The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance #1) - Dianne Duvall Page 0,81

to buy some new stuff for you.”

Lisa didn’t think she had met a Sheldon or a Tracy yet, but was too tired to care.

“You look like you could drop at any moment. How about a nice hot shower? Then you can lie down with Taelon and get some sleep.”

A shower sounded divine, but she didn’t want to let Taelon out of her sight.

“I can drag the bed to the middle of the room so you can see him from inside the shower,” Leah suggested as though reading her thoughts.

Lisa stared at her. “Really?”

“Sure.” Leah offered her an easygoing smile. “If I were in your position, I wouldn’t want to take my eyes off him either. I’ll also keep you company in the bathroom in case you start to feel woozy. But I’ll keep my back to you, of course.”

At this point, Lisa was too tired to argue. “Okay.”

Leah reached down, grabbed the foot of the bed, and dragged it halfway across the floor as though it were as light as a folding chair. Then, true to her word, she sat on the lid of the commode with her back to Lisa and kept her company while Lisa showered.

It was so odd. Leah chatted amiably with her as if they were longtime friends or something.

Lisa wasn’t accustomed to that level of kindness. The customers in the bookstore were often rude and impatient. The other students in her classes tended to ostracize her because she was always too broke to join them for a cappuccino or to go clubbing, and she couldn’t afford a smartphone, so she couldn’t text and remained clueless regarding apps and social media and whatever else it was that seemed to consume their attention.

Only Dr. Aguera and Brad had offered her kindness in recent years.

And Taelon.

Lisa felt much better after her shower. Exhausted though.

Leah pushed the bed back against the wall, then smiled. “You look really cute in that.”

Lisa flushed as she fingered the soft material of the maternity gown she’d donned. “Thank you.”

Leah drew back the covers on the empty side of the bed.

Lisa slipped in beneath them and let Leah draw the covers up and tuck her in. Unwitting tears burned the backs of her eyes when Lisa remembered her mother doing the same for her when she was a little girl. Damn pregnancy hormones. “You’re very kind.”

Leah smiled. “You’ve been through a hell of a lot, Lisa. I think you deserve some kindness. And you’ll find a lot of it here. Just think of us as a great big family with a few weird quirks.” She winked. “I bet you could use a little pampering, too. Can I bring you a snack or a nice home-cooked meal? When was the last time you ate something?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” She was too damn tired to eat anything.

“Okay. I’ll let you rest then.”

Leah strode toward the door.

“You’re married to Seth?” Lisa couldn’t resist asking. Seth seemed to be the leader of this crew and could be extremely intimidating with all the power he radiated. How exactly did one come to date someone like him?

Leah turned with a smile. “Yes. We’re newlyweds.” Her smile faltered. She pressed her lips together as her brow puckered. “Which reminds me… We’re hoping you’re going to stay for a while, and I don’t want you to be alarmed when…”

Lisa’s curiosity rose when the woman seemed torn between amusement and embarrassment. “What?”

“It’s weird. I’m so used to everyone knowing about this that I’m not sure how to say it.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m just going to blurt it out, okay?”

“Okay.”

When next she spoke, Leah’s words came quickly. “Seth is superpowerful, so much so that he can control the weather. But sometimes his control slips and…” A bit of pink entered her cheeks and she laughed. “Oh hell. It storms and the ground shakes whenever we make love. There. I said it.”

Lisa stared at her.

She grinned. “I know. It’s crazy, right? The first time it happened, I didn’t even say anything until after someone else mentioned it because saying”—her voice rose and turned breathy—“Ooh, Seth, I felt the earth move”—then returned to normal—“just sounded too cliché.”

Lisa couldn’t help it. She laughed.

“I know, right? Seth thinks it’s because he was celibate for so long before we got together and is hoping it will stop soon. The guys all rib him about it. A lot. But Ami is like a daughter to him, so we spend all our downtime here, and he is way too