Victoria and the Alien Doctor (Intergalactic Brides 2) (3 page)

When they arrived at the hotel, he took Evie from her and led the way to his suite on the top floor. The view outside his living room window was breathtaking, unlike anything Victoria had seen before. She followed him into the second bedroom, where he gently tucked Evie into bed. The bed would be plenty big enough for her, but she didn’t dare sleep with her daughter for fear of hurting her if she accidentally bumped Evie’s leg or arms. It wouldn’t take much to fracture a bone and Victoria was a restless sleeper.

“I’ll have Ned bring your things up,” he said as they backed out of the room.

“I’ll take the couch,” Victoria said.

Xonos frowned. “Why the couch?”

“If I sleep with Evie, I might hurt her. I’ve slept in worse places than your couch. It won’t be a hardship. I bet it’s more comfortable than any of the beds I’ve slept in before.”

“You’ll be sharing a bed with me soon enough. You might as well sleep there. I promise to keep my hands to myself, if it will ease your mind. I’ll not expect anything of you.”

“Until we’re mated?” Her heart fluttered in her chest at the thought of sharing a bed with him, whether sex was involved or not. What would it be like to wake up in those muscular arms?

He nodded. “Even then, I don’t expect you to just jump right in. I know we need to get to know one another before things progress between us. I’m willing to give you the time you need, as long as I have your assurance that we will be intimate at some point in the future.”

“Thank you,” she said softly.
Please don’t embarrass yourself and try to cuddle him in the middle of the night
.

Ned returned a few minutes later with their belongings and Xonos carried Evie’s to her room and Victoria’s to his, leaving the box in the living room. She reached inside and pulled out the few pictures she had of Evie and her and placed them around the room, putting one in her daughter’s room on the dresser. She wanted Evie to feel at home when she woke in a strange place.

The rooms were spacious, with furnishings nicer than anything she’d seen before, except for in shop windows when she’d gone uptown. When everything was put away, and Evie’s clothes had been placed in the dresser, she returned to the living room where Xonos was staring out the window.

“You should get some rest,” he said. “We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Evie can come with you to the clinic in the morning and we’ll take your blood. I’ll need several vials; the tests are extensive. You’ll also need a wellness exam, but if you’d prefer, I can ask my assistant to handle it. I don’t want things to be awkward between us.”

She felt her cheeks warm. “If I have to remove my clothes, I’d rather you do it.”

He nodded.

“Are you coming to bed?” she asked.

“In a little while. I need to contact Syl. Even though the hour grows late, I want to discuss the situation with him, see if he’ll do some research tomorrow and start working on a cure for Evie. It may take him some time, but since time isn’t on our side, I’ll see what I can do to prolong her life while he works in his lab.”

“I seem to be saying
thank you
an awful lot, but thank you, Xonos. You’re the answer to my prayers.”

He gave her another nod with a small smile and she hurried into the bedroom, where she closed the door and changed back into her pajamas. After putting her clothes in the dresser, she pulled down the covers and slipped into bed, not even bothering to turn out the light. She wasn’t sure how well Xonos could see in the dark and didn’t want him to bump into the furniture when he finally came to bed.

Closing her eyes, she breathed a heavy sigh and settled into the softest bed she’d ever slept in. Yes, she was pledging herself to a man she didn’t know, but it was a small price to pay if it meant her daughter would live and would get to experience things Victoria would never be able to give her. And he wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes. If just one look made her warm from the inside out, what would happen when he kissed her?

Maybe things were finally turning around for them.

A cry pierced the air and Xonos leapt to his feet, his future mate bolting upright in bed. She scrambled out from under the covers and went running through the suite before he could stop her. Following, he realized she was going to Evie’s room, having recognized her daughter’s cry. He quickly made sure his loose sleep pants were still sitting at his waist, and hiding his semi-erect state, before stepping inside the little girl’s room.

She clung to her mother, tears streaking her cheeks. “I thought you’d left me,” Evie cried.

“Never, precious,” Victoria assured her. “You remember Mr. Xonos, don’t you? From the Terran station?”

