movies say. Unsure how to respond, she shrugged. As she licked her lips to make sure the crumbs were gone, his gaze focused on the movement.

  His voice was a bit raspy when he said, “Is it because human males like to watch your mouth as you eat?”

  Heat bloomed low in her belly at his fixed stare and the dark tone of his voice. A squeaky “no” was all she could manage.

  She had to bite back her tongue to keep it from running over her lips again. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own where Auzed was concerned.

  He focused back on her eyes and made a low, thoughtful sound as if he didn’t agree.

  “Do you like to watch my mouth?” Alex had no idea where that had come from, and she felt her face immediately flamed. She wasn’t a shy woman when it came to flirting or men. In fact, she was usually pretty brazen, but she wasn’t sure he wanted her attention in that way. And if he was trying to keep things platonic between them, she should try to do the same. No need to make either of their lives any harder.

  But to her surprise, rather than stiffening and hastily changing the conversation, he rumbled, “Unfortunately, I do.”

  A little thrill raced up her spine, and in a moment of delight she wondered if he wasn’t so closed off to her as she’d thought. But then his expression grew tight again.

  “I should pick out your outfit today.”

  So much for that. “Oh yeah? Is it makeover montage time?”

  He shot her a perplexed look as he hunched over and rummaged through the bag of clothing Noito had left with them the day before. She licked the last crumbs of her breakfast off her index finger and ogled his thick thighs and firm ass. Don’t sigh, don’t sigh.

  “Just making sure you don’t walk around in evening
wear.” He gave the white outfit she still wore from the night before a pointed look. “Like you are now.”

  “This old thing?” She laughed, twirling in place. “It’s so comfy, though. What was I supposed to sleep in, if not this?”

  “I don’t believe most Sauvenians sleep in clothing.” He held her gaze as he handed her a few folded items. “I think it tangles with their tails.”

  Did that mean he’d slept naked last night too? “You don’t strike me as the commando type, Auzzy.”

  She was about to correct herself, knowing he didn’t like the nickname, but his mouth softened and tipped into the faintest smile before falling again. Maybe he did like it after all. “Sorry, Auzed.” She grinned as she spoke, seeing what his reaction would be.

  A muscle twitched in his jaw, and she had her answer. He wouldn’t admit it, but she was certain he did, in fact, like the name.

  “Get changed, and we’ll leave. You can pick out any clothes you’d like while we’re out.”

  “Oh yeah? On whose dime? By the way, did they pack makeup in there?”

  After hearing about how women-obsessed the guys on this planet were, she expected Auzed to act a certain way. Immediately tell her she didn’t need any makeup and was beautiful. Her confidence faltered when instead he easily answered, “No. You can get that while we’re out too.” He started to walk away.

  “Uh, well, do you think I need any? Do I look alright without it, I mean?” Back home, Alex had worn makeup every day of her life since she’d turned fifteen, the age her mother had finally allowed it. She didn’t always wear a ton of it, mostly mascara and some lip color, but it was now hitting her that she’d been makeup-free for weeks. Here was a hot guy seeing her mussed, blemished, puffy-eyed morning look, and she hadn’t thought anything of it. Not until just now.

  His brows drew together as he studied her again. “You seem very concerned with my assessment of your appearance all of a sudden. Are your males particularly picky?” His shoulders tensed a fraction. “Does your boyfriend prefer you with makeup?”