Claus (Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides #7)

Chapter 11

As for making Emily and your parents proud, I am certain you have already succeeded. I see the way the boys look at you. They love you and they feel safe with you.

Claus’s tenderly spoken words kept repeating in Aubrey’s head, causing her to cry harder. Was it true? Did the boys really love her and feel safe with her? God, she prayed it was true, and she prayed she would never give them a reason to doubt how much she cared about them.

She sniffled and wiped at her face, and a second later she felt a tissue being dabbed to her eyes and nose. She blinked fast to clear her vision and realized Claus had grabbed some tissues off the coffee table so he could dry her tears. It made her feel like breaking into fresh sobs, but she somehow held it together.

No one had ever dried her tears like this. Well, not since she was a child. She wanted to grab the tissues and do it herself, but the expression on Claus’s face was so caring and sweet that she couldn’t summon the action. So, she allowed him to dry her tears and her runny nose.

“Thank you,” she said once he’d finished.

Claus nodded. “Of course. I only hope that you feel better.” He tossed the tissues into a trash can and then focused his attention on her.

“I do feel better. Just a little embarrassed.”

He stroked her hair. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about, sweet human. Is there anything I can do to lift your spirits? Would you like to discuss the reason you were crying? I am curious, though I will not force you to tell me.”

“All I want to do is be a good caregiver to the boys. Hearing someone say the boys must love me and that they feel safe with me… well, it made me overwhelmingly happy and relieved and hopeful all at the same time.”

Understanding dawned in his green eyes. “I believe I understand. Thank you for sharing that with me, Aubrey. I am honored that you choose to confide in me.”

She smiled at him and marveled at how light she felt. As though the heaviest burden had just been lifted from her shoulders. As though she could take a full breath for the first time in weeks.

And then she was once again aware of Claus’s state of undress. He was wearing gray shorts and nothing else. There was no hiding the immense bulge of his manhood. His massive muscular arms were fully exposed, as was his broad chiseled chest that also happened to be covered in long thick scars. She couldn’t help but keep glancing at his chest and the markings that were surely the result of torture.

“The Irrcons captured me early in the war,” he said, taking her by surprise. No doubt he’d noticed her staring and sensed her curiosity. “They attempted to interrogate me, and they weren’t very pleased by my refusal to answer their questions. That is how I received these scars.” There was a note of shame in his voice that she found unsettling. “I… I did not receive a dose of Vaxxlian healing nanobots until after the war, as they were a more recent scientific development among my people, and the nanobots will not heal old scars.”

Her throat burned. She hated the thought of any harm coming to Claus. “How long were you a prisoner?”

“Two years,” he replied. “Nearly the duration of the war.” He lowered his gaze. “I trusted an intelligence source that proved to be false, and I got myself captured while on the way to a supposed Vaxxlian meeting point that turned out to be an ambush. Rather than fight the Irrcons with my comrades and help defeat them, I spent the war as a captive. It is… it is a great shame of mine, and I wasn’t certain if I would tell you at first, but if we are to become mates—and I still very much hope we will—there should be honesty between us. You should know about my past.”

“Claus, there’s no shame in getting captured during a war. Surely you must realize that.” She placed a hand on his chest directly over the largest scar. “I don’t think less of you because of it.”

He regarded her with a look of cautious hope. “You truly do not believe it makes me unfit to become your mate?”

“Of course not.” Then her eyes widened. “Not that I’m agreeing to become your mate,” she quickly added. “But someone’s status as a former prisoner of war doesn’t automatically make them unfit to get married. Your character and disposition matter most, Claus. While I probably shouldn’t admit this aloud because I suspect it’ll go straight to your head, I think you’re an honorable male.” Though she kept trying to resist him and continually pushed him away, she was starting to trust him. Starting to think that maybe, just maybe, she could enjoy a happy mating union with Claus. Still, agreeing to marry a Vaxxlian she’d only known for a week and move to an alien planet was a big freaking deal, and she hesitated to admit she was finally beginning to consider his proposal.

