Page 37 of Loving the Alien Spy

My heart skips a beat at the admission. I duck my head as my cheeks heat. “I’ve missed you too.”

Saying it out loud cements the fact even further. I have missed Bannik. Not just the way he makes me feel when we kiss and touch, but being in his presence soothes me in a way I didn’t fully recognize until this moment.

His warm, callused palm cradles my jaw, and he slides his fingers through the length of my hair. A shiver courses down my spine and across the back of my neck. My nipples harden, and a throbbing beat begins between my thighs.

“I am glad to hear this.” Bannik’s thumb caresses my skin in a gentle sweeping movement, and I lean into his touch.

His gaze skates down my body like he knows exactly how he’s affecting me. I can’t find it in me to be embarrassed either. Whyshould I? We’re mates who’ve already orgasmed together, and I’m completely on board to do it again. Soon. Somehow, I keep forgetting I’m supposed to be annoyed with him.

“I was coming to find you and thought perhaps we could go for a walk, if you don’t have anywhere else to be,” Bannik says.

“A walk would be lovely.”

To my surprise, he takes my hand and threads his fingers through mine. I shiver slightly at the way his calluses abrade my skin, but I like it. The few guys I’ve been with weren’t more than a night of lackluster sex, so I’ve never actually had someone hold my hand in this way.

“You said you’ve been busy with guard duty. Is everything all right? There aren’t any problems, are there?”

Bannik glances at me. “Nothing more than usual. A few altercations at one of the taverns that have needed breaking up, and now that port has reopened, we have increased guard presence there to ensure general safety protocols are adhered to.”

“I forget that ships often come to Preska for trading and refueling. It was one of the things we learned about on the flight here from Earth.”

“It’s not the biggest spaceport on Bohna, but there are enough off-world visitors that the presence of patrolling guards is necessary.”

We pass Bohnari and various other species on the streets, but no one pays us much attention other than a few of the guards out on patrol, who don’t appear too happy. I’m not sure if it’s Bannik they’re not pleased with or the fact that he and I are together,leaving one less woman potentially available to one of them. I feel bad there were only twenty of us to choose from, considering there are thousands of males on this planet searching for a mate.

“Do you know why Alik only asked for twenty women to be chosen?” It’s an abrupt shift in topic, which is obvious from the way Bannik blinks in clear confusion.

“I’m afraid I do not. If he shared that information with anyone, it wasn’t with me. Nor do I believe any of the other guards knows, aside from, perhaps, Horek.”

I nod in agreement. “I don’t know why the question suddenly popped into my head.”

“The question is a valid one, considering the number of males wishing for a mate far exceeds the number of females available,” Bannik agrees. “Perhaps the prince had every intention of requesting more volunteers once the rebellion had been squashed and the females already here had found a mate.”

“That makes sense. I mean, I can’t imagine how hard it is to see other Bohnari being mated, while you’re forced to rely on the kanet powder. It has to be difficult.”

He squeezes my hand gently. “My mate has a good and kind heart.”

“I try to.”

We pass through the market square, and Bannik slows when we reach the same flower and plant vendor where he purchased my gift for me.

“Would you like to see what he has today? Perhaps a new addition to your home garden is needed?”

I laugh. “You sound like Devon. She’s an enabler too, when it comes to encouraging me to buy more flowers for my apartment.”

“They clearly bring you joy, so what is the harm? We should all surround ourselves with the things we love.” Bannik’s tone goes soft, and I glance at him.

God, the way he’s watching me has me wondering if there’s a deeper meaning to his words. I know the connection between a Bohnari male and his heart’s fire is so much more than a regular mating. It transcends every emotion and both life and death. I don’t know that I ever believed in fate or destiny before, but sometimes, like when Bannik looks at me the way he is in this moment, it’s not hard to imagine it exists.

“What has you so deep in thought?” he asks with a slight head tilt.

“Just how glad I am that my name was picked in the lottery to come here.” With my free hand, I cradle his jaw and rise up on the balls of my feet so I can reach his lips. The kiss is brief, but I still feel it all the way to my toes.

When it’s over, Bannik caresses my damp and, no doubt, shiny mouth with his thumb. “I am equally as glad. You are everything that has been missing in my life.”

As if whatever reservations or misgivings I’ve been having slide away, I want nothing more than to become his heart’s fire in truth. So many unspoken truths still lie silent between us, but I have to stop thinking about them and trust my mate the way Quinn and Olivia trust theirs. It’s like they both said—there is nothing a Bohnari won’t do to make sure his heart’s fire is happy, protected, and knows they’re his whole world.

“The loneliness I sometimes feel disappears when I’m with you.” It’s a hard admission to make. Being lonely, I mean.