Possessive Alien Mate(Savage Martians #2) - Sue Mercury Page 0,30

her relief, he wasn’t hurting her. Considering the waves of anger she felt radiating off him, his touch was remarkably gentle.

“Tell me, Tyra. Tell me why you lied. I expect an explanation—a truthful one. Don’t you dare tell me any additional lies.”

She shivered at the coldness of his tone.

“I-I’ve never gotten along with my uncle. He’s not a very nice man. I don’t wish to speak to him ever again. And while my aunt usually treated me with kindness, she always made excuses for my uncle whenever he treated me poorly.”

His expression remained hard. He didn’t appear very convinced by her explanation. “Why didn’t you simply tell me about your poor relationship with your uncle when I first asked if you would like to contact your family on Earth? Why tell a lie?”

Her mouth went dry and she fumbled for a response. His grip on her shoulders tightened a bit, but he still wasn’t hurting her. He leaned down until his face was nearly level with hers. It took all her self-control not to take a step back.

“I came to Mars looking for a new life,” she finally said. “I didn’t wish to speak about my uncle with you, so… that’s why I lied. It seemed harmless at the time. I didn’t know you were going to check on whether or not I was telling you the truth.”

He growled. “I didn’t expect to catch you in a lie, Tyra. That is not why I contacted Martian Affairs in Zone 15. I contacted them because I wished to provide your aunt and uncle with a video comm so that you might be able to contact them. It wasn’t until Martian Affairs showed up to install one in their home, that they realized your family already owned one.”

“I…” Her voice trailed off as the gravity of the situation fell upon her. He’d tried to do something nice for her, only to discover she’d been dishonest with him. Oh, how she wished she could go back and retract the lie. Wished she could go back to the first day they’d met and just tell him the truth, even if doing so led to more painful questions she didn’t wish to answer. At least he wouldn’t be upset with her right now.

Some of the anger faded from his eyes, but the emotion that replaced it next broke her heart—disappointment.

“I-I am so sorry, Rem. Truly, I am,” she said, her voice wavering with anguish. It occurred to her that she had grown so used to telling little white lies over the years—to her aunt and uncle—that she hadn’t stopped to consider how Rem might feel should he discover the untruth. Except maybe this wasn’t a little white lie. They were mated now. Shouldn’t she open up to him? Tell him more about her past?

“Have you lied about anything else?” he asked.

“No, I-I don’t think so. Please, Rem, please don’t be angry with me.” She despaired over the way she sounded. She sounded weak and groveling, the way she had often sounded as she begged her uncle not to make her wait on a specific table—because certain patrons always got handsy with her—or as she tried to reason with him regarding the disgusting auction he’d planned.

Rem cupped her face and leaned closer. “Promise me,” he said in a serious tone. “Promise me that you will be completely honest with me going forward. No more lies.”

“I promise.”

Relief filled her when his expression grew more relaxed.

After a moment, he nodded. “Good.”

Although he’d grown calmer, tension still blanketed the room. She struggled for breath as a fresh wave of nerves overcame her.

Where did they go from here?

She had never had a boyfriend before and she didn’t have any real relationship experience. She didn’t know what else she could say to bring closure to this conversation. Should she apologize again?

“Tomorrow, I am due to return to work,” he said. “During my absence, you are not to leave this house, not even to go on a walk. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand,” she replied, even as her heart sank.

“Good. Now, it’s time for bed.”

Chapter 16

Tyra had broken his trust. Rem appreciated that she’d apologized and finally told him the truth, but he still had a difficult time understanding her reason for lying in the first place. To him, it seemed a simple thing to admit she had poor relations with her uncle and therefore had no wish to contact him or speak of the matter further. He would have accepted this