Close Obsession (26 page)

Cautiously sniffing it, Mia’s dad took a sip. “This actually tastes good.” He sounded surprised.

“Most of our medicines do.”

Bringing the cup to his mouth, her dad drank the rest of the water. Almost immediately, Mia could see the tense muscles around his jawline relaxing. Smiling at him, she said, “It’s working, right? You can feel it right away.”

Her dad looked pleasantly surprised, and her mom’s face was shining with happiness. “Yes. It seems to be instant.” Turning to Korum, he said, “Thank you. That was very nice of you.”

“Of course,” Korum said softly. “I would do anything for Mia and the people she loves.”

Chapter 16

“I have to talk to my sister too,” Mia said as she got into the car and waved goodbye to her parents. Her mom was holding Mocha, who very nearly followed them out, having developed an inexplicable doggy crush on Korum. “I know mom is calling her right now, but I’d like her to hear it from me as well. I told her something earlier, and I would really like a chance to explain, so she doesn’t get the wrong idea about our relationship.”

“What did you tell her?” Korum asked, smoothly pulling out of the driveway. He drove like he did everything else – with skill and efficiency.

“I told her I had a lover who was from Dubai,” Mia admitted, blushing a little. “And I said that things wouldn’t work out between us because he had to leave soon.”

“I see,” Korum said, and there was a noticeable chill in his voice. “And when did you tell her this?”

Crap
. She really shouldn’t have brought this up – but it was too late now. “When I thought you might be leaving for Krina,” she confessed. “Before, you know . . .”

“Before your betrayal?”

Mia sucked in her breath. “Are you still mad at me? You said you’d let it go . . .”

“I let it go as far as I’m not going to punish you for it. But I can’t quite forget it, my sweet. Not yet.”

Mia bit her lip, feeling upset. “I don’t understand you sometimes,” she said quietly. “One minute you’re so nice to me and my family, and the next you’re talking about punishing me for a situation that wasn’t exactly my fault – a situation that you manipulated to your advantage. What did you expect me to do? Just calmly accept the fact that I might end up as a sex slave?”

“You could’ve talked to me at any point and asked me whether it’s true.” He kept his eyes on the road, but Mia could see a tiny twitch in his tightly clenched jaw muscle.

“And if it were? What would I have done then? I would’ve endangered John and everyone in the Resistance and lost my only chance to help them and myself.”

“At what point did I ever treat you as a sex slave?” Korum asked, and his even tone made her shiver a little. He was still not looking at her. “I gave you everything, Mia, and you kept acting like I was a villain.”

Mia swallowed. “You knew I was afraid in the beginning, and you didn’t give me any choice,” she said, feeling old resentment rising up. “And besides, what is a charl, really? What rights do I have in your society? I know you don’t treat me poorly, but you could, right? If you wanted to keep me locked up in your house, would anyone stop you?”

He didn’t answer, and she could see his jaw tighten further.

They turned off Granada Boulevard onto A1A, and he drove for another few minutes before pulling into the winding driveway of a large beachfront mansion. At their approach, the wrought-iron gates swung open, letting them through.

“Where are we?” asked Mia, breaking the tense silence. She felt sick in her stomach. She hated arguing with Korum, and the last few days had been so nice, so peaceful. Why had she stupidly reminded him of what happened before?

The car came to a stop, and he put the clutch in “park” mode before turning to look at her. “Come here,” he said roughly, burying his hand in her hair and leaning over to give her a deep, penetrating kiss. By the time he let her come up for air, Mia was melting bonelessly into him, almost trembling with need.

Letting her go, he climbed out of the car and came around to open the passenger door. Mia climbed out on somewhat unsteady legs as he watched her with hungry gold-tinted eyes.

She looked up at him.

“We’re in a house I rented for the week,” he told her. “Let’s go inside.” And taking her hand, he led her up the steps and into the stately white building.

