Victoria and the Alien Doctor (Intergalactic Brides 2) (5 page)

“No, Evie.” Xonos squeezed her hand. “You’re never going back to that apartment. You’re going to live with me from now on. Do you think you’d like that?”

“Like a family?”

“Just like a family.” He smiled.

Evie seemed to contemplate his words before speaking again. “If we’re going to be a family, does that make you my daddy?”

Tears gathered in Victoria’s eyes as she looked at her daughter’s hopeful expression. They’d discussed daddies more than once over the years, the little girl asking for one every Christmas. Victoria had finally explained that Santa couldn’t bring a daddy to Evie because a dad was someone special and she would find him when the time was right.

Xonos’ gaze never wavered from Evie’s, but even Victoria could see the emotion welling inside of him. He nodded and pulled Evie in for a hug, just tight enough to show that he cared but not so tight he would hurt her fragile bones.

“Okay, Daddy,” Evie said, pulling away and taking his hand. “We can go home.”

Xonos reached for Victoria with his other hand and led them to the waiting limo. Once inside, Evie cuddled up next to Xonos and rested her head against him, falling asleep before they reached the hotel. He carefully carried her up to their suite, with several hotel employees following with armfuls of shopping bags.

Victoria pushed Evie’s door open and watched as the large alien placed her daughter on the bed. Their daughter, she supposed. It seemed he was going to claim them even if the paperwork hadn’t gone through yet. It warmed her heart that Xonos was willing to play the role of daddy to a little girl who wasn’t his own. He’d been wonderful with her all day, listening to everything Evie had to say and taking her into the shops she seemed most interested in. If she could have handpicked a father for Evie, she couldn’t have found a better one than Xonos. After spending the day with him, she’d discovered that he was a kind, caring, very considerate male who seemed to want only the best for them.

She’d balked at the expensive clothing stores, insisting she didn’t need anything, but somehow he’d talked her into a new wardrobe, complete with shoes and matching purses. Matching
purses
! It still boggled Victoria’s mind. She’d never owned such pretty things before. Part of her said not to get used to it, that it could all be a dream and she’d wake up at any moment. The other half wanted to embrace this new life wholeheartedly.

It had seemed Xonos looked for an excuse to touch her throughout the day. Little touches, or hand holding, but it had been enough that by the time they were climbing in the limo she was more than ready to discuss the more intimate aspects of their relationship. With every touch, her heart raced and heat pooled low in her belly. He’d told her she could have as much time as she wanted, and she was truly grateful for that, but it had been a long time since she’d had a man in her life or her bed. She hadn’t slept with anyone since discovering she was pregnant with Evie, and that was five long years ago. More like six if you added the pregnancy to Evie’s age. It might be a good way for them to grow closer together.

Xonos eased out of the room while Victoria finished tucking in Evie, kissing her goodnight and then closing the door quietly. Xonos faced her, arms folded, looking pensive. She moved closer to him, placing a hand on his arm.

“Thank you for today,” she said.

“I’m worried it was too much for Evie. I should have paid closer attention and called a halt to our activities long ago. She was just so happy that for a moment I forgot she was a very sick little girl who needed her rest. It won’t happen again.”

Victoria’s lips tipped up on one corner. “Xonos, she’s fine. Yes, she probably overdid it today, but you gave her a magical day unlike anything she’s ever experienced. She may be tired and need to stay home tomorrow, but once her energy is back, she’ll be begging you to take her out again. You may regret all of those impulsive buys today because she’s going to think you can buy her whatever she wants whenever she wants. Evie isn’t used to getting things, and I’m worried it may become too much for her to handle. She wouldn’t mean to take advantage of you, but I don’t know that there’s a way to end her spending spree. You may have created a monster by giving her everything she’s ever wanted. She’s used to limits and you’ve blown right through them all.”

“If you’re worried about making a dent in my accounts, you can’t. I’m not the richest man on my planet, but the currency exchange rate for Terran money to Earth money is rather high. I changed out a few hundred thousand dollars. We didn’t spend enough today for me to even notice any is missing.”

Her jaw dropped. “A few hundred
thousand
?”

