Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“Maybe I’d better bring my bag,” she said, looking up at him. “I mean, I have a…a special outfit I’m supposed to wear.”
“You do?” The big Kindred frowned, clearly not understanding her. Aleena felt too shy to explain that the “special outfit” was for their Joining night.
“I’ll just get it,” she said instead. Running to get her shabby leather bag which held all her clothing—including the one special outfit—she came back with it in her hand and held out the other to her new husband.
“Do you want me to carry that for you?” he asked, looking at her bag. It was the second time he had offered to do a menial chore for her, which was surprising. In Karpsian culture, a male never offered to carry or lift anything for a woman—it was beneath him—women’s work. In fact, if a woman was privileged to go on a trip with her husband, she had to manage all the luggage for both of them because a man would never lift even the smallest bag.
But it seemed the big Kindred really wanted to help.
“I suppose,” she said hesitantly. “Er…if you don’t think it’s beneath you?”
“Why would carrying your bag be beneath me?” He sounded genuinely confused as he held out a hand for the bag. “Is that some kind of belief your people have? That a male should never help a female with anything?”
“Well…no, he shouldn’t,” she said, even as she handed over the bag. “But I mean, if you really want to…”
“Of course I do. In my culture, a male always offers to carry heavy things for his female,” Bear explained. He lifted her bag. “Not that this is very heavy. What’s in it?”
“Oh, just my clothing,” Aleena said quickly. “This Joining Day outfit I’m wearing is a rental,” she added, feeling her cheeks get hot with the admission. “I have to bring it back soon and I don’t dare mess it up or let it get crumpled or dirty.”
“All right.” Bear shrugged. “Well come on—let’s go see the upstairs.”
“Yes, let’s.” Aleena tried to keep her voice bright and fixed a smile on her face but inside she was extremely nervous.
Was he leading her up to the bedchamber because he was ready to change the color of her eyes right now? Would he give her a chance to change into her Joining night outfit first? She’d tried to give him a hint that she needed to change before they did anything intimate.
She’d heard stories of new husbands being so eager to get to their bride’s body that they ripped her Joining Day outfit right off of her. But if Bear did that to the outfit she was wearing, it would cost her hundreds of credits which she didn’t have! She—
“Here we are—this is the master sleeping area, I believe,” Bear’s deep voice rumbled in her ears and she realized they were standing in the doorway of an absolutely massive bed chamber.
In the center of the room, on a raised dais, was an enormous bed. It had four carved wooden pillars at its corners and the mattress looked incredibly thick and plush.
It was a far cry from the thin pallet on the floor Aleena was used to sleeping on. The nice carved wooden beds which had come with their home were some of the first things she and her mother had sold when her father stopped sending them a monthly allowance.
But no matter how beautiful the bed chamber was, all she could think of was how her new husband was going to take her there, in the middle of the huge bed. He was so much bigger than her—how would his male equipment fit inside her? And did he really have one of those swellings at the base of his shaft that she’d heard about?
She found she was biting her lip—almost gnawing on it—in apprehension and she made herself stop. There was no point in being afraid—every woman had to go through this, she told herself. It was like taking an injection at the physician’s office—she would just have to deal with it. She—
“Well, it looks like there’s plenty of room to spread out and the bed seems sturdy enough which is good,” Bear rumbled, breaking into her nervous stream of thought. “Half of this furniture looks like it might break the minute I sit on it.”
“Oh, surely not my Lord…I mean, Bear,” she said quickly. “Er…are we going to use the bed now?” she added timidly.
He frowned.
“Are you sleepy?”
“Oh, no! I just thought…” Aleena trailed off, feeling her face get hot with a blush.
A look of comprehension came over his face.
“Look, Aleena…” he murmured. Turning her to face him, he lifted her chin with one finger until their eyes met. “I can see you’re very nervous about the idea of me, er, ‘changing the color of your eyes.’ Is that right?”