Alien's Orphan Bride: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Mail Order Human Book 4) Read Free

been shown a photograph of his face, she would have thought him a human man. Well, if he weren’t blue.
    Appearances weren’t everything though. What kind of heart did he possess? He’d mentioned having children with her already. Would he be a good father? Did he view her as anything but a vessel to bear his children?
    Hailey chided herself for her romantic notions. She needed to stop hoping for a fairytale and be happy that she was no longer starving on the streets. Nor was she resting on the cold dirty floor of an orphanage as she tried to fall asleep without a blanket, because one of the larger children had taken hers. Even if Cav only wanted her for her ability to bear him children, she supposed she ought to be grateful for her circumstances. The other human women would live in the city too. At least she would get to see Angie and the others she had become acquainted with on the Matchmaker 2 .
    As she took in Cav’s massive features, particular his large hands, she prayed he wasn’t prone to violence. The guard had told the women that Marrlxians expected their women to be submissive and very obedient. What would happen if she had a disagreement with Cav? Or what if she displeased him in some way?
    God, his hands were huge. He could probably crush her skull in a single blow, if he wanted to. Hailey became so lost in her worries that she barely noticed the city around her. She’d taken plenty of beatings in her life, but never from a man as huge as Cav. The larger children in the orphanage, and the thugs who had occasionally attacked her on the streets didn’t compare to the stature of her new mate.
    On Earth, she’d never suffered more than a few bruises during an altercation. Once punches started flying, all Hailey had to do was cough violently and the thugs would flee out of fear that she had a deadly disease. Sometimes she had even painted red spots on her face to mimic Harold’s pox, an illness that spread rapidly and resulted a drawn out, painful death. The creative defensive mechanisms she’d used on Earth wouldn’t work on Marrlxia though.
    Her stomach twisted to the point that she hovered on the verge of sickness. She looked up when Cav pulled her to a stop. For the first time, he didn’t gaze upon her with anger flaming in his dark eyes. His gentle expression was a welcome sight.
    “Are you unwell, Hailey?”
    “I…” She didn’t know what to say, and she was mortified when a few tears trickled down her cheeks. She ducked her head and wiped the moisture away, hoping he didn’t ask why she was crying.
    “Are you afraid, Hailey?”
    She sniffled and nodded.
    “Afraid of me?”
    “Yes.” Her whispered response was nearly lost in the rising wind. Her braid lifted off her shoulder.
    She didn’t know what to expect, but he completely took her by surprise when he set the suitcase on the ground and cupped her face in his huge hands. He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. Heat radiated from his massive body, and his masculine scent and sudden tenderness had her relaxing a bit. No further tears welled in her eyes.
    “You are to be my cherished mate, Hailey, and the mother of my children.”
     
    * * *
     
    It was the best response Cav could think of to calm her nerves. He couldn’t quite bring himself to say, “You mustn’t fear me” or “I will never hurt you.” Because he didn’t want to make a promise he couldn’t keep. It would take time to learn her character. Time to determine how loyal and trustworthy of a female she was.
    He’d heard human females were more submissive and obedient than Marrlxian females, which was precisely the reason he’d ordered a female from Mail Order Human, rather than seek another mate among his own kind. Gods, he hoped it was true, and hoped the temptation of betrayal never crossed Hailey’s mind.
    He pressed a kiss to her forehead, letting his lips linger long enough to sense her body humming at his touch, before he pulled away and picked up