Khol (Rescued by the Alien)

17. Nancy

Chapter 17

Nancy

T hings were going . . . Well, I wasn’t sure where they were going between Khol and I, but I liked it. His kiss was amazing, his lips were soft yet held a hint of demand that swirled through me like the finest wine on a hot summer day.

It wouldn’t be hard to crave this guy unlike any other.

Did I dare trust my heart to someone who still mourned his lost love?

Fortunately, I didn’t have to think about it now. We’d only kissed. It wasn’t like we’d gone to bed together or declared our feelings.

This afternoon was for swimming and tomorrow, we’d do some more decorating and make cookies. With only a few days left until Christmas, there was enough to do to keep me distracted. Good thing. Otherwise, I’d sit around dreaming of how things might turn out between Khol and I. There was something oddly appealing about matchmaker spirits. They’d taken the dating app stuff out of the equation and paired us. It was up to us now to see if their prediction that we were fated mates was right or if throwing us together like this had been a huge mistake.

If nothing else, I could already see that Khol wasn’t the type of guy to lure me in, then smirk and stride away.

I dressed in my bathing suit and stood for a moment, staring down at my body in the skimpy bikini the water spirit had provided. Some of my baby belly pooch remained. No matter how I dieted or how many crunches I did, I remained soft in that area. And frankly, sit-ups sucked. Who actually liked doing them?

I had stretch marks and not only on my belly. My hips had been happy to expand along with the rest of me, and the fine strips on the top of my ass had to be unattractive.

When I went to the pool with Flora to give her swimming lessons, I wore a one-piece. I hadn’t cared how I looked. I was there with a bunch of moms who probably felt as awkward in their skin as me, and not one of us was going to point out someone else’s flaws even if we saw them.

My thighs were too big, my boobs hung lower than I liked, and my—

Hold on right there. When had I started thinking my physical appearance mattered? I mean, it did to some extent, but my true worth wasn’t in whether or not I had stretch marks on my belly but in the part of me I sheltered within my heart. Good looks didn’t last forever. A body changed over time. There was no stopping age and with it came wrinkles and gray hair. Saggy things.

I needed to focus on what my body offered rather than what it didn’t. I was strong. I could carry Flora for miles if I had to. And I had great balance. I might trip over something, but I didn’t fall. My eyes didn’t need correction—thank the house spirit for that, because I wasn’t sure where I’d find glasses or contact lenses here.

Khol found me attractive. I thought he did, that is. He seemed to.

So rather than ask the water spirit for a less revealing outfit, I thrust my shoulders back, secured my hair in a ponytail at my nape, and with a few cloths from the bathroom in my hand, I strode from the room.

I came to a halt when I saw Khol, who must’ve gone outside to change. Who would’ve thought a guy wearing only a scrap of fabric secured around his waist could be so hot? I’d seen him the day we arrived—drooled over him if I was being honest. Since then, he’d dressed in pants and tunics, hiding all his gorgeous blue skin and muscles.

He sat on the sofa with Flora nestled beside him, turning the pages of a book while she told him what the words said.

Did Zuldruxians read? I’d have to ask, though I hadn’t seen any books around outside the ones the house had provided for Flora.

His muscles rippled with more muscles, from his neck all the way down to his calves. I ached to run my fingertips across his abs and massage his thighs. Stroke his pecs and trace my palms across his broad shoulders.

He’d left his silver hair down, and it hung thickly around his face, the tips brushing his shoulders. I loved his blue skin and the way his dark blue eyes contrasted so nicely.

He must’ve sensed me watching, because he lifted his head and flashed me a smile full of enough happiness to spill over to me.

And when his gaze traveled down my frame, his eyes smoldered.

Okay, he really did find me attractive.

With my head high, I walked over to stand beside the sofa. “Are you two about ready? It’s steamy, and I can’t wait to jump into the pool.”

“Swimmin’,” Flora cried, sliding off the couch. She held out her hand to Khol. “Come on, Khol. We gotta go right now.”

“You’re right. We’ve got to go right now.” He chuckled and took her hand, and struggled to get up, implying that she actually was making a difference with her pull.

She sent me a smug look over her shoulder. “I’s helping Khol.”

“You sure are.” Tipping my head back, I squinted up at the ceiling. “Hey, house spirit, could we have some sandals?”

A long pause followed where the god must be consulting whatever system it used to find us on Earth. Did they have an alien equivalent to computers? They must, because three pairs of flip-flops oozed up from the floor .

“Pink,” Flora squealed, rushing over to sit beside her pair and tuck them onto her feet. She stood and gazed down at them. “Pwetty. So pwetty.”

