the pale golden color, so unlike his own. She would never be able to blend in with his people. Her black hair and fair skin would elicit stares wherever she went. His people would think of her as an oddity, but he thought her the loveliest creature he had ever seen.
He tangled one hand in the silk of her hair. "Had I never met you, I would have gottenAdana with child and never spared her another thought. Until now, I never questioned the ways of my people, never had any desire to share my life with a woman." His fingertips traced her lower lip. "Such a thing is unheard of where I come from. But now..."
He swallowed hard, wishing he had the words to express the feelings in his heart, but words of love, like the concept of marriage, were foreign to him.
"Lainey, Lainey..." He murmured her name as he slowly undressed her.
No one had ever looked at her the way Micah did. He made her feel as if she were the most precious thing in his life, as if, by letting him hold her and caress her, she was giving him a gift beyond price.
"Lainey?"
The hesitation in his voice filled her with apprehension. "What?"
"Would you mind if... if..."
"Micah, you're scaring me."
"I want to make love to you in my own skin, so to speak."
"Oh," she said, her breath expelling in relief. "Is that all?"
"It's all right then?"
"Yes." She smiled her assurance, though she harbored a small doubt, wondering if Xanthian male anatomy would be different from that of males from Earth.
Micah closed his eyes and she felt him relax beside her, saw the gradual changes take place as his hair grew lighter, his skin darker. Watching him, she couldn't help wondering if all the men of Xanthia were as ruggedly handsome of face and form as Micah.
He stood for a moment, quickly stripping off his clothes, and Lainey breathed a small sigh of relief. He had all the right equipment in the usual place.
"Still sure?" he asked.
There was a hint of amusement in his voice, but she saw the wariness lurking in the depths of his silver-blue eyes as her gaze skimmed over him from head to heel. With a shy smile, she held out her arms.
Micah went to her eagerly, his arms wrapping around her, content, for the moment, just to hold her close.
Lainey's hands wandered over his back and broad shoulders, loving the solid muscular heat of him, the low murmur of pleasure that rumbled in his throat when she brushed her lips across his chest. The blue glow that emanated from his skin shadowed hers as well. Idly, she noticed that the glow seemed brighter when he was aroused.
He let her tease and torment him until he was on fire for her, until he trembled with the need to possess her, to be a part of her, body and soul, and then he turned the tables on her, bringing her to the brink until she sobbed his name, her fingernails raking the length of his back as she arched against him in silent invitation.
Micah took her then, slowly and deliberately, until they were joined flesh to flesh, their hearts beating as one, and as his life filled her, he knew he had finally found what he'd been searching for.
Part One Chapter Thirteen
Lainey's mother phoned the next morning. It was an awkward conversation. Lainey was angry with herself for feeling guilty about Micah, and angry with her mother for making her feel that way. To her credit, Dolores didn't ask if Micah was living there, perhaps because she didn't want to know the answer. Lainey was on the verge of tears when she hung up.
"Is something wrong?" Micah asked.
"Not really. I guess my mother's disappointed in me."
Micah lifted one brow in question. "Disappointed?"
Lainey shrugged. "She doesn't approve of your being here."
Micah clenched his hands into tight fists as a fierce ache welled in his chest. "Do you want me to go?"
"No! No."
"Are you sure, Lainey? I don't want to cause trouble between you and your parents."
"I'm sure."
The next few days passed uneventfully. Micah slid effortlessly into Lainey's life, making it richer and more rewarding by his mere presence alone.
She would have preferred to spend every moment in his arms, but she had a contract to fulfill and so she forced herself to spend each morning at the computer. Writing had been her only joy in life since her divorce, but now Micah was there, and there were