Xonos cleared his throat. “Just Xonos is fine.”

“Why are we here?” Evie asked in a small voice, eyeing him over her mother’s shoulder.

“We’re going to live with Xonos for a while, maybe forever. Would you like that? To keep this room for your own?”

The little girl nodded, slowly extracted herself from her mother’s arms and came to stand in front of Xonos. She reached up with her little arms, and he bent to pick her up. Immediately, she hugged him tight and he returned her affectionate embrace, careful not to hurt her fragile body.

“What do you say we order breakfast before we start our day?” he asked.

Evie nodded and he carried her out of the room, picked up the phone, and ordered one of everything on the menu. He wanted to start the day off right, and his new family needed to eat a nice, big, healthy meal. Especially if they were going to keep up with him today. He’d just have to keep an eye on Evie and make sure she didn’t tire too quickly.

When breakfast arrived, Evie helped lift the silver domes, her eyes going wide at the variety of foods available to her. He wondered if she’d ever had an omelet before, or when the last time was she’d gotten to indulge in a sweet, syrupy waffle. She seemed hesitant to reach for anything, so he piled several things on her plate with the assurance she could have more if she finished everything.

There were tears in Victoria’s eyes as she watched him serve her daughter, and he wondered if it hurt her pride that she hadn’t been the one to provide such bounty for her daughter. He could tell she was an independent woman, someone used to standing on her own two feet and having to fight for everything they had. He admired her for it, but those times were about to change. She had him now, at least, as long as the blood work came back okay.

“This is really all for me?” Evie asked as she picked up her fork and poked at the omelet on her plate.

“It’s all for you,” Xonos assured her. “And I can promise there will be just as much food at lunch today. Maybe we’ll stop at a restaurant and you can pick anything you want from the menu.”

Her eyes lit up. “Even dessert?”

He couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. “Yes, even dessert.”

“Mommy, you should try this,” Evie said, shoveling a bite of the ham and cheese omelet into her mouth.

Victoria had yet to fill her plate and Xonos took over the task. She tried to protest as the plate overflowed with food, but he didn’t stop until she had nearly one of everything to choose from. He set the plate down in front of her and then took to the task of filling his own. But he kept an eye on his two girls, making sure both were eating well.

It was strange. He was single yesterday and had planned to stay that way, but when he’d woken in the middle of the night with Victoria wrapped in his arms, something inside of him had shifted. He’d never held a woman before, not like that. Sure, he’d been with women at the floating brothel near Terran, but those were quick encounters meant to alleviate some stress and lacked intimacy. There was something almost sweet about having her snuggle close to his chest, giving him her trust.

When he’d previously contemplated having a mate, he’d thought it would be nice to have a woman in his bed every night and someone to share his days with. He’d never stopped to think how having a woman in his life would make him feel. Sure, he’d thought about the physical aspect of it but not about the emotions involved. After just one night, he wasn’t sure he could keep their deal strictly that. If what he’d felt stirring inside of him when he’d woken to her soft body pressed to his, her breath caressing his bare chest, was a hint of things to come, then he could guarantee that feelings would definitely be involved, and probably sooner than he’d ever thought possible. He already admired her for her strength and the care she gave her daughter. It wouldn’t take much for him to grow to love her.

Love. He nearly snorted. He’d seen the mates on Terran and knew the Terran males were capable of such an emotion, but he’d never thought he’d be one of them, not even when he’d wanted a mate before. He’d just wanted companionship and a warm body at night. No more trips to the brothel. But he had a feeling that with Victoria in his life, he was getting so much more.

Evie finished her food and popped up from the table. “May I be excused?”

“Of course.” Xonos fought a smile at how adorable and well-mannered she was. He hadn’t expected such a thing of someone so small. “And where are you off to?”

“I want to get ready so we can go shopping.”

Shopping? Victoria must have mentioned it to her while Xonos was lost in thought. Even though her skin was ashen and her bones poked through, the light in her eyes at that moment made her truly beautiful. He gave her a nod and she dashed back into her room, pushing the door shut. He could hear her opening drawers and then heard the shower start in her connected bathroom.