The interior of their “rental house” could’ve easily been featured in
Architectural Digest
magazine, with its sharply designed white furniture and open layout with gleaming hardwood floors. One wall – the one facing the ocean – was made entirely of glass and provided a breathtaking view.

Turning Mia toward him, Korum bent down and kissed her again, lightly. “Why don’t you go call your sister now?” he suggested, and his voice sounded a little hoarse. “When you come back, I have some plans for you.”

* * *

Trying to calm her elevated heartbeat, Mia walked upstairs and into a room where she spotted an old-fashioned landline phone. When she was sure she had herself sufficiently under control and could think of something besides Korum’s plans, she called her sister, dialing her cell phone number from memory.

Marisa picked up on the fifth ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, Marisa, it’s me . . .”

“Mia? I was just on the phone with mom! Holy shit! You’re dating a K?!?”

Mia sighed. “Yep. Listen, remember that thing I told you?”

“About your supposed wealthy executive lover?” Her sister’s tone sounded caustic. “Yes, I remember perfectly.”

Mia winced. “Well, I was not fully honest with you –”

“No shit!”

“I’m sorry,” Mia said sincerely. “I really thought he might leave for Krina at that point and I would never see him again. I needed to talk to someone, but I just didn’t feel like I could tell the whole story . . .”

For a second, there was silence. “Mia,” Marisa said, sounding upset, “you can always tell me the whole story, even if it’s worthy of being on the cover of
National Geographic
. I’m your sister, and if anyone can understand, it would be me.”

Mia squeezed her eyes shut, feeling ashamed. “I know. I’m sorry. There was just a lot going on and I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time –”

“What
was
going on? And what changed? How did it go from ‘this can never work out’ to meeting the parents and spending the summer in Costa Rica?”

“We worked out our differences,” Mia said, not wanting to go into the particulars. “And he’s staying here, on Earth.”

There was again silence for a second. Then her sister said, “Seriously, Mia? A K? You couldn’t choose someone of the same species?”

Mia smiled, relieved. The worst seemed to be over. “I know, it’s insane –”

“Insane is putting it mildly,” Marisa said seriously. “Freaking awesome is how I would phrase it.”

Mia laughed, startled. “What?”

“My baby sis is dating a super-hot, wealthy alien genius who just cured dad’s migraines? Hell yeah, it’s fucking amazing!”

Mia couldn’t believe her ears. “You’re not going to read me a lecture and tell me how foolish I am to get involved with someone so dangerous and not human, and blah, blah, blah?”

“Oh please, I’m sure parents already did that. What can I say that’ll be in any way additive? No, baby sis, I’m happy for you. You’ve walked the straight and narrow for way too long. A little danger and spice in your life is exactly what you need. And besides, from what mom tells me, he’s unbelievably gorgeous and has been around since the dawn of time. It really doesn’t get any cooler than that . . . I can’t wait to meet him!”

Mia grinned hugely. Her sister always managed to surprise her. “You’re the best sister ever,” she told Marisa. “So when am I seeing you and Connor?”

“Tonight at six. Apparently, your extraterrestrial lover invited the whole family for dinner.”

“He did? When?” Mia couldn’t remember him doing anything of the sort.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t there. Shouldn’t
you
be the one to know? I thought he did it at your request . . .”

“Um . . . he takes initiative a lot when it comes to these things.” Too much, considering that Mia didn’t even know about the invitation. He must’ve talked to her parents when she visited the restroom. “So are we meeting at a restaurant somewhere?”

“It’s kind of crazy that I’m the one telling you this, Mia.” Marisa sounded like she was laughing. “We’re coming over to your rental house. He’s cooking. Still doesn’t ring a bell?”

“That does sound like something Korum would do.” Mia smiled, even though Marisa couldn’t see her. “You’re in for a treat – he’s an amazing cook.”

“And does the laundry, right? Unless you made up that part too?”

