Secret Santa Surprise: Book 29 in the Kindred Tales Series - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,44
imagine what the two of them must think of me now!”
“I know how you feel,” Sonja admitted. “I don’t know what got into me last night but I was so determined to get busy with Sahran! And then so angry when he wouldn’t do it. And now today I just feel like dog shit somebody stepped in.”
“What? Here in your suite?” Sonja looked at her, confused.
“No—here on the Mother Ship. Where I might run into Clear or Strong—or both of them!”
Melanie couldn’t bear to see the pity in their eyes—or possibly the scorn—the next time they saw her. She’d behaved like a complete party girl—acted like what Aunt Marge would call ‘a floozy.’ And she’d done it all with men almost fifteen years her junior.
I probably looked so desperate to them, she thought, feeling sick with shame at the thought. They’re probably laughing at me right now for making myself ridiculous.
She remembered how Strong had stopped the three of them from going too far and possibly bonding. No doubt because the two of them would never want to be tied to someone like her.
Washed up and over the hill, whispered a nasty little voice in her head. And unlike the night before, when she’d been able to push the bad thoughts easily out of her mind, this time they seemed here to stay. The balloons had turned back into bricks and they piled on top of Melanie like…well, like a ton of bricks.
“I have to go,” she said and hurried into her bedroom.
“But where are you going?” Sonja demanded, following her.
“I don’t know…” Melanie was already throwing clothes into a suitcase. “Probably I’ll go to my Aunt Marge’s house early.”
“Well, are you coming back?” Sonja demanded. “I mean, you can’t avoid what happened last night forever. And I’m sure if you just talk to Strong and Clear—”
“Talk to them? I hope I never see them again!” Melanie exclaimed.
“Now, honey—you don’t really mean that,” Sonja objected.
Melanie rounded on her.
“Look, I made a complete fool out of myself last night!” she snapped. “I don’t know what got into me but the way I acted was mortifying.”
“I know how you feel, but running away isn’t the answer,” Sonja said, frowning. “Look at me and Sahran—we’ve already made up.”
“Sahran is your fiancé and you two are pretty much the same age,” Melanie pointed out. “I’m way older than Strong and Clear, and I barely know them. Well, I mean, I know Clear better than Strong, but the fact remains that I went over to their suite last night and did things you should not do with your coworker and your doctor who also happens to be your coworker’s twin brother!”
Oh God, she hoped that Clear wouldn’t spread rumors of her behavior at work! She would never be able to show her face aboard the Mother Ship again!
“Melanie—” Sonja began, but Melanie was already slapping her suitcase closed.
“I’ve got to go,” she announced. “Don’t try to stop me. I’m going.” She gave her friend a brief hug and then headed for the door.
“But when will you be back?” Sonja demanded.
“I don’t know. Probably never.” Melanie shot her a glance over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Sonja—thank you for being such a good friend. You can let yourself out.”
The last sight she had before the door whooshed shut behind her was her friend’s face, filled with concern and anxiety. Then she headed down the long silver corridor towards the Docking Bay.
She needed to catch the next ship down to Earth and the way she felt right now, she was never coming back.
16
“How long do you think we should wait before going to see her?” Clear asked, for perhaps the fifth time since they’d woken up that morning.
Well actually, it was more like afternoon. Strong couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so deeply and so hard. When he had finally woken up, he found he had slept through his alarm—by several hours. It was a good thing he had today and tomorrow off or he would have missed his shift at the Med Center!
“I told you,” he growled at Clear. “You have to give her some time. Human females don’t like to be rushed. So stop fucking asking me!”
His head was pounding and though he and his twin usually got along so well their interactions were seamless, this morning he felt irritated at almost everything Clear said.