Chapter 20

Lorelai

H e was kissing me.

By all that was good and holy in the universe—or by all that was temptation and evil—he was kissing me. I had no idea what to think. Last night, swept away on a cloud of alcohol and desire, I'd hoped this beautiful alien Overlord would kiss me. I'd imagined it. Imagined far more, actually. Now? Now there was no alcohol, only a slight hangover, I was stuck with him as his friggin' wife, and I'd been trying to gain as much of an upper hand as I possibly could throughout our negotiations.

If he was trying to effectively cut off dialogue, or to regain the upper hand, he'd definitely found the way to do it.

Damn him.

The instant his mouth landed on mine, my eyes flared wide open in surprise. Then, almost as quickly, they shut of their own volition. I felt my toes curl inside my shoes. His arm drew me in tighter to his body, and my fingers reacted by seizing the front of his shirt, gripping the soft fabric as if to ground me in reality while the stars spun by outside our window.

Have mercy.

Did his mouth have to capture mine in a way that threatened to bring me to my knees? Did his tongue have to tease my lips apart? His tongue slid into my mouth and I felt mine instinctively rise to meet it. And the way he used his lips and tongue—caressing but also demanding. Imploring but also suggesting. Threatening while pleading. My entire body started to tremble. What was this? Charlie had never kissed me like this. Ever. The last several years of our marriage, we hadn't bothered kissing at all. What sex we did have was stale and impersonal. Once I'd figured out the painful truth—that sex wouldn't keep him by my side or faithful to me—I'd given up trying to please him and accepted that, if my own husband didn't find me desirable, nobody else would either.

I'd been wrong.

This kiss wasn't simply telling me that a beautiful alien Overlord found me desirable, it was screaming it. It was screaming through in the way he abruptly turned, pushing me back against the wall. I gasped against his mouth, our connection momentarily broken but immediately reestablished when he covered my mouth with his once more. I felt his free hand shift to my hip, the curve of my waist. Exploring. As if my body entranced him enough that he wanted to feel more of it. His hips pressed into mine.

If I'd doubted his desire before, that one movement proved me wrong.

He was ready.

Insanely enough, I was ready.

Are we going to make a baby right now?

A wild thrill shot through me.

With my Overlord husband's hips grinding against mine, his chest pressing against my breasts, sensual, heated visions flashed before my eyes. They were almost unbearably alluring, until—

Wait. We haven't signed anything yet.

The pact. The agreement. We hadn't fully concurred on the terms, had we? We hadn't signed anything. If I let him bed me now, if I got pregnant the first time we had sex—which might be a bit of a long shot, but certainly could happen—he'd have the upper hand completely. I didn't know that he would take advantage of me like that, refusing to honor any verbal commitments. I didn't know that he wouldn't, either. And I'd been burned too often by one husband to trust a brand-new one so soon.

Just then, Ellax's wandering hand found my breast. I gasped again, this time jerking my face away, and my body as well. I tore free of his embrace in a sharp, hasty motion, squeezing out from between him and the wall, leaving him gazing at me with a confused, almost wounded expression. An expression he quickly concealed as he smoothed his clothing, regaining his perfect, icy control.

"I told you I would make it worth your while," he said with a pleased little smile.

I wish I could have argued. I wish I could have claimed I hadn't enjoyed his kiss at all. Since that would have made me appear foolish, I cleared my throat roughly, raising my chin while I straightened my own rumpled clothing.

"Doesn't matter," I said, my voice huskier than I would have liked. "You're not getting sex from me until we agree on this pact. Not merely agree—write it down and sign it. Given your line of work, you know the importance of signing everything. I want this to be done right."

"As opposed to being done wrongly?"

"Don't be a smartass," I quipped, glaring at his smug face. "If I'd let you have sex with me just now, if I'd gotten pregnant, you would have had the upper hand. A baby in my womb and no official pact between us? No, thanks. I've been on the losing end of a marriage before. I won't go through that again."

To my surprise, the smugness vanished outright from the Overlord's face. Rather than smirk or laugh or even argue, an expression of pain and anger overtook his features. This time, I sensed they were real, honest emotions. Not something manufactured; not a front he was trying to put on. Quietly, he said,

"I will not put you on the losing end of this marriage, Lorelai. I desired this marriage no more than you, but if it is to be done, I will uphold my end of the bargain. I will do right by you, contract or not. You have my word."