He gave Victoria a surprised look. “She can bathe herself?”

“She’s five, Xonos. Of course, she can bathe herself.”

It seemed there was a lot he needed to learn about children, particularly small ones. He knew about the anatomy of small humans, but he’d never bothered to study their mannerisms. It seemed he’d been missing out. If he was going to be a father to Evie, there was a lot he needed to absorb from books and observation. He wanted to be a good father, someone she could look up to, someone she could one day love. Victoria had said the child had never had a father, and he wanted to make up for all that she had missed in the first five years of her life.

Victoria pushed her still half full plate away.

“You aren’t done, are you?” he asked.

“I’m not used to eating a lot. Small stomach.”

He nodded but wasn’t pleased with her answer. If he had any say in the matter, within the next few weeks, she’d be cleaning her plate. She wasn’t frail looking like her daughter, but Victoria could certainly stand to gain a little weight. At least now he understood why she was so small. It wasn’t because she was on some fad diet, but because she hadn’t been able to afford to feed her child and herself. He didn’t like the thought of the two of them starving or living in that awful place he’d found them in last night. They deserved so much better, and he intended to see that they had it.

“I’m going to go shower,” she said, pushing back her chair. “Give me a half hour to get ready and then I’ll watch Evie while you get ready. Not that she would do anything but watch TV. We only had the basic channels, but I’m sure you have much more to offer her. She loves cartoons.”

“Then I’ll find something for her to watch while you get ready.”

Xonos finished his meal and turned on the TV. As he surfed through the channels, he called room service to have their leftover food taken away. When he found some cartoons that looked age appropriate, he set down the remote and went to knock on Evie’s door. But before his fist could connect with the wood, it swung open and she bounced into the living room, wearing pink from head to toe.

“You seem to have a lot of energy this morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked, remembering how sickly she’d appeared yesterday.

“I have good days and bad ones. I don’t feel as tired as usual, not right now.”

This meant she could feel that way later. He’d have to ask Victoria about the medicine she said the child needed. Even if they weren’t mated yet, he could ensure she had the proper pills. Getting medication for the child was different from healing her. There was no sense in him watching her waste away if he could do something about it. He’d spoken to Syl for an hour last night and they had agreed that even before the mating papers were done, the scientist would begin researching Evie’s disease to see if they could at least slow it down while he found a cure. If anyone could cure Evie, it was Syl. The man was beyond brilliant.

Syl… He still had Terran connections and was allowed to work for the Terran station, even though at first he’d been told he would be completely cut off. What were the chances that the same would happen for Xonos if he decided to stay on Earth and assimilate? Would the council turn their backs on him if he pulled away in order to mate with Victoria? He’d go through the proper channels first, but if things didn’t work out… it was something to think about.

Victoria opened the bedroom door and stepped into the living room wearing another pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Did the woman not own anything else? He’d have to make sure she bought plenty of clothes today, not just for Evie but for herself as well. If they’d been shopping in secondhand stores all this time, he would imagine the local boutiques would be a treat, and Xonos could certainly afford it. Doctors were very well paid on his planet, since their skills were required to keep the warriors in top shape.

“We need to stop by the clinic before we go shopping,” he reminded Victoria. “We can get your bloodwork and exam out of the way. My assistant can run the tests on your blood. We won’t have to wait around for the results.”

“You don’t want to know if I’m allowed to be your mate before you spend money on us?” Victoria asked.

Xonos shook his head. “It isn’t important. Making sure the two of you have everything you need is more pressing. And I mean everything. If you have outstanding prescriptions for Evie, give them to my assistant.”

Color flooded her cheeks and she tightened her lips, but he knew she wouldn’t argue, not when it was for her daughter. Victoria was a good mom, doing the best she could, but the best wasn’t good enough anymore. She needed help, even if she didn’t want to admit it. She’d made the first step, agreeing to move in with him, so he had no doubt that she would accept whatever help he offered. At least, when it came to her daughter. Accepting things for herself might be another matter.