“I don’t believe I’ve ever worn anything that looked like that before,” Khol said, clearly skeptical. “But I’ll try.”

After studying Flora’s feet, he slid his into one sandal after another, wincing when the thong tucked itself against his toes. He had cute toes with blunted nails like a human. No claws. His species mustn’t need them on this planet.

Khol took the towels from me and laid them over his shoulder. Holding both our hands, he led us to the door that I opened.

Outside, a warm but stiff wind hit us.

Khol paused and peered at the sky. “The storm will be here soon.”

“When?”

He shrugged. “Tonight, tomorrow? I’m not exactly sure.”

Just in time for Christmas?

Unease slithered through me, and my skin peppered with goosebumps despite the tropical heat. “Do you get hurricanes here?” I explained what they were.

“Yes, though not often.” He nudged his head to the right. “We go this way. Let’s swim and enjoy the rest of our day. The storm will come when it must.”

“It’s windy now. Will it get worse?”

“Perhaps. Wind is common here on the island. It sweeps off the sea that stretches away from my island forever.” His soft smile rose. “Not actually forever, though it seems so. Those of the Dastalon Clan who ride enormous birds called ryvars have traveled far beyond my island. They say there are large land masses in that direction. I asked if they encountered any people, but they said no. They didn’t remain for long, however, so to this day, no one knows if anyone lives there.”

“Would you ever like to travel there?”

He shot me a smile as we walked along a narrow trail leading through spindly woods with the stream on our left. A large pool of lavender water gleamed ahead, and the rush of the falls grew louder. “I can’t imagine traveling that far with a raft, and I don’t have a ryvar any longer. I had to leave him when I moved away from the Dastalon Clan.”

“Was he a pet, someone you miss?”

“Very much so.” He gazed toward the sky, and there was something so desolate and lonely about him that I wanted to hug him. Kiss him again. Tell him that he didn’t always have to be alone.

Instead, I kept walking. We were dancing around each other, each testing the water before plunging in. That didn’t mean we had to declare feelings or take this any further. For now, I’d see what happened next and not try to analyze it. Because Khol was special, I was beginning to believe I would rather stay here by his side than travel to settle in a different clan.

We stopped beside a pool that had to be thirty feet across. It looked deep, though shallow along the sandy shore. Trees of varying heights grew in clusters on the opposite side, draped with vines and peppered with thick clumps of shrubs covered with flowers. The shrubs marched down to the other shore until they reached the water. It had taken some time, but I was getting used to purple water and vegetation. I suspected it was no different than our shades of brown and green other than color.

“I should’ve asked the house spirit for a life jacket for Flora,” I said, worrying my lower lip. “She’s just learning to swim, and she’s much too bold.”

“Like her mother,” Khol said with a smile. He tossed our towels over a shrub and scooped up my daughter. “I’ll keep a hand on her at all times.” With that, he strode into the water, Flora squealing with joy and me following.

I fretted but not for long, because I trusted him. He cradled Flora in his arms and carefully advanced into the water, first letting her touch her toes, which brought out her giggles, then slowly going deeper.

Because he was focusing on her, and I knew he’d give his own life to protect my child, I dove into the water and swam below the surface, coming up to watch them slowly join me.

While I couldn’t touch where I was, Khol could. He stopped beside me, giving me a shy smile, and held Flora in the water.

She splashed her arms and kicked her feet. “Let go a me, Khol. Let go!”

“She does okay,” I said.

“I’m going to hold onto the back of your swimming outfit, Flora,” he said gently. “When you show me that you can swim, I’ll let go.”

Her little mouth twisted, and she huffed. “I’s can swim. Really.”

“Sort of,” I said. “This is Khol’s pool, so we follow his rules.”

“Hate rules,” she said with a sigh, but she gave in .

While I treaded water beside him, he slowly released her. She was soon paddling around us, huffing in the water with her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Fun, Mommy. I love swimmin’.”

“I do too, sweetie.”

“You do so well,” he said, keeping his hand near her in case she ran into trouble.

“I’s do,” she piped up. “I’s swimmin’.”

She doggie paddled around us while we savored the cool water. The wind kept gusting, making the tallest trees sway.

“What will we do if a hurricane’s coming?” I asked. Oh, to have a weather station to consult right now.

“Make sure there’s nothing loose outside for the wind to pick up and steal or slam into my house,” he said. “I’ll cover the windows to keep out the rain. And we’ll stay inside when it hits.”

So few options to escape what could be a furious storm.

“Should we go to shore? It might be safer on the mainland.”

“We’ll be safe here. I promise.”

But his eyes drifted toward the sky, and his frown deepened.