Page 9

Chapter Nine

Aswan

I was never going to be the same, was I?

My Kteer was nowhere near satisfied; it had taken all my willpower not to claim Hannah Friday night. But I would never be able to erase the taste of her from my tongue, my lips, my heart.

After our shower, I wrapped her in my robe and carried her downstairs, where I sat her in my lap at the kitchen counter and fed her leftovers from last night’s venison roast. She’d squirmed and giggled and flirted until I could take it no more, and I cleaned off the counter, spread her out on top of it, and ate her .

The sight of her spread across the counter, moaning and touching herself? More than I could stand.

After bringing her to climax in the kitchen, I carried her into the living room, where I laid on the couch and settled her on my face. I loved the way she held my hair as she rode me, my tongue deep inside her, feeling as if I’d died and joined the gods.

At some point, we ended up back upstairs, spread over the large bed.

Somewhere, deep down, I suspected that I was trying to erase Hannah’s memories of her ex. After all, my Kteer had never crowed as loud as it had when she announced the bastard had never brought her pleasure in bed. But me? I brought her to orgasm again and again.

And while I could be happy for the rest of my life knowing that, she’d been determined to bring me pleasure too. She didn’t push me for sex again, as much as I wanted it, which told me everything I needed to know.

This was a one-time thing. Just for now. Just this weekend.

And that was okay.

Friday night we fell asleep wrapped around each other, and I woke her Saturday with another climax. Although I could’ve easily spent all day wringing orgasm after orgasm from her, she’d laughed and told me how hungry she was, so I whipped up some eggs benedict.

We spent the day not in bed, but shopping together. We took the ferry to the mainland and held hands in the grocery store. It shouldn’t have felt so normal , so right. The menu for Sunday’s party delighted her, and I loved incorporating her suggestions and family traditions into the plan.

Saturday night we went to The Golden Pearl, Eastshore’s fanciest restaurant, and we talked about all sorts of things. In the weeks I’d been working for—and living with— Hannah, she’d learned about so much of my past, but that night, I told her about my family, and what it had been like to leave our world, and how difficult it had been to acclimate to the human’s world, with its technology and huge population.

I told her about Abydos, and how I worried for him—despite the insane profit he’d made—because of the anger he carried around with him. I told her about how I’d missed my younger brothers, and how good it was to be near Simbel and Memnon again, and how Tarkhan’s good humor had kept us close all these years.

She’d asked insightful and empathetic questions, and it made me proud to know my Mate understood and cared so much.

No, she’s not your Mate.

Not until she was ready to be.

Maybe I was thinking of this when I carried her up the stairs that night, determined to shower her with love and affection, using my body to show her what she meant to me. How things could be.

I lost count of her climaxes, and still my Kteer wasn’t satisfied. After she fell sleep, I continued to hold her, to curse the way I was torturing myself, and—unable to help myself—I woke her with more orgasms through the night.

And then.

And then.

It was Sunday morning, and our interlude was over.

It was Sunday morning, the day we were celebrating Joshua’s birthday, and I had to leave her bed. Leave her . It took all my willpower to release her—sleeping spread out and exhausted—and shower, then head downstairs to begin to prep the food.

When she joined me, her cheeks pink with an adorable flush, trying to act as if everything was normal, I fed her pancakes and did my best to focus on the onions I was mincing for the potato salad.

The fact the damned things made my eyes water was an added bonus.

The two-day holiday had past, and everything was back to the way it should be. I was her nanny.

Surprisingly, even with my Kteer ’s displeasure at the lack of claiming, the morning passed quickly. By noon, I had the food prepped, the tables set up outside on the porch, and the tablecloths tacked down.

“Sakkara just texted to let me know he’s bringing the ice for the coolers, thank God,” Hannah announced as she hurried past, two stacks of blue plastic cups balanced in one hand and a bunch of “birthday boy” napkins in the other. I heard the back door slam, and assumed she was arranging everything just so.

“The sprinkler is set up along the back fence,” she announced breathlessly as she rushed back in, “in case any of the kiddos want to play in the water. The balloons are tied off, and?—”

I caught her hands in mine as she rushed past. “Hannah, everything is perfect.”

She froze, her breath catching, as she tipped her head back to stare up at me. At the base of her throat, her pulse ticked, and I swore I could hear her—not with my ears, but with my own heart.

She wasn’t mine, not yet…but she was.

Her tongue darted out across her lower lip, and I remembered the way she’d licked me last night, and only just managed to contain my groan.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she whispered.

Deep in my chest, my Kteer urged me to scoop her up, to claim her. “Like what?” I growled.

“Like you want to taste me again.”

Oh, gods below. “I do,” I murmured, lowering my mouth.

If the doorbell hadn’t rung then, I would have forgotten my promise that things would go back to normal between us.

