look forward to hearing his cousin getting laid in the other room.
When he walked inside, he was surprised to find the place dark. It was also nearly silent, except he could hear slow, jazzy music playing somewhere in back. The melody grew louder as he headed toward his bedroom. Huv stopped dead just inside the doorframe.
Although the main lights were off, a spectrum of decorative twinkle lights had been draped around the room, creating a pretty patchwork of illumination. The music emanated from the small vid screen by the bed, which also displayed a swirl of mood lighting. On top of the nightstand, a bottle of sparkling wine chilled in a bucket behind two elegant glasses.
Huv’s bed, usually a simple affair, had been remade with satin sheets and turned down invitingly. Lying in the middle was Lexy, barefoot but otherwise clothed in a nice shirt and dark jeans.
Despite his misgivings, Huv’s spirit lifted at the sight of him. “How did you get in?”
If Lexy was put off by the poor greeting, he didn’t show it. “Rix helped me out. He said you’ve been moping, and he wants to see you happy again.”
Huv made a mental note to strangle his cousin.
Lexy got up and crossed the room toward him. “You’ve been avoiding me. That makes it tough to apologize.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Don’t I?” Lexy’s gaze never wavered, but he released a loud sigh. “I am so sorry, Huv. You were right about me not being very patient. You asked for time, you told me you were struggling, and I didn’t listen. Please forgive me. I never meant to scare you.”
Huv had to swallow past the lump in his throat. He wished it were that simple. “You weren’t wrong. You do deserve someone who can … be with you all the time.” This was the hardest thing he’d ever had to admit. “I’m not sure I can give you what you need.”
“ You are what I need.” Lexy caught his hand and clasped it to his chest before Huv could step back. His expression turned wry. “Want to hear the ironic part? I thought I’d be the one saying that to you, telling you I can’t be what you need.”
“What?”
“Allurians marry Allurians and have little baby Allurians. That’s what you told me the night we met. I’m not Allurian. I’m not even female half the time. How could I ever be what you’re looking for?”
“Lexy.” Huv invested those two syllables with a world of heartache, along with a large dash of reprimand. How could he think that?
Still holding his hand, Lexy continued. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this past week, and I’ve figured some things out.”
Feeling like he was drifting on a slow, unstoppable current, Huv only managed a one-word response. “What?”
“I’ve been looking for a Mister or Miss Right for a long time now.” Lexy’s blue eyes turned thoughtful. “I thought I’d found them a couple of times, too. Then when things got serious, I started picking at the relationship, dissecting it to see what was wrong. Because deep down, I knew it wasn’t meant to be.
“I was afraid to do that with you, Huv. So I didn’t look too closely at what was going on between us, and that was a mistake. Being a therapist isn’t just a job for me. It’s part of who I am. When people are scared or in pain, I want to help. If they’re dealing with some big issue, I want to be there to listen and guide them. I should have done that for you.”
Although he was finding it hard to breathe, Huv tilted his chin higher. “I’m not one of your patients.” He didn’t want Lexy to see him like that.
“No, you’re my lover. You deserve more of my attention than anybody.”
“This isn’t something you can—”
Lexy cut him off. “Once I let myself take a good hard look at this relationship, the most amazing thing happened. I discovered I wasn’t picking it apart to see what was wrong. Instead, I kept looking at what was right and trying to work out the rest. I want this to work, Huv. I know you do,
When he walked inside, he was surprised to find the place dark. It was also nearly silent, except he could hear slow, jazzy music playing somewhere in back. The melody grew louder as he headed toward his bedroom. Huv stopped dead just inside the doorframe.
Although the main lights were off, a spectrum of decorative twinkle lights had been draped around the room, creating a pretty patchwork of illumination. The music emanated from the small vid screen by the bed, which also displayed a swirl of mood lighting. On top of the nightstand, a bottle of sparkling wine chilled in a bucket behind two elegant glasses.
Huv’s bed, usually a simple affair, had been remade with satin sheets and turned down invitingly. Lying in the middle was Lexy, barefoot but otherwise clothed in a nice shirt and dark jeans.
Despite his misgivings, Huv’s spirit lifted at the sight of him. “How did you get in?”
If Lexy was put off by the poor greeting, he didn’t show it. “Rix helped me out. He said you’ve been moping, and he wants to see you happy again.”
Huv made a mental note to strangle his cousin.
Lexy got up and crossed the room toward him. “You’ve been avoiding me. That makes it tough to apologize.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Don’t I?” Lexy’s gaze never wavered, but he released a loud sigh. “I am so sorry, Huv. You were right about me not being very patient. You asked for time, you told me you were struggling, and I didn’t listen. Please forgive me. I never meant to scare you.”
Huv had to swallow past the lump in his throat. He wished it were that simple. “You weren’t wrong. You do deserve someone who can … be with you all the time.” This was the hardest thing he’d ever had to admit. “I’m not sure I can give you what you need.”
“ You are what I need.” Lexy caught his hand and clasped it to his chest before Huv could step back. His expression turned wry. “Want to hear the ironic part? I thought I’d be the one saying that to you, telling you I can’t be what you need.”
“What?”
“Allurians marry Allurians and have little baby Allurians. That’s what you told me the night we met. I’m not Allurian. I’m not even female half the time. How could I ever be what you’re looking for?”
“Lexy.” Huv invested those two syllables with a world of heartache, along with a large dash of reprimand. How could he think that?
Still holding his hand, Lexy continued. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this past week, and I’ve figured some things out.”
Feeling like he was drifting on a slow, unstoppable current, Huv only managed a one-word response. “What?”
“I’ve been looking for a Mister or Miss Right for a long time now.” Lexy’s blue eyes turned thoughtful. “I thought I’d found them a couple of times, too. Then when things got serious, I started picking at the relationship, dissecting it to see what was wrong. Because deep down, I knew it wasn’t meant to be.
“I was afraid to do that with you, Huv. So I didn’t look too closely at what was going on between us, and that was a mistake. Being a therapist isn’t just a job for me. It’s part of who I am. When people are scared or in pain, I want to help. If they’re dealing with some big issue, I want to be there to listen and guide them. I should have done that for you.”
Although he was finding it hard to breathe, Huv tilted his chin higher. “I’m not one of your patients.” He didn’t want Lexy to see him like that.
“No, you’re my lover. You deserve more of my attention than anybody.”
“This isn’t something you can—”
Lexy cut him off. “Once I let myself take a good hard look at this relationship, the most amazing thing happened. I discovered I wasn’t picking it apart to see what was wrong. Instead, I kept looking at what was right and trying to work out the rest. I want this to work, Huv. I know you do,
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