Runaway Bride Page 12

  When their kiss ended, he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, “You’re so wonderful, Lexie. I couldn’t have asked for a better life mate.”

  “Life mate?”

  “That means ‘wife’ on my world. A life mate is someone who completes me, my other half.”

  Before she could respond, he kissed her again, his heart soaring with the knowledge she chose him to spend the rest of her life with. She could have had her pick of any man, but she was with him and he vowed to never take that for granted.

  As she pulled away from him, she traced his collar and smiled. “It’s been such a romantic day. I keep thinking I’ll wake up and find out it’s been a dream.”

  “If it is, I suggest you keep sleeping.”

  She giggled and gave him another kiss. Thinking she might enjoy it, he leaned to the side, placed his arm under her knees, and swooped her up into his arms. As he hoped, she laughed. He carried her to the large bed and set her in the center of it. Even if his hormone inhibitor hadn’t worn off yet, he was anxious to explore her.

  He settled next to her and brought her back into his arms for another kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. When she parted her lips, he brushed her tongue with his. She let out a low moan, encouraging him to keep going, something he was more than happy to do. He traced the curve of her back and settled his hand on her hip.

  Noticing that she was chuckling, he pulled slightly away from her. “What’s funny? Am I doing something wrong?”

  “No, you’re not doing anything wrong. I just realized we have our shoes on.”

  He looked at their feet and grinned. “Okay, maybe I’m a little anxious to get started on the honeymoon. You have such an amazing body.”

  This time his hand traveled to one of her breasts and he brushed his thumb over her nipple, which hardened in response. Even through her dress, she felt incredible. Leaning forward, he kissed the area above the neckline of the dress. The light scent of flowers was subtle, very much like her. She was so beautiful, but she didn’t flaunt it like some women. Her way was tasteful. Simple, elegant. It was no wonder Nick chose her. But she chose him instead, a fact that he’d always be thankful for.

  His head lowered, his lips brushing the top of her breasts. She let out a contented sigh, her hands resting on his arms. He unbuttoned the top few buttons of her dress, eager to see more of her in the soft light of the lamp. Beneath her dress was a rose-colored bra, so he undid the clasp between her breasts and was rewarded with the view he desired. He took his time exploring her, tracing the curve of her breasts with his hands and licking her erect nipples. Lexie’s moans excited him, prompting him to continue. Apparently, her breasts were sensitive to the touch, a nice tidbit he’d have to remember for the other times they’d be in bed together. Many more times.

  His heart raced in anticipation of performing the bonding ceremony, the physical act that would truly unite them in the life-mate relationship. But he couldn’t initiate it. As much as he wanted to release the sex hormone that would begin the process, he couldn’t. The stupid hormone inhibitor hadn’t worn off yet. An erection would be the signal for him to begin but he remained limp, and it was starting to irritate him. He recalled how quick it’d been for Chris. Ten hours. Ten hours after Chris took his last pill, his body was doing what it was supposed to do, and here Mark was coming up on the… He glanced at the clock by the bed. He was nearing the seventeenth hour, and nothing was happening.

  Well, he was in bed and having a good time. Soon. The hormone inhibitor would wear off soon. The average waiting time was between fourteen to twenty-four hours. He was within that time range. Just because Chris happened to be ready at ten hours, it didn’t mean Mark would be too. He just needed to be patient.

  “Mark?”

  He looked at Lexie, his face growing warm. He hadn’t realized he’d stopped caressing her breasts. Clearing his throat, he offered a smile and motioned to their shoes. “I suddenly remembered we still have them on.”

  She giggled and kicked hers off the bed. “I forgot all about them. I should also remove my pantyhose.”

  Feeling a little more at ease since she was laughing, he kicked off his shoes and turned back to her. There was no denying how sexy it was when a woman wiggled out of her pantyhose and flung them, along with her shoes, across the room. “Are you comfortable?” he asked. “Is there too much light? Do you want some water?”