She was the one to dart away, stumbling toward the front door, and I curled my hands into fists, forcing my breathing to steady. Focus, you idiot . I could do this. I had to do this. Hannah had just made it clear this is what she wanted.

Her parents were at the front door, loaded down with presents and supplies, the kids tumbling over themselves as they rushed inside.

“’Swan! Pick me up!” yelled Joshua, dragging Mr. BunBun as he threw himself at me. I forced my Kteer to forget about Hannah—if only that were possible—and scooped the kitling up to my shoulder.

“Hey, buddy, did you have a good time?” I asked him, just as Ben dropped his backpack in the middle of the foyer and gave me a wave. As Joshua bounced happily, telling me about the movie he watched that morning, I held his brother’s gaze and jerked my head toward the bag. “How about you take that upstairs? Your mom worked hard to get this place spotless for the party.”

Ben huffed slightly but bent to scoop up the bag and pound up the stairs after his sister, while I went to help his grandparents.

“Let me help,” I announced, lifting the bags from the older woman’s arms. “These are refrigerated?”

“Oh—oh, yes, thank you!” The woman looked flustered. “Are you sure you can carry all that?”

I straightened, one brow twitching, even as the man at her side began to chuckle. “He’s carrying all that and Joshy. I’m calling him the next time I need furniture moved.”

Smiling, I inclined my head. “I’d be happy to help any time you need it. I’m Aswan.”

“Charlie Woods,” he announced. “I’d shake your hand, but yours are full. You’re the reason Benny isn’t pretending to be a grouchy teen any longer.”

“Oh, no, Hannah is a wonderful mother—” I began but was interrupted.

“Put me down!” yelled Joshua as he threw himself forward. “I hug Papa!”

Luckily, the older man caught him with a laugh, and I had a free hand to gather up more of the party supplies. My ears ringing with their praise, I retreated to the kitchen, unable to help my smile .

The party was a success, and I discovered I enjoyed standing behind the grill, my eyes tracking Hannah. She was in her element, laughing and greeting people, making them at ease. Tova and Ben had invited their friends and their friends’ families, and the backyard was filled with dozens of people, the kids all playing together.

Every few minutes, Hannah’s eyes would meet mine, and her smile would grow just slightly before she was distracted by someone else…and that was enough.

It had to be enough.

As the party continued, I found myself standing with Sakkara and Tarkhan, who had decided to come after all. The three of us were doing a good job of not talking much about anything, until the moment that Hannah, thinking no one was paying attention to her, sent a wink in my direction.

Sakkara snorted at the same time Tarkhan murmured, “Oh for fuck’s sake, Aswan, you have to figure shit out between you.”

“What?” I frowned at him. “Things are fine.”

“The hells they are,” he muttered into his beer. “She’s looking sated and happy and has your scent all over her…and you’re so on edge you need mountain climbing gear.”

“He’s right,” Sakkara agreed. “If you don’t claim her soon, you’re not going to be able to live with her.”

“I’ve—” I began, but then snapped my mouth shut with a growl, not wanting to share anything more about what should be private between me and Hannah .

And thank the gods I did, because at that moment, her mother came bustling over, holding her plate in both hands. “Aswan! Hannah tells me you’re the one who made the potato salad? It’s delicious!”

Dismissing my friends from my mind, I gave her a smile and a little bow. “The secret is Italian dressing.”

“Oh, I’m desperate for the recipe, if you don’t mind. There have been days when I just can’t manage to cook, and it would be delightful to have something so delicious in the fridge to look forward to!”

The woman, who looked so much like Hannah, except for the bright pink headscarf she wore to hide her missing hair, beamed up at me, and I found myself beaming right back.

“I’d be happy to give you the recipe, ma’am. And I’ll pack up the leftovers to send home with you today.” In fact, I vowed to make her a weekly batch of it—or any meals she wanted—if it would make her treatments easier.

“Oh, call me Allison,” she insisted, beaming at my friends. “I’m Hannah’s mother. You’re our new mayor, Mr. Sakkara.”

“Just Sakkara,” he said smoothly, with a smile. “And this is Tarkhan, one of our new residents.”

“Allison, my dear, you don’t need to settle for just Aswan’s potato salad.” Tark bent over her free hand with a charming smile, then winked at her. “Have you tasted his lobster ravioli? I’m sure he’d make anything for you.”

As the older woman blushed, flustered, I found myself also shifting awkwardly. “Tark’s right, ma’am— Allison . I’ll make you any meal you’d like and deliver it on the days you’re not up for cooking.”

Her mouth dropped open in surprise, but before she could answer, Hannah came bouncing up, full of energy. “What are we talking about? Are the burgers ready?”

“Not yet,” I murmured, pretending interest in the meat, when I really wanted to gather her to my side and drop a kiss to her lips. “Almost.”

