Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
I continued. “On our orientation on the way here, they told us we needed to get it within seventy-two hours of arrival, or we could get sick and die. I thought maybe you knew but as the clock’s been ticking louder and louder it’s become obvious that you don’t know.”
“It’s not true. What the hell are they playing at?”
“What do you mean it’s not true?”
“You’re already immune.”
“Are you sure?”
“Those bastards,” Zane’s eyes were huge, and he looked absolutely livid.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out as I processed this news.
“Those fucking bastards,” he shouted and then he stared at me, frozen for a second.
I swallowed hard. Really? It wasn’t true?
“This is why you’ve been in a panic, trying to seduce me.”
I winced, closing my eyes tight. When I opened them, I could see he was dialing on his phone. I didn’t know who he was calling. My heart was galloping so hard I was afraid it might burst out of my chest.
“Spar?” Zane snapped, “What’s this garbage those Earth men have fed these girls? Tanya and the girls on her ship were told they had to fuck a Phallyxian within 3 days otherwise catch the virus that killed our females.”
He was quiet a minute, listening to his phone before finishing with, “Can you disseminate the information for anyone who doesn’t yet know? Oh. All right. I’ll call you later. I have to deal with her.” He ended the call and his eyes burned into me. He shook his head, a look of intensity aimed at me.
Yikes. His eyes were frosty and on me. The prisms reflected in his eyes I’d already thought could be like diamonds. I could see right now that they could also be like icebergs.
“No need to disseminate that information because there are no unmarried women from your group. Except not knowing about the missing ones. No wonder you burst into tears when I stopped you before you could climb on my cock the other night.”
I gasped. “Don’t be rude!”
“This is why you’ve been flirting.”
Oh God. He thought I was using him, that I was a fake. He was looking at me like I was trash. And the worst part was that I felt like trash!
“It’s not just because of that. I’m not… just using you, Zane. Honestly I’m not.”
He folded his arms and stared at me.
“I… I know you don’t trust my planet. I know that no amends could ever make up for what you’ve been through but---”
“No. No amends can ever be made.”
I blinked. “I thought I had just a few more hours otherwise I’d get sick and die, and I---”
“You thought you’d ask me to take pity on you and give you your fucking since you hadn’t been able to trick me into it?”
My eyes dropped to the carpet. “It wasn’t like that. I mean… it was, but it wasn’t.”
“Tanya. Look at me, little fox.”
“Fox?”
“Your hair looks just like those little foxes in shade. And the coy little female? How she prances around for attention?”
“I don’t do that!”
“No?”
My heart sank. “Okay, maybe I’ve been doing that, but you don’t understand, let me explain. Damn it, I can’t believe my planet lied to me about that,” I said, with shame. “I’ve been crazy with worry for no good reason and---”
“You’ve been willing to marry me. Until two minutes ago when you found out you didn’t have to fuck me to die you were willing to marry a man you barely know. The time we’ve spent together I’ve been trying to get to know you, to explore whether we had the possibility for a future. And all the while I’ve been doing that, you’ve been trying to figure out how to get me to fuck you.”
I winced. This was not going how I’d planned it. I mean, it was never a well-laid out plan. It was a panicky reaction out of necessity. Out of survival.
“What if you weren’t worried you’d die if I didn’t fuck you? What then?”
“Y-you’re amazing, Zane. I’m not just blowing smoke.”
“Blowing smoke?” He looked pissed.
I hated this.
“I’m not just saying that, sweet-talking you…”
He scratched his head thoughtfully. “I was manipulated into my first marriage. You’ve been trying to manipulate me into my second.”
My world tilted. I gasped. “What? No! It’s not like that.”
He shook his head, his eyes traveling over my face.
“Isn’t that what you’ve been doing?” Zane’s face went sour and he swallowed, looking over me from head to toe, looking… disappointed.
I blinked. And then I got angry. And I rarely, if ever, expressed my anger in life. But the dam burst. I guessed it leaked a little with Zane’s dad that morning, but now? Now it was gushing.
“Okay, so maybe a bit like that, but you… you! Y-you ran in there and carried me out of there without even saying hello to me. Because you were under the influence of some pheromones or whatever. And I’m under the influence of something else – fear for my life! I was the one you grabbed and then you brought me here and introduced me to that beautiful little boy who has been practically pleading with me both verbally and with his eyes to be his mother.”