  “I’m fine.” She cupped his face in her hands and kissed his nose. “You’re so sweet. I love you, Mark. You’re like my knight in shining armor.”

  His smile widened and he forgot about the hormone inhibitor. “I love you, too.”

  She pulled him closer and kissed him, this time acting as the aggressor and tracing her tongue along his lower lip until he accepted her into his mouth. And this time, he was the one who gave a low moan to encourage her to keep going. She deepened the kiss as she unbuttoned his shirt and slid her hands beneath his undershirt. Her hands felt like heaven on his bare flesh. He wondered if she had enjoyed his exploration of her as much as he was enjoying her exploration of him. If her moans had been an indication of her enjoyment, then he guessed yes.

  Her hands lowered to the belt around his waist and he stiffened. There was no way he was going to let her see him without an erection. Sure, she knew he was from another planet, but he didn’t feel like explaining why he couldn’t perform the bonding ceremony right now. It’d be way too embarrassing.

  Her mouth left his, and, slightly out of breath, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he quickly replied and brought his hand to her thigh where he pulled up her dress. “I’m just eager to learn more about you.” He kissed the side of her neck and teased, “I hope you don’t mind.”

  With a light chuckle, she let go of his belt and shifted so that she could pull off her rose-colored panties. “No. I don’t mind.” She tossed the panties aside.

  Relieved she was no longer focused on him, he slid his hand up her dress and between her thighs.

  She gasped when his fingers brushed the moist folds of her flesh. “That feels good,” she murmured and spread her legs.

  He traced the folds and dipped his finger into her. Yes, that felt really good. Extremely good. No wonder Chris had that goofy smile on his face after he got married. Mark knew that a woman’s body was exquisite, but he hadn’t realized it was this wonderful. He removed his hand from her long enough to lift her dress so that he could see her.

  “You’re beautiful.” Then looking at her face, he added, “Everywhere.”

  He brought his mouth back to her nipple and teased it with his tongue. His hand returned to her flesh, and he inserted his finger back into her. She shifted, allowing him to go deeper. He slid another finger inside her, this time noting that she was wetter than before. He thought that was interesting but figured it made sense since he needed her to be that way in order to enter her.

  Her hand covered his, and she guided his thumb to her sensitive nub. Intrigued, he lifted his head so he could see how she moved his thumb in circular motions. By the way she groaned, he realized this particular action heightened her pleasure. She removed her hand from his and he continued to move his thumb the way she had instructed. He glanced at her face, thrilled by the pleasure on her face.

  Lowering his head, he brought his mouth back to her breasts, alternating between one and the other. Her hands tightened on his shoulders, and her hips rocked in rhythm with his ministrations. He slipped in a third finger, noting she was a little tight, but she loosened up as he continued to stroke her core. Her flesh clenched around him and she let out a cry of pleasure. He stilled and waited until her breathing returned to normal before he slid his fingers out of her. Bringing her into his arms, he kissed her, taking his time to savor the way she rested against him, spent and fully satisfied.

  Content to hold her, he closed his eyes and rested his head on hers.

  “Aren’t you going to…well…finish
?” she asked after a minute passed.

  “Oh.” He hoped she would forget he was supposed to do more. As much as it pained him, he knew his body wasn’t ready yet. “You know, it’s been a long day. We should get a good night’s sleep and do it tomorrow. The bonding ceremony is special and I want to be fully awake when it happens.” That much was true. And now that he was lying with her, his exhaustion was catching up to him.

  “Okay.”

  Glad she accepted his excuse, he relaxed and fell asleep, loving the way she felt in his arms.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When Mark woke up, the first thing he noticed was the sunlight hitting his eyes. Wincing, he forced his eyes open and saw that he hadn’t pulled the curtains completely shut. Closing his eyes again, he rolled onto his side so that the light wasn’t hitting them anymore. He reached for Lexie, but the spot next to him was empty. His eyes flew open and he jerked up. It took him a moment to realize the shower was running in the bathroom.

