or not, legally, she still belonged to him.
Chapter 6
Though only minutes ago she’d run from Rem and attempted to escape his home, as Tyra sat on the sofa staring out the window, she now found herself anticipating his return to the sitting room. He’d seemed genuinely remorseful over his reaction to her locket, and her forehead still tingled in the spot where he’d kissed her so sweetly. Furthermore, he could’ve forced her to go back upstairs to resume their intimate activities, but he’d ceded to her wishes that they spend some time talking and getting to know one another better first.
From what she’d seen so far, she knew Rem had plenty of rough edges, but he also possessed a gentler side and she longed to see more of it. To see more of him. She had the sneaking suspicion that his hard exterior was a mask he’d taken to wearing, a defense mechanism of sorts, though she wasn’t yet precisely certain what particular experiences had shaped him and caused him to put on the mask.
But the fear she’d experienced when she’d run downstairs had now long faded and she was once again certain she’d made the right choice in becoming a mail order bride to an alien.
I’m finally free.
This thought kept flitting through her mind. She had finally reached Mars, the planet she had spent years dreaming about. Ever since she’d learned of the mail order bride program, she had longed to make Mars her new home. Now she was really here, sitting in a Martian house and staring at the most beautiful forest she had ever seen. The trees were tall and majestic, reaching up to the clear blue sky. The flowers were exotic and huge, some of them multi-colored and sparkling in the sun.
But even better than the natural beauty that was surrounding her was the fact that she no longer had to live in fear of her uncle’s vile money-making schemes. She was free of his power over her and safe from the future he’d been trying to force upon her. She repressed a shiver and tried to push thoughts of him aside.
She heard the clattering of dishes a few rooms away and a sudden warmth filled her, chasing away the dark clouds that had gathered during her musings about her life on Earth. She had come to Mars expecting that she would be required to cook, clean, and perform all the domestic chores in her new household, yet Rem was currently in the kitchen preparing a meal for them. No man had ever cooked for her before.
She straightened when she heard his footsteps approaching. He entered the sitting room carrying a large tray of food. In all her life, she had never seen food so brightly colored, and she couldn’t help but stare as her mouth watered. Most of her meals in Zone 15 had consisted of lumpy gray stews that contained whatever sort of meat her uncle had managed to catch—usually rabbit or squirrel. It was a rare treat to get fresh fruit or vegetables, but it would appear such food was easily found on Mars.
Rem set the tray down on the coffee table and took a seat next to her. “I wasn’t sure what kind of food you liked,” he said, his tone almost sheepish, “so I included a little bit of everything I had in the kitchen. This is all fresh, though I also have a food replicator that can make anything you desire.”
Tyra’s stomach rumbled again. “I don’t know what any of this is, but it looks and smells amazing, Rem. Thank you.”
He gestured for her to try something, so she reached out and plucked a piece of red fruit from the tray and popped it into her mouth. When she bit down, the sweet yet tangy flavor exploded in her mouth, dancing across her taste buds as she moaned with pleasure.
“Mm. This is good.”
Rem moved the coffee table closer and urged her to eat more. She gladly obliged and made a point to try at least one of everything he’d included on the tray. There were thin slices of flavorful bread, salted meats, spicy cheese, and round sweetcakes that practically melted in her mouth.
They ate in silence for several minutes, and she appreciated the informality of the meal. While food had been plentiful aboard the spaceship that had brought her here, she had spent most of her time gazing out the large viewscreen in the women’s quarters, anxious for her first