He lifted her hand and entwined his long fingers with hers. As he peered into her eyes, his expression was intense and steadfast. “I promise I would keep you and the boys safe on New Vaxx. It’s a peaceful planet and it’s well guarded. There’s a protective shield around the entire planet that prevents unsanctioned vessels from entering Vaxxlian airspace, and we always keep an armed fleet in orbit. But I would still endeavor to make sure you and the boys remain safe and happy.”

“Claus, I…” Her voice trailed off and she’d never felt so tempted in her life. She wanted to kiss him and fall deeper into his arms and beg him to take her upstairs.

“I would make sure you never went hungry or lacked for anything you might need,” he continued. “The boys would be sent to the best schools, and once they’re of age they would be free to become warriors or enter a trade. You would be free to continue doing remote translator work, or teach alien languages, or something else that interests you. I have a newly built house waiting for you, which I constructed on the edge of Starzzia. The house contains ten bedrooms, plenty of room for a growing family if the Star God blesses us with more children, and there’s a library and a game room, and some empty rooms I haven’t figured out what to do with yet. I don’t want you to stay on Earth, Aubrey. It is not safe. Your planet is failing, and just this morning I heard a news report about a large raider attack on a town a few miles north. McHenry isn’t a war-torn city like much of your country, but it won’t be long before it falls.”

Aubrey was quiet for a long while. Eventually, she exhaled slowly and said, “I must admit, you’ve given me a lot to think about.”

His visage brightened. “I knew you were attracted to me,” he said in a playful tone. “Are you ready to beg me to claim you yet?”

She laughed and somehow found herself shifting closer, her hand lightly caressing his chest. His gaze penetrated straight to her soul, and though she felt vulnerable and uncertain at this moment, she also felt safe in Claus’s presence. Safe and giddy with the excitement of blossoming love.

Oh, hell. Had she actually just thought the “L” word?

Yes, she had.

Things were happening crazy fast, but there was a huge part of her that didn’t wish to stop it. There was a huge part of her that wanted to throw caution to the wind and embark upon an interstellar romance with the sexy Vaxxlian warrior who made her insides quiver with longing.

As he continued staring into her eyes, she realized he was gradually leaning closer as if he meant to kiss her. She parted her lips and tilted her head upward in invitation, breathless and achingly eager.

It was a tender kiss at first, a soft brushing of his lips on hers. He tangled his fingers in her hair, and a moan emitted from her throat as he thrust his tongue in her mouth and continued his sensual explorations. She parted her lips further, and he growled low in his throat and deepened the kiss. To her surprise, his tongue started vibrating.

Oh my. A vibrating tongue.

Her mind instantly conjured some very dirty thoughts.

He delved his other hand in her hair and tightened his grip. Urgent need built between her thighs, and she whimpered as his vibrating tongue danced along hers.

When they finally pulled apart, he cradled her head gently in his large warm hands. As he gazed at her with a look of utter adoration, his green eyes glowed brighter than she’d ever seen before.

Aubrey struggled to catch her breath in the aftermath of the toe-curling kiss. What happened now? Everything between her thighs ached, and judging by how frequently Claus took deep inhales, she was starting to suspect he could detect her arousal. Vaxxlians possessed heightened senses compared to humans. She pressed her thighs firmly together and the delicious aching sensation pulsed faster.

“We could mate tonight, Aubrey.” His voice was a sensual rumble that caused the urgency in her core to deepen.

“I know, but… I need more time. Please.” She couldn’t allow herself to make such a life-altering decision when she was hyper aroused and ready to jump Claus’s bones. Her mind whirled so fast she couldn’t form a rational thought, and she felt blissfully drunk as he stroked her hair.

He placed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Yes, I will give you more time, sweet human.”

She appreciated his patience, but she couldn’t help but wonder when it would run out. Eventually, if she kept pushing him away, he would leave for good. He would contact VAMOB and request an alternate mate. Sadness gripped her at the thought, but she wasn’t ready to say yes. Not when so many doubts continued to plague her.

She’d never felt more conflicted about anything in her life, pulled in too many directions as she tried to weigh all her options. Oh God, what should she do?