  Relieved, he settled back on the bed and released his breath. He’d hate to think she regretted her decision and was on her way back to Florida. He needed to establish the life-mate relationship with her. The sooner he did, the sooner he’d feel secure. Now he had a greater appreciation for how uncertain Chris had been when he wasn’t sure if Caitlyn loved him or not. He turned toward the clock by the bed and saw it was a little after eight. Twenty-four hours. He had now officially been off the pill for twenty-four hours, and the average time the effects of the pill should wear off was between fourteen to twenty-four hours.

  The shower went off and he directed his attention to the closed bathroom door. When Lexie opened it, she had a towel wrapped around her body and was patting her hair dry with a smaller towel. Her smile set his mind at ease. Good. She was still happy to be with him.

  Returning her smile, he asked, “Did you sleep well?”

  “I did, but did you?”

  “Yes. I was with you.”

  She came over to him and sat down, her side pressing nicely against his. “I worried you wouldn’t be able to sleep much. You know, because you didn’t receive your pleasure.”

  Touched she was concerned about him, he held her close and kissed her. “I was tired, so I needed my sleep.” And he needed time for the stupid pill to wear off.

  “Well, since you’re all rested, we can continue what we started,” she replied, her tone light and a mischievous smile replacing the innocent one she had just moments before.

  Before he could respond, she set aside the towel she was drying her hair with and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a long kiss. He parted his lips and was delighted when she deepened the kiss, her tongue intermingling with his. She smelled wonderful. She felt wonderful. Everything about her was so completely wonderful. And the best thing of all was the fact that she wanted to be with him.

  She gently nudged him until he settled back onto the bed. She removed her towel, and his hands roamed over her body, exploring her soft curves, which were still damp from the shower. How he wanted to initiate the bonding ceremony, to experience the full pleasure of their physical union. But though his mind was more than willing, his body was still unresponsive to go through with it.

  She straddled him, her hands on his belt. “I want to feel you inside me,” she murmured, kissing his neck.

  He wanted to be inside her, too, but right now, there was no way it was going to happen. He didn’t know whether to panic or cry. Finally, he settled for stopping her from undoing his belt and said, “I have to go to the bathroom.”

  “Oh, I didn’t even think you might… I should have realized since you just woke up.” Her face a pretty shade of pink, she got off of him. “I’m sorry. Go ahead.”

  To say it was awkward was a huge understatement. He had to delay the consummation of their marriage somehow, and a quick trip to the bathroom wasn’t going to do it. He needed more time. Sitting up, he saw that his cell phone had fallen out of his pocket at some point in the middle of the night so he picked it off the floor and tucked it into his pocket. “I should take a shower.”

  That mischievous smile of hers returning, she gave him a wink. “Want some company?”

  “Uh…” Of course, he wanted company. What kind of question was that? But he couldn’t. “Actually, I’m hungry.” Yes, that would work! “Starving. Aren’t you hungry?”

  “A little, but I can wait.”

  “Well, I can’t. My stomach is growling. I can’t make love on an empty stomach.” That wasn’t true at all, and looking at her, naked and willing on the bed, was the most frustrating thing he’d ever gone through. Pushing aside his regret, he tentatively asked, “Do you mind waiting?”

  Though her smile faltered, she gathered her towel and wrapped it around her body, concealing the view he enjoyed so much. “No. I don’t mind. We can wait until after breakfast.”

  Great. Now he felt awful. She was one of the sweetest people he’d ever known. Never demanding anything from anyone. Doing everything she could to accommodate others. It made her such a lovely wife…and he felt like a complete jerk for telling her no.

  Tucking the towel into place, she asked, “Aren’t you going to go to the bathroom?”

  “I can give you another orgasm, like I did last night,” he offered.