“Nope,” Mia said, grinning. “He definitely did the laundry when we were in New York. He has this weird thing for human appliances. I think it mostly has to do with his cooking hobby, which is strange in and of itself. They have these intelligent houses that
cook
for them, Marisa. He doesn’t need to lift a finger to have gourmet meals, and yet he does –”

“Oh my God, where can I find a K for myself? I’m already in love and I haven’t even met the guy yet!”

Mia burst out laughing. “Hey, this one’s taken! And besides, wouldn’t Connor have something to say about his pregnant wife hooking up with an alien?”

“Connor would gladly give his pregnant wife to an alien right about now,” Marisa said, and Mia could hear the serious undertone in her voice. “I’m so moody these days that he’s slinking around the house like I might bite him. Which I might, at any moment. My emotions are beyond wacky. Don’t get pregnant, sis – it’s so not fun . . .”

Mia immediately sobered up. “Oh, Marisa, I’m so selfish. I haven’t even asked you how you’re feeling!”

“Well, I didn’t exactly give you a chance, did I? But yeah, I’m still feeling crappy. The nausea is just not going away. I lost another pound in the last week. The doctor doesn’t know what to do. I’ve been resting a lot, I tried yoga and meditation – none of it seems to work.”

“Oh Marisa . . .”

“Think your boyfriend could help with that?” her sister joked.

“I don’t know,” Mia said seriously. “Maybe. I’ll ask him. He’s not a doctor, but he might have access to one of their wonder drugs.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that . . . I was just kidding –”

“Well, I’m not. I’ll ask him right now.”

“Mia, please, that’ll be embarrassing. I’m sure I’ll get over it in another few weeks . . .”

“Uh-huh,” Mia said. “By then you’ll be skin and bones, if you aren’t already. You don’t exactly have a ton of fat to spare.”

She could hear Marisa sighing with what sounded like exasperation. “Fine, you can ask, I guess. I just don’t want him to feel like we’re taking advantage of him –”

“Oh please, Korum
offered
the migraine cure to dad. I didn’t even know there was such a thing, much less that he brought it with him. Stop worrying, please – it’s not good for you right now.”

“Fine, fine . . .” Her sister sounded distracted all of a sudden. “Hold on, babe, I’m talking to Mia!”

“You have to go?” Mia guessed.

“Oh, it’s just Connor . . . We were supposed to go grocery shopping when mom called and then you . . .”

“Oh, well, go then. We’ll see each other tonight. I can’t wait!”

“Me too. Love you, baby sis! See you soon!”

“Love you too!” And hanging up the phone, Mia went to look for Korum.

She found him outside, swimming in the Olympic-sized infinity pool that apparently came with the property. He was gliding through the water like a shark, moving with unbelievable speed.

“Hi,” Mia called out, and then remembered the mysterious plans he had for her. Was it something sexual? Her breathing quickened at the thought. Telling herself to focus on Marisa, she decided to ask Korum about the medication right away, before he had a chance to implement whatever those plans were.

Swimming up to the edge of the pool, Korum lifted himself out effortlessly, using only his arms. His black hair was wet and slicked back against his skull, and water droplets glittered like tiny diamonds on his golden skin. He looked mouthwateringly sexy, and Mia swallowed, realizing yet again just how gorgeous her lover truly was. Walking toward the edge of the pool, she sat down on one of the lounge chairs conveniently placed there.

“Hi yourself,” he said, smiling at her warmly and sitting down on the chair next to her. He seemed to have forgotten about their earlier disagreement, and Mia smiled back at him, relieved.

It seemed like as good of a time as any to ask about Marisa. “Do you know anything about pregnant women?” she blurted out, and then flushed for some reason.

Korum’s eyebrows rose, and he looked amused. “I assume you’re talking about your sister?”

Mia nodded. “She’s having a difficult pregnancy. Really bad nausea and all. I was wondering if maybe you might have some anti-nausea medication or something that might settle her stomach . . .”