Page 10 of Alien Spare (Cosmic Mates #9)

One week later

Falkor met his wife’s gaze across his brother’s dining table. She batted her lashes. He mock-leered.

“Get a room, you two!” Kismet said.

“I liked it better when you were fighting,” Jaryk quipped and then said, “Seriously, I’m glad you have gotten over your animosity and like each other now.”

He liked everything about Karma—her laugh, her smile, the way she brushed her hair from her face, how her bracelets jingled when she moved, the way she held her fork, the movement of her luscious lips when she ate—and how those lips locked around his cock. He got hard thinking about it.

Jaryk and Kismet exchanged a smirk.

“You two have something to say?” Falkor said. This was the first time they’d gotten together with their siblings since the wedding.

“No.” Kismet grinned.

“No.” Jaryk smirked.

Every day got sweeter and sweeter. Until now, he hadn’t been truly happy, hadn’t realized what a difference it would make to have a partner, friend, cheerleader, advocate, and lover in one person—a wife.

Their intimacy had deepened, fueled by passionate nights and days together working side by side in his workshop.

His sharp, astute wife had proven to be an exceptional assistant.

She caught on quickly and offered very helpful suggestions.

Finally, he rated first with someone.

Like she came first with him. He could not imagine being with anyone else ever. Astounding, considering their initial mutual dislike. Or, perhaps not so amazing. Even in dislike, we were in sync.

He didn’t want the marriage to end, which was why he was thrilled when Jaryk invited them over for dinner. More than anyone, Kismet knew his wife best, and he needed her advice. He hoped for an opportunity to pull her aside and speak to her.

“I’m glad we were able to get together,” Jaryk said. “I haven’t seen much of you two of late.”

Before their marriages, he and Jaryk had seen each other often. Although he had some resentments, they were best friends. Other than Karma, Jaryk was the only person he trusted implicitly.

“We’ve been busy.”

“Doing what?”

“This and that,” he answered.

“Ah…” Kismet drew out the word dramatically.

“He didn’t mean it that way.” Karma’s cheeks turned pink.

“If you say so,” her sister said. “You’re turning red.”

She fanned her face. “It’s hot in here.”

He’d learned his outspoken, passionate wife was quite modest, a tantalizing and irresistible combination. Seeing her blush was making him hard. Harder. Everything she did turned him on. Horny had become his perpetual state.

But, while he enjoyed her blushes, he didn’t wish her to suffer embarrassment. “We’ve been busy with a special work project.”

“Work project?” Jaryk leaped on his comment. “What kind of work project?”

Hekkel. He made the minimum requisite charity appearances. Other than that, his only known projects involved involuntarily starring in KCN exposés. He wished he could take Jaryk into his confidence.

“Uh…”

“Project—like a baby?” Kismet leaped to the wrong conclusion.

Karma’s face turned pinker. “He didn’t say that.”

With a jolt, he realized he’d welcome having a child with her. But would it even be possible? Could their two species reproduce? They were anatomically compatible, but what about genetically? What would a child look like? Would it have pointed ears? Blue hair?

If they could reproduce, she might already be pregnant. They’d been going at it like rodents and had done nothing to prevent conception.

“Uh-huh.” Kismet smirked.

He met Karma’s wide-eyed gaze. Gods of Kaldor, I love this woman.

They hadn’t exchanged words of devotion yet, but he was pretty sure they both felt it.

Which was why he needed to get Kismet alone and ask for a favor.

Hopefully, after dinner, Jaryk would suggest they retire to the library for a round of spirits and hologames, and he’d have a chance to pull Kismet aside.

* * * *

“You and Kismet seemed to have a lot to talk about,” Karma commented when they retired to their suite.

As he’d hoped, Jaryk had suggested they play hologames, to which Falkor had readily agreed, and then suggested they split up the couples—he and Kismet against Jaryk and Karma.

“We were plotting strategy,” he said not untruthfully. They had hatched a plot—it just didn’t involve game play.

“For all the good it did you. You two lost,” she crowed.

“I didn’t say it was a good strategy.” He and her sister had been too busy plotting to pay attention to the game.

“Jaryk and I wiped the floor with your asses,” she boasted, flashing a cheeky grin.

“You’re so eloquent. Wait for the rematch! If you must know, Kismet brought up the baby thing again.”

“I didn’t know what to say about work projects without revealing anything about Kaldoronics.”

“How do you feel about having children?” he asked. “We didn’t take any precautions.”

“Actually, we did. I have a birth control implant. I can’t become pregnant until it expires, or I have it removed.”

“Oh,” he said, more disappointed than he should be.

“Can humans and Kaldorans reproduce?”

He hesitated. “If we could, would you want a baby?” It struck him that it must be possible—or the king and queen wouldn’t have accepted Jaryk’s marriage to Kismet. Among his most important duties, the crown prince had to produce an heir to succeed him.

“Do you want children?”

He nodded. “I would like to have them with you.”

Her throat moved as she swallowed. “I would like that, too. I always wanted to have a family, and I would like to have your babies.”

His heart leaped. “Really?”

“Really.”

“That would mean we’d have to stay together, not split up at the end of the year.”

“I guess so.” She broke into a big smile.

“When would you like to start our special project ?” he said.

“It will have to be after I get the implant removed. I’ll get with the palace physician as soon as I can. In the meantime, we should practice a lot.”

“Agreed,” he said with a grin.

“How many kids do you want?” she asked.

“Six,” he replied to see what she’d say. Two was the norm on Kaldor.

“Six? Only if you carry them!”

He chuckled. “Four?”

“How about we start with two and then decide?”

“Okay. Like you said, we should get practicing.” He ushered her into the bedroom.