  “I can wait. Besides, I’d rather wait until you’re ready. We should eat first.” She retrieved her purse. Opening it, she pulled out her comb then glanced at him. “I don’t need the bathroom. You can go in.”

  Not knowing what he might say to make the situation better, he went to the bathroom. He did have to go, and he might as well take a shower while he was in there, especially since he had no change of clothes. That was something they needed to do today: buy some clothes. He’d make sure to buy her a ring while they were at it.

  After he went to the bathroom, he removed his clothes and set the cell phone on the counter. His mind turned to Chris. If there was anyone who could understand his dilemma, it was him. He opened the phone and dialed Chris’ number. Hopefully, Lexie wouldn’t hear him on the phone since the shower was going.

  To Mark’s relief, Chris picked up on the third ring. “Hi, Mark. Caitlyn said you and Lexie made it into Las Vegas.”

  “Yeah. We’re here.” Lowering his voice, he asked, “What did it feel like when your hormone inhibitor pill wore off?”

  “It didn’t feel like anything at first.”

  “Okay.” So far, so good. He didn’t feel anything. Maybe the pill was wearing off right now.

  “Then I felt warm. At first, I thought I was sitting under a heater vent. It got increasingly warmer until I was hot enough to have sweat trickling down my back.”

  Bummer. Mark didn’t feel warm at all. “How long did you feel that way before you had an erection?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes.” After a pause, he asked, “What’s this about? Didn’t you already go through the bonding ceremony?”

  As much as it shamed him, he admitted, “No.”

  “How long has it been since you took your last pill?”

  “Twenty-four hours,” he muttered.

  “That long? And you haven’t had an erection yet?”

  “I know. It’s horrible.”

  “But it does say the average length of time can be—”

  “I know. Fourteen to twenty-four hours. I don’t get it. Was there anything you did that helped you get an erection?”

  “No. It just happened.”

  Mark groaned and rubbed his eyes. “You were so lucky.”

  “I didn’t think so when it first happened.”

  At the moment, Mark would have traded an embarrassing first time ejaculation over this very frustrating process of waiting. “Do you have any ideas on what I can do to get things going?”

  “No, I don’t. But you know, twenty-four hours is in the average range. Some men take longer.”

  Mark gritted his teeth. “And yet, none of the men I talked to back home had to
wait this long.”

  “You already exchanged vows with Lexie, so you know she’s willing to go through the bonding ceremony with you.”

  “A lot of good that does me when I can’t do it.”

  “Did you explain how it works for us on our world?”

  “Kind of.”

  “What do you mean ‘kind of’?”

  Mark crossed his arms and turned his back to the mirror, leaning his backside against the counter. “I told her the bonding ceremony is how we marry on our world.”

  “And?”

  “That was the only relevant thing she needed to know.”

  “Then.”

  “Then?” Mark asked, sensing there was something else Chris wanted to say.

  “Since it’s taking you longer, you should tell her why.”

  “It’s embarrassing. Men on Earth can just do it. They don’t have to wait until their stupid pill wears off.”

  “But Earth men don’t have the ability to tell when their wives are fertile so they can guarantee conception. We also have a connection to the baby as it’s growing in the womb. It’s a neat experience. Babies are amazing.”

  “Well, at the rate I’m going, there won’t be a baby.” Mark groaned and paced the bathroom. “There has to be something I can do to get things going.”

  “There isn’t. The pill will wear off when it wears off. There’s no point in worrying about it. Why don’t you take Lexie out and have a good time? It’ll help take your mind off of it. Then when you’re ready, you can go back to the room. Just make sure you’re not too far from where you’re staying. You don’t want anything to happen in public.”

  Mark softly opened the bathroom door and peeked into the room. Lexie was in her dress, and she was applying her lipstick. Good. She was still there. He shut the door and turned his attention back to Chris. “You’re right. I can’t spend all day stressing out over this.” And who knew? Maybe stress was aggravating his problem. “If you think of anything to help my situation, will you give me a call?”