Korum reached out and cupped her cheek in his large, warm palm. “Mia,” he said softly, “what are you worrying about? I’ve known thousands of beautiful women, but I’ve never wanted one of them as much as I want you . . .”
Mia looked at him, the knot in her stomach easing.
“And you are far more appealing to me, physically, than she ever was,” he continued, his eyes turning a brighter shade of gold. “How can you even have doubts about that at this point? Is it not enough that I all but keep you chained to my bed? If you were any more attractive to me, I would stay buried inside your sweet little body day and night . . . and then where would we be?”
A hot blush spread over Mia’s face, and she could feel herself reacting physically to his words. At the same time, she realized that her sister and Ellet would be coming down any minute. “Korum, please,” she whispered, “what if they overhear us?”
He gave her a wicked grin. “Then they’ll learn something shocking – the fact that we have sex . . .”
As if on cue, Mia heard footsteps on the stairs, and Marisa entered the room, followed closely by Ellet.
Quickly pulling away from Korum, Mia jumped up and ran to her sister. “Marisa! How did it go?”
Marisa shook her head, looking like she was in a mild state of shock. “I barely felt anything when Ellet touched me, but now I’m already starting to feel less sick . . .”
“You’ll feel even better in a couple of hours as the nanos gradually normalize your hormonal production,” Ellet said, looking pleased. “Also, if you still have any residual traces of nausea, just take that powder I gave you and you should be fine for the rest of your pregnancy. And like I told you, I would be more than happy to come out here when it’s time for you to deliver . . .”
Marisa sniffed, looking all teary-eyed, and then gave Ellet a hug, obviously surprising the K. “Thank you, Ellet, so, so much! I wish everyone knew how nice your kind can be –”
Ellet hugged her back a little awkwardly. “Thank you, Marisa, but remember what I told you. You can’t go around telling people about this – or I could get in trouble. We’re not supposed to interfere with humans too much –”
“Why not?” Mia asked. “What’s the big deal if you help one pregnant woman?”
Korum came up to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pressing her against him. “I’ll explain it to you later, my sweet,” he said, and there was a warning note in his tone. “For now, why don’t you and Marisa hang out for a while? I have to catch up with Ellet about a few things back in Lenkarda.”
He wanted to be left alone with his former lover? The sick feeling of jealousy she thought she had under control returned in full force. Nevertheless, she nodded stiffly and asked, “Marisa, would you want to go for a walk on the beach?”
Her sister smiled. “Sure. That sounds lovely,” she said, and Mia knew that the signs of tension had not escaped Marisa’s sharp eye.
Korum bent down to kiss her forehead and then released her from his embrace. “Go ahead,” he said. “Your morning shake is in the kitchen. I made one for Marisa as well. You can take it with you if you want.”
Mia thanked him, and the two sisters left, grabbing their shakes on the way.
Chapter 18
“All right, baby sis, spill. What was up with your reaction back there?” Marisa took a sip of her shake and looked at Mia expectantly as they strolled along the water, the ocean surf pounding against the sand only a few feet away.
Mia kicked a small shell out of the way, getting sand into her flip-flop in the process. “I just learned he had a thing with Ellet in the past,” she told Marisa glumly. “And now he wants to be alone with her in the house. How am I supposed to react to that?”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah.”
Marisa was silent for a few seconds, apparently mulling that over. “I don’t think he has anything going on with her anymore . . .” she said thoughtfully. “In fact, I’m pretty sure of it. He has eyes only for you – it’s almost scary, actually, how intensely he watches you all the time. Still, that wasn’t a very nice thing to do. But maybe he had some business to discuss with her?”
“Probably,” Mia agreed, shrugging. “He said it’s been over between them for a few years and it was never serious in the first place. Still, I just can’t help imagining the two of them together, you know?”
For about a minute, they walked in comfortable silence, slowly drinking their smoothies and looking out over the water.
Then Marisa spoke again. “You really love him, don’t you?” she asked, sounding worried for the first time.
Mia sighed and looked down at the sand. “More than I can say,” she admitted. “More than I could’ve ever imagined.”
“Oh Mia . . .”
“I know, I know. I don’t need a lecture on this. It can’t possibly end well, believe me, I know.”
Her sister reached out and squeezed her hand. “Well, for what it’s worth, he seems crazy about you. Absolutely crazy. I’ve never seen anything like that. He looks at you like he wants to devour you – and like he would do anything for you at the same time. He seems obsessed with you, baby sis . . .”