Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
“Sweetheart!”
The endearment flew out of her mouth before she could think about it.
Taurex barely had time to react before Terra ran across the room and threw both arms around him.
At first his golden eyes went wide, and his entire body went rigid. For one terrible heartbeat she thought he wasn’t going to return her affection. Then, slowly and carefully, he leaned into her hug. He couldn’t put his arms around her because of the handcuffs he wore, but Terra didn’t care. She stood on her tiptoes, threw her arms around his neck, and covered his face with kisses. She might be playing it up a little, but she really meant every kiss. As she pressed her face against his chest and breathed him in, she thought of how much she’d missed his scent…and the feel of his big body against her own.
“Terra?” he rumbled above her head. “What is happening?”
“I’ll explain later,” she murmured. “For now I’m just so happy to have you back, baby.”
Detective Ramirez cleared her throat.
“Well, it looks like you’re free to go. Hold still a second, big guy and I’ll get you out of those cuffs,” she said to Taurex.
Terra stepped reluctantly back and Taurex held out his hands to the detective so she could unlock his cuffs. After she did, he rubbed one enormous wrist and frowned at the detective.
“So…that is all?” he asked.
“That’s all. You two are free to go,” Ramirez said. She pointed a finger at them. “But don’t leave town. You may still be called back to give testimony.”
Terra nodded quickly.
“Of course. We’ll stay in Tampa while we plan the wedding.”
Taurex looked between them, his brow furrowed.
“I do not understand,” he rumbled.
“You will,” Terra told him. “Come on, baby. Let’s get out of here.”
Detective Ramirez smiled at them both.
“Good luck on your marriage.”
Taurex’s golden eyes widened.
“Our what?”
“Our wedding, silly.” Terra swatted him playfully on one muscular arm. “Come on—we’ve got a lot of planning still to do.”
And, taking him by the hand, she towed him out of the police station.
But she couldn’t help thinking, she was going to have a lot of explaining to do.
41
TAUREX
Taurex had negotiated trade agreements while surrounded by armed warriors, fought battles on worlds where the air itself was poisonous, and once spent three days trapped beneath the wreckage of a transport with two broken ribs, but he could not remember ever being as thoroughly confused as he was while walking out of the Tampa police station with Terra’s arm tucked firmly through his.
He kept glancing down at her as they crossed the broad concrete plaza outside the building, trying to understand what had just happened. Less than an hour ago, he had been sitting in a holding room large enough to accommodate his horns while two human detectives informed him that the forensic evidence from Viktor Orlov’s apartment made it quite clear that all four males had been killed with the same off-world energy weapon.
Taurex had seen no reason to insult their intelligence by denying the obvious, though he had refused to answer questions about exactly where he had obtained the blaster. Then, without warning, the door had opened, his restraints had been removed, and he had been led into a room where Terra had thrown herself into his arms, called him “baby” and behaved as though having him arrested for four killings was merely some minor inconvenience they had encountered together.
Then the detective had wished them luck on their marriage. Their…marriage. Taurex could endure the confusion no longer.
“Terra,” he began as soon as the doors of the police station closed behind them, “What exactly did the detective mean when she—”
“Shhh!” Terra tightened her grip on his arm and looked quickly over her shoulder. “Just keep walking.”
Taurex frowned down at her.
“But—”
“Taurex, please. Trust me and keep walking,” she begged.
There was such urgency in her voice, he obeyed without question. Whatever she was doing, she seemed to have a good reason for it. So he kept his mouth closed and kept walking.
They continued across the plaza and down the sidewalk together, Terra moving quickly enough that Taurex barely had to shorten his stride. Every few steps she glanced behind them as though expecting someone from the police station to burst through the doors and call them back, and Taurex began to wonder whether his release had been considerably less straightforward than Detective Ramirez had implied.
Eventually Terra led him into a parking garage and stopped beside a tiny silver vehicle.
“Okay, here we are,” she said. “Get in.”
Taurex stared at it…then at Terra…then back at the vehicle.
“This is yours?” he asked at last. He’d never seen her car before, since she’d always parked in the garage when she worked for him.
“Yeah, this is it.” She nodded. “Come on—we need to go.”
He regarded the small silver car with increasing concern.
“Are you certain?”