Free Hope in Love by J. Hali Steele Page A

enter his mind. Now, as she waited for him and enjoyed a glass of wine,
she did.
    They were meshing. A tie that would be unbreakable, and they
must stop it before it went any further.
    Her nerves begged for a second glass of wine.
    She’d never been out to dinner. Unless she counted going to
her deceased husband’s family home.
    During conversations above, she often listened to exulted
who exclaimed over their visits to Earth. They went to restaurants and shows
with their benefactors. For the first time she wished for a little more
sophistication. Yael didn’t blame Deborah for the lack of education she’d
received. She could have gone on adventures with others. She’d chosen not to.
    Yael hoped to impress Ram with what she wore. Afraid the top
of her dress wouldn’t stay up, she made a shawl. And then she covered her
knees. The two materials, both black, were not so different and she was an
excellent seamstress.
    * * * * *
    Mended, Ram arrived on the patio. He took one step and his
mouth fell open. He couldn’t move. Glad she faced away from him, he took the
needed time to recover. What had she done to the lovely dresses he left her
with? It appeared she’d sewn a hem on the strapless dress by using the other
dress’s material. And she’d made a shawl to cover her shoulders. The shoulders
he hoped to see bare all night.
    “You were unhappy with my choice of clothing?” he asked.
    Yael jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to face
him.
    “Well there was scant material there. You couldn’t really
call it a dress. My knees showed beneath the hem.”
    “You have beautiful knees.” He watched the red creep from
the top of her chest to the roots of her brown hair as his eyes roamed over her
body. To him, all of her parts were quite spectacular. He wished she had left
her coppery tresses to hang loose.
    “It made me feel naked.”
    “It’s fine. I only wanted you to feel a part of this time.
If you are more comfortable in the longer style,” he waved his hand at her
outfit, “by all means, it is what you should wear.”
    The black strappy shoes peeked at him from underneath the
long hem of the dress which fitted like a second skin. He hid a smile. He
couldn’t wait to see her hips sway across the room in the three-inch heels.
Yael, already very tall, still only reached his chin with the additional boost
in height.
    “If you’re happy, so am I,” Ram said. “Let’s go. The place I’m
taking you to is famous for fresh fish. They fly it in from the Mediterranean
every day. It’s very romantic and we’ll have a private room so there is no need
for you to worry.”
    “Fly it in?” Her head tilted sideways in question. “I know
we are somewhere called Florida. How far is my homeland from here?”
    “Many thousands of miles. Do you want to see how it’s
changed?”
    “No.”
    She gripped tight to his arm and Ram took them to the
restaurant.
    * * * * *
    He had been here many times and there would be a private
room for him. He opened the door and allowed her to enter first. He felt her
body tremble. Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea, he thought. She seemed very
uncomfortable.
    “Yael, I can ease your tension. I won’t invade your privacy.
I’ll just relax you a little, or we can return home if you like?”
    Ram wanted her to enjoy herself, but not if it would be
traumatic. She looked as if she’d bolt at the slightest sound. To his
knowledge, she didn’t visit Earth with any of her cohorts.
    Yael hadn’t returned below since the period B.C.—before
Christ.
    He watched gold flecks glitter in her eyes as they darted
around the dimly lit room, and she took deep breaths. She wouldn’t allow him to
calm her. He’d done everything to make her feel safe. Why did she still fear
him so? Her benefactor should have made sure she experienced the newness of the
world.
    The door opened and a couple entered the restaurant behind
them.
    The woman was a sultry beauty. Makeup perfect, golden hair
hung loose