The Gigolo's Bride (The Necklace Chronicles) Read Online Free PDF Page B

she said
finally, putting the cup down on a small end table with a top that
looked like mother-of-pearl.
    He darted his dark brown eyes up to hers and
ran his hands through his hair, then dropped his eyes down and
began to speak.
    On their home world of Norlan, their mated
couples had stopped giving birth to baby girls several decades
earlier. Those that were born were found to be sterile when they
were old enough to marry and start a family. Sometimes, very
infrequently, a female would be able to bear children, but never
female children, only males. Their scientific community worked hard
to find the reason for this sudden mutation that threatened to be
the eventual end of their kind, but found no underlying cause for
it or way to reverse it. In the meantime, only boys were born, and
those boys needed wives. Females capable of producing children were
becoming in short supply and fights broke out constantly over those
few. Their government sent out ships to find planets that contained
biologically compatible females. They found several planets in
different solar systems, and they began to bring those women home
as brides.
    A lot of things went through Ashleigh’s mind
as he spoke about the loss on their planet. She did feel sorry for
them, but she had her own life back on Earth and she wanted to get
back to it. Although she would admit that she was attracted to him,
and curious about life on other planets, she was human and she
wanted to be back on Earth, period.
    “I'm not a whore," she said finally.
    "What is a whore?" His brow furrowed in
confusion.
    "A whore, a woman who gives her body to
anyone."
    She wasn't sure, but for just a moment, it
looked as if he was ashamed. But the emotion passed over his face
so fast she wasn't sure she'd actually seen it. "Of course you're
not, I know that." His voice was soft and soothing, and she had a
sudden urge to crawl into his arms and let him hold her.
    Steeling herself against those dangerous
thoughts, she growled, "I'm not going to have sex with you, so you
might as well have them send me back."
    "There's no way that you can return to Earth.
I'm sorry that you're upset. I would never take you against your
will, Ashleigh; I want you to come to me willingly."
    She snorted and folded her arms. "That will
never happen."
    While she might have expected anger at her
flippant remarks, the sadness that eased over his features made
guilt prick at her.
    He stood up slowly and smoothed his hands
down the front of his green embroidered tunic. He was wearing
matching pants and dark shoes. "Let me show you the rest of the
chamber, and then I'll make us something to eat."
    She stared at his offered hand. "Just so long
as we're clear."
    "We are," he said evenly. She took his hand
and he pulled her up from the couch. For a brief moment, their
bodies touched, and she was very aware of the lean, muscular body
underneath the clothing, the heat that radiated from him. He
smelled incredible, like dark spices.
    Coming back to herself suddenly, she let go
of his hand and followed him through the front room. "This is the
cooking area." It was just off the front room and contained a
refrigerator, a pantry, a cook-top that looked far too difficult
for her to operate, and a metallic sink. A door opened to the right
of the kitchen, and he said, "All the doors, except for the one
leading into the hallway, will open for you at any time; they're
programmed to recognize you. If you want the lights on or off, you
simply say the command."
    She nodded and followed him through the open
door. Inside was a bedroom. A huge bed sat in the corner, covered
with dark green blankets and a pile of pillows in various shades of
green. Pretty sashes hung from hooks in the ceiling and created a
gauzy, dreamy effect around the bed. He opened the doors of a dark
cabinet. "Here are clothes for you. Our women dress in tunics and
slacks or dresses. There are shoes, too."
    She was a little stunned at the array of
colorful clothing