Chapter Five
Brexton leaned on the bathroom counter and stared at himself in the mirror. His hair was still damp from his shower, and he’d combed his beard. The way Blossom had kissed him back, the way she’d felt in his arms… He wanted to keep her. He’d wanted that even after the brief glimpse he’d had before she slammed her apartment door in his face. His people tended to know when they’d met the right female, even if some were too stubborn to admit it, like Chief Councilor Borgoz.
He didn’t want to scare Blossom, but he’d never wanted a female as badly as he wanted her. Yes, he’d met a few over the years he’d thought he was attracted to until he got to know them, or looked into their eyes and saw the coldness hiding there. Those females had taught him that outer beauty wasn’t important. Blossom had both outer and inner beauty, and it was damn hard to resist her.
Despite the fact he was huge compared to her, she didn’t seem scared of him. When he’d gotten angry earlier, he’d seen hesitance in her eyes as she’d stepped away from him, or tried to. He’d never hurt her, and he hoped she knew that, or would learn it soon enough. They were strangers, and yet… He felt like he knew her, like she was the missing piece he’d been searching for all these years.
“Talk like that and you’ll send her running,” he grumbled at his reflection.
He finished getting ready, pulling on a dark purple silk shirt and black pants. Adding a black leather belt and his black ankle boots, he assessed his image in the floor-length mirror in the corner of his bedroom. Grabbing his black jacket out of the closet, he pulled it on, adjusted the lapels, and shrugged his shoulders until it fit comfortably. Brexton smoothed a hand over his beard and wondered if Blossom would approve of him. The other Zelthranites wore leather, or if they dressed human they chose the denim pants so many human males wore. Because of his image, it had been drummed into his head that he should only be seen in public when well put together. When he’d first arrived, he’d dressed as the rest of his people did. Now he was more comfortable in human clothes.
“Brexton?” Blossom’s voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he turned toward the door.
She wore a black dress that hugged her curves then flared out, stopping just above her knees. The neckline gave him a tantalizing hint of her cleavage, and his cock started to get hard. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing, hoping he could get control of himself before he embarrassed the both of them.
“You don’t like it,” she said.
“Wait!” He opened his eyes and saw the dejected look on her face.
Taking a few breaths, he went to her, not stopping until he’d reached out to take her hand. There was a spark of hope as she looked up at him, as if his opinion of her really mattered. He realized in that moment that he could do far more damage to her than he ever realized. Not the physical kind, but while she’d been strong and fought to take care of her children, there was a fragile side to her. And that was the part of her that he would easily destroy if he didn’t do everything just right.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
“But you closed your eyes and looked like you were in pain.”
He laughed, but it wasn’t a humorous one. “I was trying to control myself. The second I saw you standing in the doorway, my body reacted and I didn’t want to scare you.”
“No one’s ever called me beautiful,” she murmured.
He ran his fingers down her cheek. “You shine brighter than all the stars in the heavens. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. There’s something missing, though.”
“What?’ she asked, her brow furrowed.
He went to his dresser and pulled out the jewelry boxes from the store they’d stopped in earlier. They weren’t high quality, but they were pretty. He opened the necklace first, and fastened it around her neck, then handed her the box of earrings.
“Brexton, you shouldn’t have,” she said.
He could tell she was pleased though. She slipped the earrings into her ears, then smiled broadly at him.
“There’s one more thing.” He snapped open the ring box and heard her gasp. She stared at the ring and he noticed her hands were trembling. He didn’t know much about the customs of humans when it came to jewelry, but he’d seen a lot of human females with rings on their left hands. He didn’t know what it meant, and he wasn’t going to ask and sound like an idiot. Brexton removed the ring from the box and slid it onto the ring finger of her left hand.
“Brexton, I…” Tears gathered in her eyes and she blinked them back. “How long have you had this?”
“Since earlier today. While you took the kids to the bathroom, I bought this stuff from the jewelry counter. I know it’s not as fine a quality as I would get from a jeweler, but…”
“It’s beautiful,” she said, admiring the ring. Then she went on tiptoe and pulled him down for a kiss. It was a soft, gentle kiss, and his heart felt so full in that moment, he worried it might burst.
“Are you ready for our night out?” he asked.
She nodded and smiled up at him, but he noticed she kept glancing at her ring. They stopped in the kitchen to let Mrs. Connors know they were leaving. The housekeeper’s gaze locked onto Blossom’s ring and she gave an excited squeal then hugged them both tight.
“I just knew when you brought her home that she would be staying,” the housekeeper said.
What was she talking about?
“I never expected you to propose so soon though,” Mrs. Connors said.
Propose? He looked down at Blossom, who was smiling shyly. He noticed she seemed a little nervous too, as she shifted from foot to foot.
