It has absolutely nothing to do with the insanely sexy, kind man behind the counter. Nothing at all.
Chapter Six
Shak
I am behind the counter when Juliet finally comes in again. It has been three nerve-racking days. Where has she been? Has she been safe? I’ve cursed myself a million times over for not following her. The cockroach could have been taken care of any time but if something happened to her because I was not there to—
But she is here now. My eyes sweep her head to toe and I cannot see any injury… Although she does seem to be wearing more face paint today than I have noticed in the past.
I scent the air with my tongue and my knees nearly buckle. It is Juliet, my Juliet. I have not lost her. She has come back to me.
“Hi Shak.” She smiles sweetly, her cheeks blushing pink. These human bodies are so astounding. There are a thousand signals to show what they are feeling and I am only beginning to read the language of Juliet.
“Juliet.” Her name is a sensuous caress on my tongue.
She smiles wider and tucks her glossy dark brown hair behind her ear.
“Where have you been?”
She stiffens and I immediately want to bite the words back into my mouth.
“I just… Needed to get away for a few days.”
I nod, even though her answer does not satisfy. “What flower would you like today?”
Her face brightens again and I am glad to see it.
She comes forward until she is right across the counter from me. “I’m not sure what I’m in the mood for today. What’s your favorite flower?”
Her question catches me off guard. I look around me. My thoughts have been only of Juliet, not these earth flowers, which are all muted and dull compared to those of my home planet. There is only one that comes close and I pluck it off of the wall. It is a vibrant pink lily.
I hand the flower to Juliet.
She smiles and leans over to inhale.
“Beautiful,” she says.
My gaze stays on her. “Yes. Beautiful.”
Pink again stains her cheeks.
“Would you like to go out for a beverage with me?” It is a leap forward in our courtship but I have been reading earth books and I believe this is the required next step.
But Juliet moves back from me and her bright eyes become hooded. I can no longer read the language of her face. I have said something wrong. But what?
“Shak, that’s really sweet.” She looks over her shoulder quickly and then back at me. “But I can’t,” she whispers. “I have a boyfriend and if he found out—” She shakes her head. “Anyway I can’t.”
She pulls her pocketbook out from her purse and places money on the counter. “Thank you for the flower.”
And then, before I can say another word to stop her, she exits the flower shop and hurries across the street back to her dwelling.
I let out a furious growl and only barely stop myself from banging my hands on the counter. It would shatter the glass, and how would I explain that to Juliet when she comes back tomorrow? If she comes back tomorrow.
I smack the side of my head instead. Idiot. I pushed too soon.
Did she actually have feelings for that scum I exterminated? Or was he simply a convenient excuse not to go get beverages with me?
I pace the flower shop back and forth, back and forth.
It is a half turn of the clock later before I am struck by a thought.
What if… What if she does not know that her male is gone for good? She is loyal. That is a good quality. She has been gone, so naturally when she returned, she would expect for her male to still be here. I am the only one who knows he is dead.
But how do I let her know?
Here it is not normal to murder one competing for a mate’s attentions like it is back home, I know that much. She may become afraid of me if she learns what I did. Though I do not regret it for a single moment. Anyone who mistreats Juliet will meet the same end.
Still, I need her to know that that man will not be coming back.
I cannot make a wrong step. Too much is at stake. And although I have studied, there is one who knows more about the mating rituals of this planet than me.
Quickly, I call for a wheeled conveyance and close and lock the flower shop. The wheeled conv—the car—drives me to the outskirts of the city to the abandoned aircraft hangar where I have hidden my shuttle.
One press of a button on my tablet later, and my shuttle reappears briefly out of cloaking mode. I hurry inside and then reset the cloak.
It is a standard shuttle with a gray and shining silver pyrthithium interior. I sit in the pilot’s chair and place my hands on the plasma interface.