“I meant for us to stop long enough for me to transfer funds into your account. You do have one, don’t you?”

“Well, yes, but… I may have fifty dollars in it right now.”

Xonos frowned. “That won’t do.”

He pulled up someone on the Vid-Comm, giving instructions to transfer one hundred thousand Earth dollars into Victoria’s account. Her head was spinning from the amount and the extravagance of Xonos’ spending. To be able to move that much money around, simply because he wanted her to have funds, was beyond crazy. It was probably more than she would have earned in five years.

He ended the call and smiled at her. “Your funds will be available tomorrow. You can use them for whatever you want. Obviously, housing and transportation are taken care of, and any meals you eat here will be charged to the suite, but I don’t want you to feel trapped because of a lack of money. If Evie and you want to go out and do something, go do it. Just call or leave me a note so I’ll know where you are. Bad things happen on your planet, and I’d worry about you if I couldn’t reach you.”

“Maybe we should get cell phones.”

His eyebrows shot up. “I’m familiar with your Earth phones. If you’d prefer reaching me through a phone and not the Vid-Comm, I can certainly procure some for us. I’ll stop at a store in the morning before I go to work and have one delivered to you. I’ll make sure they program in my number for you.”

Her head spun from the way he handled things, but he was certainly efficient. She’d never been with someone like Xonos before, not even before Evie. Her boyfriends had been from the same neighborhood as Victoria, all of them going nowhere fast. Several had dealt drugs to pay their bills; a few had been career criminals with a wide repertoire of offenses.

“You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met,” she admitted. “And I don’t just mean because you’re a Terran and not from Earth. It’s more than that. You genuinely care for people. You don’t know me or Evie, and yet you took both of us under your protection, claiming us as your own.”

He reached out and cupped her cheek, his palm hot against her skin. “I’d like to think any male would take care of you the way you deserve, but Thrace disillusioned me of that rather quickly. The males on my planet are far from perfect, Victoria, but I’d always thought they would behave better than your Earth males.”

“I’m sure they do. You don’t have crime where you live, do you?”

“Not like the crimes here on Earth. There are abductions and wars, but we do not steal from one another; we don’t murder each other just because we like the other person’s shoes.”

“There are no drugs or alcohol on Terran, are there?”

“The only drugs are at the clinic and can only be administered by a physician. Our entire planet, comprised of Terran-Prime, the main city, and several smaller ones, is ruled by one council, unlike your Earth with its different countries and rulers. All Terrans speak the same language, though many have picked up several of your Earth languages to please their mates or to help them gain a mate. Although, we’ve had some trouble getting the other countries to agree to the bride program. We’re currently in negotiations with China, but so far that isn’t going very well.”

“I know you’re claiming me as a mate just so you can help Evie, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that, but I feel like you’re being cheated. Your assistant today wasn’t wrong, even if his words were cruel. You
can
do so much better than me. I’m nothing, Xonos, less than nothing. I grew up in the gutter and that’s probably where I should have stayed. You deserve someone with refined manners, a woman who knows which fork to use when you go to a fancy restaurant.”

He placed his finger over her lips. “Not another word. Not if you’re going to put yourself down. You’re a vibrant, beautiful woman, Victoria. I don’t care that you grew up poor. It may define your social status on this planet, but it doesn’t define who you are. Just because you didn’t have the same opportunities as, say, a woman who became a lawyer, it doesn’t mean that you’re nothing. You’re a mother who was willing to do anything to save her little girl, including selling herself to an alien and giving up everything she’s ever known.”

Victoria snorted. “I didn’t have much to give up. I figured whatever I faced on your world had to be better than what I had here.”

“Most women wouldn’t sign up for a loveless match, not with one of us. Every pairing I’ve seen since the bride exchange started has been a love match. But you were willing to give that up just so your daughter could live, or at least have a better life until…” He shook his head. “I already think of Evie as mine, and I’m going to do everything I can to save her. You have my word on that. And once she’s healed, if you no longer wish to be with me, I’ll petition the council to break our mating. It’s never been done before, but I’m sure we could work something out.”

