He downed half the juice in his glass before setting it back down on the table and sitting across from her.
“Do you always shift after having sex?” she asked.
“Most Symtarian males do. We can’t help it. It’s the intense emotions that come with our release.”
“I don’t shift.” Wouldn’t that have surprised the men she’d been with? Talk about giving them the bird.
“It isn’t the same with women.”
“I don’t know. I thought it was pretty intense for me.”
He grinned.
She felt the heat rise up her face. No one would think anything could embarrass her after their lovemaking, but the way he looked at her did exactly that. “I need to go into work today,” she finally said.
He reached out and took her hand. “I know you haven’t come to terms with who you are. It will take time. I will be here to help you find your way.”
“And if I never do?”
“You will.”
She didn’t want to push. Probably because she was afraid of what he might say. Could he force her to return? And what would she do if he did?
Carly had known Donald was wrong. Ria was still her best friend. Kristor was just a passing fancy. When he left, their lives would return to normal. Pffft, she and Ria had been friends for practically forever. Nothing would ever change between them. And Donald liked making trouble for people. Sometimes, she thought it was his goal in life.
Carly slowed as she turned the corner. Her smile faded. Kristor’s motorcycle was parked in the driveway. This was the second time he’d spent the night with Ria. As long as she’d known her friend, no man had ever spent the night once, let alone twice.
She took a deep, calming breath. It didn’t matter. Ria had said they would always be friends, and Carly had never known Ria to lie. Why would she start now?
But Donald’s words came back to haunt her. Kristor was from another country. Would Ria fall so much in love with him that she would leave everything to go live wherever the hell he lived?
Icy chills raced up and down her spine at the mere thought of Ria’s moving to a foreign country.
Carly continued past Ria’s house, and turned another corner. Her hands trembled and she couldn’t take a deep breath. If it wasn’t for Ria, she would have no friends. If Ria left, she would be all alone.
No! That wouldn’t happen. But no matter how many times she repeated that to herself, she couldn’t stop the rising panic that clogged her throat.
Carly had no life without Ria, and she knew it. They had been friends for as long as Carly could remember. Ria was the outgoing one, the one who stepped out of her comfort zone, the one who wasn’t afraid to try new things, except flying. Ria was the one who made life more interesting, and without her, Carly would die a slow death.
And Carly knew just how pathetic that made her.
Chapter 15
Saying one thing, and doing something else was another. Ria had told Kristor she had to work today, and she did. She might own her own business, but that didn’t mean she could take off whenever she wanted. Most of the time, she put in long hours at her shop. And until she’d hired Jeanie and Katie, she rarely took any time off.
Not that she was complaining. She enjoyed grooming. It was all Ria had ever wanted to do. She loved animals, even tiny terror Sukie.
So why was she bored today?
Granted, keeping up with the books was not her favorite thing to do. She looked at the open ledger, and the numbers ran together. She closed her eyes for a moment and massaged her temples.
Maybe she needed to open the window. Her tiny office was located at the back of the shop and it was the size of a small walk-in closet. From here, she ordered supplies and tallied receipts.
The office was dark and dismal as the walls closed in around her. Why hadn’t she at least painted it a pretty yellow? She hated looking at the dull brown wall color. It was enough to make anyone depressed.
Deep down, she knew that wasn’t her problem. She had sort of hoped Kristor would drop by. There, she had finally admitted it to herself. She missed him.
But had he stopped by?
Nope, he’d stayed away, and she was surprised at how much she did miss him. Oh, Lord, how could she let him worm his way into her heart? Was this what he meant when he said she would change her mind about going back with him?
No, she hated heights. She had a fear of flying. Flying! Ha! It was a hell of a lot more than that! He was talking about zipping through outer space, and that was so not going to happen. Not just no, but hell no!
It was the sex. That’s the only thing she was interested in. Had to be.
She leaned forward and rested her head on the desk and closed her eyes. The sex had been really good. She’d never had multiple orgasms before Kristor came into her life.
You mean you actually did have orgasms before him? Wow, how did I miss that? Shintara interrupted Ria’s thoughts.
“I had plenty of orgasms, thank you very much,” she said without moving.
You could’ve fooled me.
“If you’re trying your hand at being funny, I’m not laughing.”
“Uh, Ria, who are you talking to?” Carly spoke from the doorway.
Ria jerked to a sitting position. “Carly, I didn’t hear you.” Her laugh came off worse than weak. “I was just thinking out loud.”
“Sounded more like you were carrying on a conversation.”
Now would be a good time to change the subject. “I thought you were coming over to my house tonight?” Ria came to her feet, smoothing the wrinkles out of her shirt.
“I thought we could run by the grocery store and grab what we needed. Maybe a pizza, and I have a bottle of wine. How’s that sound? I know neither one of us wants to cook.”
“That sounds terrific.” And it did. Anything to break up the monotony of her day and get her mind off Kristor.
Carly smiled. “It will be great catching up. Did you know the bank is planning an Alaskan trip? We’re giving a discount if they can get twenty people to go.”
“Are you going?”
Carly shook her head. “No way. So far, most of the people who have signed up are elderly. I think as soon as you have Katie trained, we can finally take that cruise we’ve been wanting to go on, though.”
“A cruise sounds really good right now.” But running away wouldn’t solve Ria’s problems. Not thinking about them tonight would at least help. “So what are we doing?” she asked.
Carly shrugged. “We haven’t gotten to talk girl stuff in a long time. I had that godawful cold, then you sort of hooked up with your alien….”
Ria hugged her friend’s arm. “You’re right. Let’s watch Beaches or Steel Magnolias. How’s that sound?” And please don’t mention my alien again, she silently begged.
Carly grinned. “And cry until we run out of tissues.”
They both laughed. Ria realized just how much she valued Carly’s friendship. They’d been through nearly everything together. This was exactly what they both needed. It would be great to forget about the fact she was part alien, and a shapeshifter at that.
She studied Carly for a moment. What would her friend say if Ria told her that she had shifted into a frog? She grimaced. Carly would probably cry through a box of tissues and tell Ria not to worry that they would find help for her. Probably even mention the doctors in Dallas.
No, she couldn’t tell her without proof, and Ria had already decided never to shift again. Tonight, they would relax, and Ria wouldn’t worry about a blasted thing—including being part alien. And she especially wouldn’t think about Kristor.
But she couldn’t stop the niggle of frustration that Kristor wouldn’t be around. Not around to hold her, to caress her, to make passionate love to her.
How’s that for taking a trip—a guilt trip. Carly was her friend and they hadn’t done a girls’ night in a really long time and all Ria could think about was Kristor. They would make up for it tonight.