Free No Rules by Jenna McCormick

wave.
    â€œI’m sorry, you don’t drink alcohol?”
    He shook his head. “Believe me, I’d like nothing better than to load up on mind-numbing substances, but it isn’t an option.”
    She licked her lips, clearly intent on asking another question, but stifled it and turned to face the window. Her delicate profile was beyond compare as she studied the stars.
    He cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking about our arranged marriage.”
    â€œOh?” She looked back at him, tilted her head to the side. He stared at her forehead so he didn’t get lost in her eyes, flecked with green and brown and gold, swirling into infinity.
    â€œWe’ve undergone a serious commitment. It would be a good idea for us to get to know one another a little bit.”
    â€œYou mean, other than in the biblical sense?”
    His translator chip didn’t pick up her meaning, but her wicked expression conveyed her message. His cock twitched with interest but he shifted, his course set.
    â€œYes. Tell me about you.”
    â€œWhat do you want to know?”
    Everything, Fenton thought. “About your life on Earth. Your family. You mentioned some female relatives. Do you keep in touch?”
    She shook her head and waited for the server to drop off their drinks. “No. Even before I left Earth, Sally and I hadn’t spoken in some years.”
    â€œSally’s your sister, right?” He recalled the name from before.
    â€œYes. She didn’t exactly approve of my life choices.”
    â€œWhat about your mother? And your aunt?”
    â€œYou have a very good memory for details.”
    Since it was part of his training, he shrugged the compliment off and waited while she took a sip of her drink. “Are you sure you want to hear this? It’s an ugly story, not really polite dinner conversation.”
    â€œI promise, nothing you say will ever be repeated.”
    Setting her drink aside, Alison took a deep breath. “Well, first off you should know that Lola wasn’t really my aunt, at least not by blood. She was my mother’s lover.”
    It took every ounce of his control not to react to that statement. Two women, together? On Hosta it was a crime punishable by death. Men could only seek out the same sex as part of the ranking, but men were different, more sexual. For women to shun men completely . . . Fenton couldn’t imagine the sort of freedom Alison had grown up with.
    Alison stared out the window, oblivious to him. “They’d been best friends since they were little, and while Lola always knew what she was, my mother was determined to be married to a man, have a traditional family. You see, on Earth, there’s this ideal of a happily-ever-after and even though it doesn’t really exist, we’re all brought up watching movies and television shows where there’s a mom, a dad, kids, maybe a dog. They all live together in a house and it’s supposed to be perfect, or as close to perfect as real people can get. Mom’s family was old-fashioned and she bought in to that. She married my father instead of following her heart, and it cost her everything.”
    Before he knew what he was doing, Fenton reached across the table and covered her hand with his own. It had been ages since he offered comfort to anyone, but the pain and sorrow in Alison’s tone called out to him. He wanted to soothe her hurt, take the pain from her any way he could. “If this upsets you, you don’t have to continue.”
    She offered him a watery smile. “I’ve never told this to anyone before. It hurts but it’s a good hurt, you know?”
    He had no idea what she was talking about, but didn’t mind. The feel of her soft skin beneath his calloused hands was addictive. His thumb brushed across her knuckles exploring the delicate structure of her hand while waiting for her to continue.
    â€œSo anyhow, my father, though wealthy with a