I thought I heard Sakkara snort softly under his breath as Hannah linked her arm through her mother’s. “Aswan’s food is amazing, Mom. He used to own a restaurant, you know.”

“I didn’t!” Allison beamed at me. “And now he’s helping to raise my grandbabies. I was very impressed by how much Ben has matured, you know. I’ve missed being able to spend as much time with them as usual. Hopefully when these treatments are done…”

I saw Hannah tighten her hold on her mom and press their shoulders together. “Soon,” she promised. “We’ll all go on a fun vacation in August, okay? Maybe to the mountains.”

I would love to see the East Coast mountains and compare them to my home. Maybe something showed on my face because her mother glanced at me. “Can we bring Aswan along to cook? I’m going to need more of this potato salad!”

Hannah started in surprise, glancing between us, and I saw the worry in her gaze. Worry, because she didn’t want anyone to realize what had passed between us when we were alone ?

I forced a nonchalant shrug. “I can send some along,” I told her—just her—so she didn’t have to worry about inviting me.

But from the way her shoulders slumped and the flash of disappointment in her eyes, that hadn’t been the right thing to say.

Suddenly Sakkara cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Nikki is finally here with Emmy, and I promised I’d help carry Tova’s present from the car.”

I nodded to him as he slipped away, and it wasn’t until I turned back to our little group that I saw Allison’s surprise.

“How did—” She shook her head in disbelief. “I didn’t hear anything, and he wasn’t looking at his phone. How did he know his wife was here? Is it an orc thing?”

I exchanged a glance with Tarkhan, who raised a brow in challenge and gestured for me to explain.

Fine. I could do this.

Taking a deep breath, I considered my words.

“To humans, marriage is…a partnership. A promise?” I gave a little shrug, even as Hannah’s mother nodded. “It is a choice, is my point. To orcs, there is more. Mating is… more. ”

I winced, knowing I was explaining it poorly, and knowing Hannah was watching me intently. My hand went to my chest, my heart and my Kteer pounding beneath my palm, and struggled to find the words.

“When we meet our Mates, the person who is going to be our…our forever , we just know them. That’s how it was explained to us as kitlings— there is a knowing . Not just from us, but from our Mates as well. They— she will recognize us if the Mating is to be successful.”

I couldn’t look at Hannah, for fear that she would see the longing in my eyes. Instead, I focused on her mother, who looked so interested. “Once the Mating bond has been completed, and the couple has committed to one another, then their connection becomes even stronger. They can…sense one another.”

Allison’s brows had risen. “How fascinating. So Sakkara just felt his wife—excuse me, his Mate ? Is the Mating bond ever wrong? What happens if one person doesn’t want to be Mated?”

Since she was looking at Tarkhan when she asked this question, he shrugged helplessly. “Then the other accepts her decision and lives in misery. It’s not completely unheard of for a female to reject a male, and while that male will never find another Mate, he will respect her decision.” His expression turned almost pitying. “You have to understand that in the world we came from, there were so few females that many of us only knew one Mated male, and that was our fathers. We had no hopes of finding Mates.”

As Hannah frowned, studying me, her mother glanced from one of us to the other. “Since coming to our world, have either of you found your Mates?”

Tarkhan immediately shook his head, his smirk back. “Not for lack of trying, ma’am.”

Allison gave a little chuckle at his charm, then turned to me. I was hoping she’d be distracted, so I bent over the meat, pretending it needed flipping .

“How about you, Aswan?” she prodded, and I winced. “Have you found your Mate?”

Taking a deep breath, I lifted my gaze…and found Hannah unerringly. She was chewing on her bottom lip, and I could barely stand it.

“Yes,” I rasped, glancing away. “But she…I have to respect her decision.”

“Oh, how sad,” Allison breathed, and just as she took a deep breath to ask the logical next question, rescue came from the most unlikely source.

“’Swan!” Joshua bellowed demandingly, stomping toward me on his strong little three-year-old legs, dragging Mr. BunBun behind him. “Now! Go up now!”

Grateful for the reprieve, I handed the spatula to Tarkan and turned toward the kitling. “What’s up, Joshy?”

“I wanna go up da ladder! You said!”

Forcing a chuckle, I scooped him up and tossed him over my shoulder, the way he liked. “Thank you for following directions and waiting for me to be available to spot you as you go up the ladder.”

“Yes! Doshy go now! Now! ”

I patted his rear and headed down the steps. “You’ve done a good job being patient, buddy, thank you.”

Behind me, as I walked away, I heard Allison say, “Goodness, Joshua’s language has really improved. Is that thanks to Aswan as well? You certainly got lucky, hiring him as the nanny.”

And faintly, I heard Hannah murmur, “I think he’s a wonder.”