“Xonos…” Tears gathered in her eyes. He really was the most selfless male she’d ever met. “I don’t want to break the mating. You’re a good, kind man, better than I could have ever hoped for in a partner. Do I love you? No, but I believe that love can grow in time.”

He smiled and pulled her into his arms, holding her close. She felt the thump of his heart under her cheek and closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the feel of his arms around her. It had been so long since she’d been held, so long since she’d felt the comfort of being this close to another being, other than her daughter. She hadn’t realized how much she’d given up by keeping people out of her life until this very moment.

“Let’s order something to eat. We can set aside a plate for Evie in case she wakes up,” Xonos suggested. “And if she sleeps through the night, we’ll just have to make sure she gets a big breakfast.”

Victoria smiled. “All right, but no more breakfasts where you order everything on the menu. That was a little much. Just eggs, bacon, and toast will be sufficient.”

He raised an eyebrow. “No pancakes? No omelets? You’d give up grits, oatmeal, and whatever that fruit thing was?”

“Yes, I’d give that up.” She laughed. “Oh, all right.
Maybe
we can have pancakes. Evie hasn’t had them very often, but she seemed quite taken with them.”

He snapped his fingers. “Muffins! We didn’t have muffins this morning. I’ll have to request some for tomorrow.”

Victoria shook her head and led him over to the sofa. With a smile, she handed him the phone. “Keep dinner simple.”

Xonos stared at the device a moment before lifting his gaze to hers. “Steak and potato? Maybe some pie on the side? I have to admit, I rather like Earth cuisine. I think I’ve tried one of everything on the hotel menu and requested some things they had to venture out to find.”

She smiled wistfully. “I haven’t ever had a steak. They were always too expensive for me to buy at the store, even when they went on sale.”

“Then steak is what we’re ordering. I’ll make sure they send up a dish for Evie as well. Would she like the same thing?”

Victoria nodded.

“Pick a movie while I place our order, then we can spend the rest of the night getting to know one another.”

As far as plans went, it sounded rather perfect to Victoria. There were lots of things she wanted to know about Xonos. Was he an only child? Were his parents alive? She knew there were some Terran females, had read the brochure on his species, but she wanted to know more about Xonos himself and not just Terran in general.

She had to admit that he fascinated her. And not just because he was an alien. The way he looked at her, the way it felt when he touched her… it made her want to explore more with him, made her wonder what it would feel like to have his hands on her intimately. Victoria couldn’t deny her heart raced when he was near and she felt a flutter in her stomach. It had been a long time since she was drawn to anyone, and she didn’t think she’d ever felt this way before. She felt more for Xonos than she had anyone.

Although… she’d love to know how an alien planet came to be known as Terran.

Chief Counselor Borgoz glowered at Xonos. “What do you mean if I don’t sanction your mating you’ll leave Terran for good?”

Xonos glowered right back. “Exactly as I said. I’ll not allow you to dictate who I can and cannot mate. I want Victoria and her daughter, Evie, to be mine. If you’ll not allow it, I’ll petition Earth to remain here. I have plenty of money to live on if you refuse to let me practice medicine at the station.”

Borgoz blustered.

“Admit it, Counselor. You need me far more than I need any of you. I’ve played by your rules up to this point but, as the Earth people say, I’m putting my foot down. I won’t be bullied by you or anyone else. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be breathing right now, and you know it.”

Borgoz turned a really dark shade of purple, then blue, before letting lose a string of curses. He slammed his fist down on his desk, cussed some more, then turned a narrowed eye gaze back to Xonos.

“Very well. I’ll approve the mating, allow you to claim Evie as your own, but know that this is forever. If you decide later you don’t want them, or your mate wants out of the relationship, you’re just going to have to figure out how to live with each other. You’re making an unbreakable oath by taking the two of them into your home and it
will
be forever.”

Xonos wasn’t pleased to hear that, not after the promises he’d made Victoria, even if she had declared she didn’t want to break the mating. Without an approved mating, he couldn’t help Evie. He shouldn’t have even allowed them to move in with him yet, but he’d broken that rule quick enough. Without a unanimous vote from the council, their bond would never be broken, and while there was a law that allowed for such a thing, it had never been used. It was just understood that all Terran matings were forever.